TOPIC
What are some issues that might arise from using an open hours method of scheduling in a medical office?
A medical office that operates with open hours for patient visits is open for specified hours during the day or evening. Patients may arrive at any time during those hours to be seen by the physician in the order of their arrival; there are no scheduled appointments. This system is commonly seen in emergency walk-in clinics and eliminates patient complaints such as “I had an appointment at 2 PM but had to wait until 3 PM to be seen.” Open-hour scheduling, however, has some clear disadvantages:
• Effective time management is almost impossible.
• The facilities may be overloaded at some times and empty at other