Clinic waiting room and patient flow

BOC’s patient flow tracks every clinic visit through three room statuses, Waiting, In Room, and Done, with a live waiting-time counter that reception, the doctor, and the cashier all see, on the web and in the BOC app. Each step also reaches the cashier as a live alert, so your team knows who has arrived, who is with the doctor, and who is ready to pay without walking down the corridor to ask.

Done today in Dr. Karim Youssef's room: Sara Haddad, Dina Mahmoud, Mohammad Ali, and Tamer Fares, each with the service, the waiting time, the time in the room, when the visit was done, what was due, and what was paid, under Sara Haddad's visit with Waiting time 8m 00s and In room time 49m 00s.

What it does

Every visit in BOC can carry a room status. A booked visit starts outside the queue. When the patient arrives, someone sets it to Waiting and BOC starts a waiting clock. When the doctor calls the patient, the visit moves to In Room and an in-room clock starts. When the work is finished, the visit is Done, the finish time is saved, and the visit moves to the Done today list.

The status can be changed from the Room Workflow section in the calendar’s appointment drawer, the Room Status buttons on each cashier card, and Dr. Room. The cashier search can also check a client in with Send to Waiting, and for a visit booked on another day BOC offers to move it to today first. Whichever screen makes the change, the others follow. The calendar card takes the colour of the phase and pulses while the patient waits or is inside, the cashier card highlights the active button, and Dr. Room moves the patient between its lists. The same flow runs in the BOC app for iPhone and Android, from the drawer’s room panel to the cashier card.

Live waiting time on every screen

Waiting outside now in Dr. Room lists each waiting patient with the service, the booked time, and a waiting time that counts up by the second. The cashier card shows the same running time under its Waiting button, and the cashier header counts how many patients are waiting and how many are in the room; a tap on either counter filters the board to those visits.

Once the patient is inside, the open visit shows Waiting time and In room time side by side. Done today keeps the waiting time, the time in room, and the time the visit finished for each patient, so the doctor and the manager can look back over the day and see where patients waited longest.

The cashier also gets a live Doctor Room alert list: a patient called into the room, a visit done with Collect payment, a Dr note, a patient sent back to waiting, a visit closed when the next patient went in, and a price the doctor changed from the old amount to the new one. Alerts carry Pay or In Room buttons, Clear all empties the list, and roles with View Notifications see them.

Sending back, swapping, and booking the next visit

If a patient has to step out, for blood work or an X-ray for example, the doctor uses Send to waiting and adds a Dr note for the cashier. The patient returns to the queue and the waiting clock starts again. Roles decide who sets each step: Edit Waiting, Edit In Room, Done Appointment, and Undo Done Appointment are separate permissions, and View Doctor Note shows the doctor’s note to cashier staff. Each doctor has one patient In Room at a time: moving a new patient in asks for confirmation and marks the patient already inside as Done.

When the status moves forward to Waiting, In Room, or Done while the follow-up visit is still unbooked, BOC opens Set Next Appointment with a date and a time, so reception books the next session while the patient is still at the clinic. BOC reserves the Waiting, In Room, and Done colours on the calendar, so service colours stay clearly different from room statuses.

How it works in BOC

  1. Mark the arrival. When the patient arrives, set the visit to Waiting from the calendar drawer, the cashier card, or Dr. Room. The waiting clock starts.
  2. Watch the queue. Waiting outside now shows every waiting patient and how long each one has waited.
  3. Call the patient in. The doctor presses In Room. The in-room clock starts, and the calendar and cashier update.
  4. Send back when needed. Send to waiting returns the patient to the queue with a Dr note for the cashier.
  5. Finish the visit. Mark it Done. The visit moves to Done today with its waiting and in-room times.
  6. Book the follow-up. Use Set Next Appointment when BOC offers it, or later from the cashier card.
Salem Hassan's laser hair removal opened from the calendar: Room Workflow with Waiting, In Room, and Done, above the Appointment Status buttons Available, Paused, and Postponed.
The cashier board: each card has the Room Status buttons Waiting and In Room, and Undone for a visit already done, next to the amounts due, paid, and remaining, as for Amr Fathy, Tamer Fares, Dina Mahmoud, and Hadi Karam.
On a phone, Sara Haddad's finished laser visit in Dr. Room shows the due, paid, remaining, and planned amounts, Waiting time 8m 00s and In room time 49m 00s, then the Done today list.

Who it is for

Clinics Clinics keep reception, doctors, and the cashier on one visit status from arrival to payment.

Dental clinics Dental teams see who is in the chair, who is waiting, and who is ready for the cashier.

Dermatology and laser Laser clinics with several devices see who is waiting for which service and for how long.

Physiotherapy Physiotherapy practices track the time in room for every session and see the next patient waiting.

What your team gains

  • Three room statuses on every visit: Waiting, In Room, and Done.
  • A live waiting-time counter in Dr. Room and on the cashier card.
  • Waiting and In Room counters in the cashier header.
  • Calendar cards that change colour with the room status.
  • Waiting time, in-room time, and finish time saved for each visit.
  • Set Next Appointment offered when the status changes.
  • Live cashier alerts for patients called in, visits done, notes, and price changes.

Questions

Does BOC have a waiting room screen?

Yes. Dr. Room has a Waiting outside now list with every waiting patient, the service, the booked time, and a live waiting time. The cashier screen also counts how many patients are waiting and how many are in the room.

Who can change a patient’s room status?

Reception can change it from the calendar’s Room Workflow or from the cashier card, and doctors change it from Dr. Room. Edit Waiting, Edit In Room, Done Appointment, and Undo Done Appointment are separate permissions, and Dr. Room adds Mark Visit Done and Send Back to Waiting.

Is the waiting time saved after the visit?

Yes. Done today lists the waiting time, the time in room, and the time each visit finished. While the patient is inside, the open visit shows both times.

Can two patients be in the same doctor’s room?

Each doctor has one patient In Room at a time. When you move a new patient in, BOC names the patient already inside and asks you to confirm, then marks that visit Done.

When does BOC ask to book the next appointment?

When a visit moves forward to Waiting, In Room, or Done and the next visit is still unbooked, BOC opens Set Next Appointment. Pick a date and time, or close it and book later from the cashier card.

Can the cashier see why a patient went back to waiting?

Yes. When the doctor uses Send to waiting, BOC asks for a short Dr note, such as Need X-ray before continuing, and cashier staff with View Doctor Note see it on the visit and in their alerts.

Does the cashier get an alert when a patient is done?

Yes. The cashier’s Doctor Room alert list shows each patient called in, each visit done with Collect payment, each Dr note, each patient sent back to waiting, and each price the doctor changes. Pay on the alert opens the payment straight away.

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