Internal Medicine Appointment Scheduling Guidelines

Appointment Types and Duration

New Patient Visits

• Initial Consultation: 40 minutes
• Complete Physical Examination: 60 minutes
• Medicare Annual Wellness Visit: 45 minutes

Established Patient Visits

• Follow-up Visit: 20 minutes
• Chronic Disease Management: 30 minutes
• Acute Care Visit: 20 minutes
• Medication Review: 15 minutes

Scheduling Priorities

Urgent Care Slots

• Reserve 2-3 same-day appointment slots per provider
• Maintain flexible scheduling for acute conditions
• Triage based on symptom severity

Protected Time Blocks

• Administrative time: 1 hour daily
• Care coordination: 30 minutes daily
• Lab result review: 30 minutes daily

Special Considerations

Complex Care Patients

• Schedule during low-volume periods
• Allow additional time for multiple conditions
• Consider scheduling first appointment of day

Preventive Care

• Schedule routine physicals 2-3 months in advance
• Block dedicated time for wellness visits
• Group similar preventive services

Scheduling Rules

Patient Communication

• Send appointment reminders 48 hours in advance
• Confirm appointments 24 hours prior
• Document all scheduling changes

Late Policy

• 15-minute grace period
• Reschedule if >15 minutes late
• Document all late arrivals

Cancellation Policy

• 24-hour notice required
• Document reason for cancellation
• Track frequent cancellations

Template Implementation

Daily Schedule Structure

• Morning sessions: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
• Afternoon sessions: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• Buffer time: 10 minutes between sessions

Schedule Distribution

• 60% routine appointments
• 20% same-day/urgent care
• 20% administrative/buffer time