computer programs for scheduling appointments

Under the asynchronous mode, if an appointment is requested outside of a provider’s business hours, it will not be processed until schedulers return to work. Although the asynchronous Web-based appointment systems also use the Internet as a medium, they basically replicate the process of telephone-based appointment scheduling. In the real-time mode, patients can directly interact with providers’ scheduling management systems. In the asynchronous mode, appointments are requested through emails or electronic forms on providers’ website, and then manually processed by schedulers. There are two modes of Web-based appointment systems, asynchronous and real-time.

To meet the requirements of MU and receive its incentives, the portal should be actively used by both the practice and patients. In the United States, the growth of patient portals has largely been spurred by meaningful use (MU) requirements because of the federal incentive program for adoption of electronic health records. A patient portal is a secured Web-based service that allows patients to access their health information and communicate with their health care providers at any time. The other type of appointment service is proprietary appointment systems, which are integrated into patient portals on providers’ websites. The appointment services are cloud-based and can be integrated into health care providers’ own management systems. These appointment systems are not built up by health care practices themselves, but are provided and maintained by health IT companies such as ZocDoc and InQuicker on a paid subscription basis. Medical scheduling SaaS has gained increasing prominence in recent years. There are two major types of Web-based medical appointment services, medical scheduling software as a service (SaaS) and proprietary Web-based scheduling systems. Several studies conducted satisfaction surveys and found that Web-based appointment scheduling is an extremely important feature, and most patients would use the service again. Web-based appointment scheduling has been a popular research topic. The Internet has recently emerged as another means to make appointments.

Patients’ satisfaction with appointment booking is influenced by their ability to book at the right time with the right health service providers. However, because these traditional methods require the intervention of schedulers, the ability to get a timely appointment is not only limited by the availability of appointment slots, but also by the schedulers and phone lines. These methods are based on verbal communications with real people and allow for maximum flexibility in complicated situations. Traditionally, medical appointments have been made with schedulers over the telephone or in person. Background of Web-Based Appointment System

Computer programs for scheduling appointments