The Influence of the Scheduling Horizon on New Patient Arrivals

The goal of scheduling within an ambulatory enterprise is to appropriately accommodate patients; extending capacity to fulfill this aim in a large health care organization requires the management of a complex scheduling process. Understanding and handling the appointment lead time, referred to as the scheduling horizon, can positively influence capacity management. The analysis demonstrated an increased chance of nonarrived appointments of 16% for a specialty practice and 11% for a primary care practice for every 30-day delay in the scheduling horizon. By incorporating the management of the scheduling horizon, health care organizations can optimize the capacity of their ambulatory clinics.