Scheduling interface system and method for medical professionals

Claim 1

An asynchronous system for scheduling appointments for a plurality of patients at medical facilities of a plurality of medical professionals comprising: (a) a master schedule electronic data base having: a. a data base of existing appointments for said medical professionals, b. means for updating said data base; c. another data base of available appointment times for said medical professionals, d. means for updating said another data base, e. tentative appointment data base storage means for electronically storing records of tentative appointments for said patients with said medical professionals, means for asynchronously requiring subsequent electronic confirmation or rejection of said tentative appointments, and f. means for electronically communicating indicia of said tentative appointments to said medical professionals; (b) a coordination center having: a. communication means including a telephonic link, b. means including said telephonic link for individually effecting telephonic communication with said patients; c. means for making said tentative appointments for said patients with said medical professionals and for communicating indicia of said tentative appointments to said master schedule data base; (c) means including said tentative appointment storage means responsive to receipt of said indicia of said tentative appointments for storing said indicia; and (d) means responsive to inquiry by an inquiring one of said medical professionals of tentative appointments made for said inquiring one of said medical professionals to electronically transmit to said inquiring one of said medical professionals indicia of tentative appointments made for said inquiring one of said medical professionals.

Claim 31

A method of asynchronously supervising and controlling appointment scheduling for a plurality of patients at medical facilities of a plurality of medical professionals comprising steps of: (1) establishing a master centralized electronic data base to serve a plurality of medical professionals; (2) providing at least one call center for electronically communicating with said master data base; (3) electronically storing in said master data base indicia indicative of appointments available with said medical professionals at medical facilities of said medical professionals; (4) receiving at said call center indicia from a patient indicating a request for an appointment time with one of said medical professionals; (5) interrogating said master data base to determine said available appointments, and: (a) when said requested appointment time is available, (i) tentatively making said requested appointment, said appointment being tentative and requiring subsequent confirmation or rejection, (ii) communicating a tentative unconfirmed booking for said requested appointment time to said patient requesting said appointment, and (iii) communicating said tentative booking for said requested appointment time to the medical professional for whom said tentative booking is made, (b) when said requested appointment time is not available, (i) informing said patient of non-availability of said requested appointment time, (ii) informing said patient of available appointment times, (iii) requesting said patient to select from said available appointment times, (iv) receiving from said patient an alternative request for appointment, (v) communicating a tentative unconfirmed alternative booking for said alternative appointment time to said patient requesting said alternative appointment, and (vi) communicating said tentative alternative booking for said requested appointment time to the medical professional for whom said tentative alternative booking is made.

Claim 32

A method of asynchronously supervising and controlling appointment scheduling for a plurality of patients at medical facilities of a plurality of medical professionals comprising steps of: (1) establishing a master centralized electronic data base to serve a plurality of medical professionals; (2) providing at least one call center for electronically communicating with said master data base; (3) electronically storing in said master data base indicia indicative of appointments available with said medical professionals at medical facilities of said medical professionals; (4) receiving at said call center indicia from a patient indicating a request for an appointment time with one of said medical professionals; (5) interrogating said master data base to determine said available appointments, and: (a) when said requested appointment time is available, (i) tentatively making said requested appointment, said appointment being tentative and requiring subsequent confirmation or rejection, (ii) communicating a tentative unconfirmed booking for said requested appointment time to said patient requesting said appointment, and (iii) communicating said tentative booking for said requested appointment time to the medical professional for whom said tentative booking is made, (b) when said requested appointment time is not available, (i) informing said patient of non-availability of said requested appointment time, (ii) informing said patient of available appointment times, (iii) requesting said patient to select from said available appointment times, (iv) receiving from said patient an alternative request for appointment, (v) communicating a tentative unconfirmed alternative booking for said alternative appointment time to said patient requesting said alternative appointment, and (vi) communicating said tentative alternative booking for said requested appointment time to the medical professional for whom said tentative alternative booking is made.