How to handle patient bookings online
A calendar for every doctor, consultation types as services and confirmation done by your reception.
Specific businesses
A medical practice or clinic can cut down phone traffic at reception with an online booking page: patients ask for a time at any hour and doctors keep an orderly diary. 4appointments handles scheduling only. It isn’t a medical records system and sends nothing to patients, so your team confirms and informs them directly.
Add each doctor as a provider with their own weekly schedule, and create the consultation types as services, each with its own duration and price (first visit, follow-up and so on). Every service shows for every provider, so tell patients when a doctor doesn’t offer a certain type.
Share the practice’s public link, or a particular doctor’s separate link. Patients choose a service, a doctor or “Any available person” and a free time, without an account. The page offers only free times, and the notice rules decide how close to the appointment someone can still book.
Each request arrives as pending and holds the time. Reception confirms or rejects it in the Bookings section and then calls or messages the patient, because the tool sends no confirmation or reminder. That’s also the moment to give preparation instructions, such as fasting or documents to bring.
Reception can create bookings for emergencies and for patients without internet access, and block time for admin tasks. Permissions are set per team member, and the team calendar can be kept private. Keep data minimal: ask patients not to write medical details in the free note.
Key points
- ✓A calendar and weekly schedule for each doctor
- ✓Reception confirms by hand and tells the patient directly
- ✓Permissions per team member, and a private option for the team calendar
Common questions
How do I keep patient information protected?+
Collect as little as possible: the form needs only a name and an optional email address. Don’t use the free note for medical information, keep clinical records in a dedicated system and set permissions so each team member sees only what they need.
Can it be connected to a medical records system?+
No. 4appointments has no integrations or API. You can export the list of bookings as CSV, XML or PDF if you need the data elsewhere.
More guides to read
Run a medical practice?
Give each doctor a calendar and let patients request a time online, while your reception keeps control of every confirmation. The first 12 months are free, no card needed.
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