How to manage patient bookings online
A calendar per doctor, consultation types as services and confirmation done by your reception.
Specific businesses
A medical practice or clinic can cut some of the phone traffic at reception with an online booking page: patients ask for a time at any hour, and each doctor keeps an organised diary. 4appointments handles scheduling only. It’s not a medical records system, and it sends nothing to patients, so your team confirms and informs them directly.
Add each doctor as a provider with their own weekly schedule. Create the consultation types as services, each with its own duration and price, for example a first visit and a follow-up. Every service is shown for every provider, so tell patients when a doctor doesn’t offer a certain type.
Share the public link of the practice, or the separate link of a particular doctor. Patients choose a service, a doctor or the option “Any available person”, and an open time, without an account. The page offers only open 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. This is 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 administrative tasks. Permissions can be set per team member, and the team calendar can be kept private where needed. Keep the data minimal: the form collects a name, an optional email address and a free note, so ask patients not to write medical details there.
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 data 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, and keep clinical records in a dedicated system (EHR/EMR). Set permissions so that each team member sees only what they need.
Is it possible to link up with 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
Do you 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, with no card.
Give 4appointments a try