Flu season—getting in to see the doctor [White Coat Underground]

I try not to overbook at my office. I have about 16 slots every morning for returning patients (fewer if I have new patients booked, which I usually do). I usually schedule, counting new and old patients, 12 patients every morning. If I were to cut my appointment slots down to 10 minutes instead of 15, I could really pack ‘em in, and I may have to do that some day, but with the 15 minute slots, I can usually squeeze in people who want to walk in because they’re sick. There’s only so much that can be done to control the flow; if someone has chest pain, I’m going to be running late from then on. If everyone is well, I’ll be right on time.

Influenza is the destroyer of schedules. If I have 12 slots booked, and just two people with the flu want to be seen, I’m either going to squeeze them into the middle of the schedule or tack them onto the end. Either way, I’m going to run late, and patients will feel it.

Read the rest of this post… | Read the comments on this post…