The waitlist
What happens when a patient wants a slot you do not have, and how to work the queue.
When the assistant cannot find a slot that suits a patient, it offers to put them on the waitlist instead of ending the conversation with "we are full". They leave their contact details and what they are waiting for.
Working it
- When a cancellation frees a slot, open the waitlist.
- Find someone whose request matches the specialty and the time.
- Convert them into an appointment — their details come with them, so nothing is retyped.
- The entry closes automatically once it becomes a booking.
A waitlist that nobody reads is worse than no waitlist, because the patient thinks they are in a queue. Make checking it part of whoever handles cancellations, on the same day.
Getting told about new entries
Turn on the waitlist request notification so a new entry emails whoever works the list. It is on by default; the mistake is leaving it on for people who never look at the queue and off for the person who does.
When the list is long
A long waitlist for one specialty is a staffing signal, not an administrative burden. Cross-check it against doctor utilisation before you conclude you need more hours — sometimes the hours exist and the routing is wrong.
Common questions
- Are patients told where they are in the queue?
- No, and deliberately — a position implies an order you may not want to be held to. Convert whoever fits the slot.
- Do waitlist entries expire?
- They stay until you convert or close them. Sweep the old ones periodically; a request from three months ago is usually a patient who went elsewhere.