Patient Scheduling Efficiency Model

What this model does

This tool estimates how many new patients one scheduler can book per day and per month, and how many schedulers Medigy needs to hit a monthly scheduling target. It applies to new-patient scheduling only. Reschedules are intentionally excluded from the call funnel — they are quick, most patient information is already on file, and they are handled during the admin block (and may be automated in the future). HST scheduling is out of scope.

The core logic

Capacity is built from time, not guesses. We start with the hours a scheduler can actually spend on the phone, then account for the reality that most dials go unanswered, and that not every answered call ends in a booked appointment.

Time inputs (left panel, top card)

Shift length — total scheduled hours for the day, before any deductions.

Admin block — non-calling time: reschedules, paperwork, chart notes, faxes, follow-ups. If reschedule volume grows, increase this block rather than changing the funnel.

Lunch break — unpaid or non-working break time.

Unanswered attempt — minutes consumed by a dial that no one picks up: ringing, leaving a voicemail, logging the attempt. Even missed calls cost real time.

Answered scheduling call — average talk time when a patient picks up and we work through scheduling a new setup.

Wrap-up & documentation — after-call work per answered call: confirming in the system, notes, sending confirmations.

Funnel scenarios (left panel, bottom card)

Answer rate — the percentage of dials a patient actually answers. Pull this from Dialpad reporting for the most accurate number.

Success rate — of the calls that are answered, the percentage that end with an appointment on the calendar. Applies to answered calls only, not total dials.

Conservative (35% answer / 65% success) models a tough calling environment — new referral lists, poor phone numbers, hesitant patients. Baseline (45% / 80%) reflects a steady state with warm referrals. Optimized (55% / 90%) assumes strong processes — texting before calling, calling at optimal times, clean referral data. Use Custom to enter your team's actual measured rates.

Scaling to target (bottom right card)

Enter the number of new patients that must be scheduled per month, or click a preset. Each scenario column shows the schedulers required (rounded up — you can't hire a fraction of a person), the monthly capacity per scheduler, total capacity at that headcount, and the buffer above or below the target. A healthy buffer absorbs PTO, callouts, and seasonal referral swings; a thin buffer means the plan breaks the first week someone is out.

Ground rules for good use

Update the sliders with measured data, not hopes — Dialpad gives you answer rates and handle times directly. Revisit the assumptions monthly. If actual scheduled volume runs below the model, the gap is diagnostic: either the funnel rates are optimistic, calling hours are being eaten by admin creep, or handle times are longer than assumed. The model turns "we need more people" into a specific, checkable conversation.

Assumes 21 working days per month. Capacity is per scheduler and scales linearly with headcount. This is a planning model — real performance varies by payer mix, referral quality, and time of year.