How are Online Bookings calculated?

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Time is a valuable resource for any business and the following settings are essential for controlling how appointments are offered to patients and scheduled within the clinic.

Free Time Search Algorithm Settings

The three settings we will be focusing on are highlighted above and the options for these are–

Free time search algorithm

  • All time slots
  • Consolidated – Start
  • Consolidated – End
  • Consolidated – End

Time interval alignment

  • Match the appointment duration
  • Selection of 5, 6, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes (1 hour)

Strictly obey time intervals

  • Relaxed
  • Strict

These three settings have a significant influence on how free appointments are found and presented to the patient in the booking screen.

Example Day for a Practitioner

The practitioner’s working hours are from 09:00 to 18:00

There are three appointments booked

  • 09:00 for 30 minutes
  • 15:00 for an hour
  • 17:30 for 30 minutes

A 1-hour lunch break is scheduled at 13:00

Calculation of Available Time Slots

Step 1: Time Interval Subdivision

The algorithm first subdivides the practitioner’s working hours based on the selected time interval (this option is just below the Free time search algorithm). For example, if the time interval alignment is set to match the appointment duration, and the duration is 1 hour, then the working hours will be divided into 1-hour increments:

09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00

The tabs below outline how the setting Strictly obey time intervals —either Strict or Relaxed—affects the results displayed.

Strictly obey time intervals – Strict

The explanation and results in this section apply when the Strictly obey time intervals is set to Strict.


Step 2: Availability Check (this includes room availability if the practitioner is assigned to one)
The algorithm then checks which of these time slots are available and can accommodate a 1-hour appointment.

The algorithm then offers the following all time slots of:

10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00

Strictly obey time intervals – Relaxed

The explanation and results in this section apply when the Strictly obey time intervals is set to Relaxed.


Step 2: Availability Check (this includes room availability if the practitioner is assigned to one)
The algorithm then checks which of these time slots are available and can accommodate a 1-hour appointment.

10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00

The algorithm then also checks to see if there are any time slots before or after each appointment that could accommodate a 1 hour appointment but are different from those above. Based on the example working hours and appointments above it would return.

09:30, 16:30

The algorithm then offers the following available all time slots of:

09:30, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 16:30

 Room Assignment:

If a practitioner is assigned to a room, the algorithm will check the clinic’s opening hours. If the practitioner’s hours fall outside of these, the logic will be that the room is unavailable—since the clinic is closed—and therefore the practitioner is also unavailable at those times.

Example

  • The practitioner’s working hours are from 08:00 to 17:00.
  • The practitioner is assigned to Room 1 during these hours.
  • The clinic’s opening hours are from 09:00 to 17:00.
  • The algorithm will not offer appointments for the practitioner between 08:00 and 09:00, as the clinic is closed during that time, even if the practitioner has no other appointments booked.

 Availability Checks

Availability is based on-

  • Is the practitioner working.
  • Is the time free or has an appointment already been booked in this time frame.
  • Are they are assigned to a room and if so is it available.