Best Practice Guidelines: Telehealth Practice Management



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5. Pre-consultation phase

5.1. Appointments

Responsible Roles

Ensure that all his/her day's planning is on the electronic diary so reception can manage the expectations of patients. Check what time slots are open in their diary so they can decide whether they want to indicate that they are available for call-in patients ("Walk-in" patients) during those time slots. 

Complete all online bookings for telehealth appointments in the electronic diary. Manage all booking changes..



Purpose of Appointments

  • An electronic diary can assist practitioners with making appointments and managing their daily routine to promote excellent health care and to manage the practice to the fullest potential.
  • It contains the booking links to the Telehealth consultations so that practitioners can use the diary entry to navigate to the online consultation platform.
  • Available time slots can indicate if the practitioner can add bookings to his/her work schedule by using an online platform to generate more bookings.
  • The diary is not only used for booking patients appointments but also to organise the practitioner's day e.g. lunchtimes, online seminars, leave, theatre etc.
  • Booking appointments on the diary enables the practice to draw various statistical and management reports to ensure that all patient consultations have been billed, invoices/statements and payment links have been sent. If an appointment is not on the diary, it can mean the loss of income.

Tasks associated with Telehealth Appointments

Patients on Appointment
  • Telehealth appointments are video conferencing consultations scheduled between a practitioner and a patient. Telehealth bookings can be created manually after a telephonic request or by using an online booking platform.
  • Different platforms can be used to create an online telehealth booking and practitioners are advised to do research to find a solution that will optimally work with their software.

Call-in Patients ("Walk-In" Patients)

If a patient uses an online platform that enables them to use a call-a-practitioner function, the patient will have the ability to communicate with any practitioner that he or she requests an online consultation with immediately. Practitioners who are using the same platform will be able to accept such calls and directly enter into a video consultation with the patient without a prior appointment.

Call-in patients are therefore to the online practice platform what walk-in patients are to a physical location practice.