Glossary, front desk
What is waitlist management in a clinic?
Waitlist management is keeping a list of patients who want an earlier appointment and offering them slots as they open through cancellations. It turns a cancelled visit into one that still happens.
Updated . Defined by the wai team for clinics, groups and health systems.
Also called cancellation list or waiting list management.
Why Waitlist management matters to a clinic
Cancellations are inevitable, and an empty slot is lost revenue and a patient left waiting longer than they need to. A waitlist worked by hand only fills slots when someone has time to ring round.
Speed decides it. The first patient offered a slot within minutes of a cancellation usually takes it, and the one offered it an hour before the visit usually cannot.
Questions
Who should be on the waitlist?
Patients who have asked for an earlier visit and can come at short notice. Keep it current, or offers go to people who no longer need them.
Does it work with online booking?
Yes. The slot a cancellation frees is the same one patients see online. See appointments.
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