Weighted Queue Algorithm for Appointment Slot Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for managing patient appointments in the healthcare industry are inefficient, leading to financial losses and provider delays due to abrupt cancellations, as they lack a systematic way to fill available slots with suitable patients and often result in double-booking and low patient satisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A method using weighted algorithms to create a customizable queue that matches patient-preferred time slots with available healthcare provider slots, allowing for chronological or weighted ranking based on various criteria, thereby reducing manual waitlists and improving schedule utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a manual waitlist is used to manage cancellations, then patients can be notified of available slots, but office staff must spend time making phone calls and the system lacks automation
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables patients to autonomously manage their own appointment preferences and receive notifications automatically. Patients create wish lists of preferred time slots and the system automatically matches them with cancellations, eliminating the need for staff to manually call patients.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical process of staff calling patients is replaced with an automated electronic notification system. The computer automatically sends notifications to patients' devices when their preferred time slots become available, substituting human labor with automated technology.
2Productivity
If providers double book time slots to compensate for cancellations, then schedule coverage is maintained, but patient satisfaction decreases and provider stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary matching of patients with cancellation slots before the actual appointment time. By proactively notifying patients of available slots and allowing them to self-select, the system fills cancellations in advance without requiring double-booking workarounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors patient responses to notification emails and adjusts the matching algorithm accordingly. When patients accept or decline offered slots, the system receives feedback and automatically notifies the next preferred patient, creating a dynamic feedback loop that optimizes schedule filling.
3Extent of automation
If a non-adjustable automatic waitlist is implemented, then cancellations are filled automatically, but the system lacks versatility and cannot accommodate patient preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms the static, non-adjustable waitlist into a dynamic, adaptable system. Patients can update their preferred time slots and the system automatically re-matches them with new cancellations. The algorithm adjusts to changing patient preferences and availability in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system serves multiple functions: it automatically fills cancellations, accommodates patient preferences, allows patients to update their availability, and provides providers with schedule management tools. This multi-functional approach replaces multiple separate systems with a single versatile platform.
4Reliability
If patients constantly check the provider's online portal for openings, then they can find available slots, but this is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automatic feedback loops where patients receive proactive notifications when their preferred time slots become available. Instead of patients continuously checking for updates, the system pushes information to patients automatically based on their stored preferences.
Solution Approach 2:
Patients set up their preferred time slots and communication preferences once, and the system autonomously manages the matching process. Patients do not need to repeatedly check the portal or manually search for openings; the system serves them automatically based on their predefined criteria.
Data Source
AI summary
A method developed for providing patients and health care providers with an efficient and customizable way to manage abrupt cancellations. In order to accomplish that, the method of the present invention successfully matches desired time slots from an appointment request created by a patient account with recently available time slots posted by a health care provider account. The method then generates a queue comprised of patient account appointment requests where the order of the patient accounts appointment requests depends on the preferred criteria set by the health care provider accounts in the health industry. Further, the method of the present invention enables the health care provider account to choose a standard queue generated, where the patient accounts are placed in the queue in chronological order of the wish list entry or to use one or more different algorithms alone or in combination to generate weighted composite queues.