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What is a waitlist?
A waitlist is a list of patients who are waiting for a particular appointment time that is currently scheduled with another patient. Waitlists often spell out the specific medical service a patient is seeking, so is used to manage the prioritization of patient care.
How do practices manage waitlists today?
We have not conducted a formal poll on how practices manage waitlists today, but common strategies include:
- No waitlist
- Taking patients off waitlists when a different patient cancels or reschedules
- Strategy 2 and strategically booking patients on waitlist in slots where no shows are predicted
Which strategy is most effective?
The most effective strategy is to manage a waitlist and to both slot in waitlisted patients in slots where there are cancellations and reschedules and also where there are predicted no shows.
Key reasons
- Waitlists can decrease patient lead times, which leads to higher patient satisfaction
- Shorter lead teams reduce the likelihood of no shows
- Waitlists communicate to your patients that you're making an effort to accommodate their requests