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    Home > Practice Operations Glossary

    Appointment Time

    A designated block of time spent providing patient care.

    Cancellation Rate

    The rate measuring appointments that were scheduled but cancelled by the patient, as a percent of total appointments. Rescheduled within 30 days after cancellation: the percentage of appointments that were rescheduled within 30 days of cancelling their patient’s original appointments.

    Established Patient

    An individual who has previously received care from a provider in the same group practice, within the past three years.

    Post Operative Visit

    An appointment scheduled after an initial visit or performed procedure.

    New Patient

    An individual who has not previously received care from a provider in the same group practice, within the past three years.

    No-Show Fee

    The amount charged when a patient does not show for a scheduled appointment.

    No-Show Rate

    The rate measuring appointments that were scheduled but patients did not show up for their scheduled time, as a percent of total appointments.

    Preventive Care Visit

    Typically, a yearly appointment intended to prevent illness and detect health concerns early before symptoms are noticeable.

    Same-Day Appointments

    The total number of appointment slots per day that are scheduled for same-day patients to accommodate for last-minute appointment requests.

    Third Next Available Appointment

    The number of business days from the start of each day to the third open appointment. This does not count days when the office is closed for business, however, days where the provider is unavailable due to vacation, administrative time, sick leave, etc. should be included in the count. Appointment slots reserved for same-day appointments, should not be included the count for third next available appointment.

    Throughput/Total Cycle Time

    The number of minutes between when a patient arrives at the practice and when they leave the practice including time spent waiting in the waiting area, exam room and checkout time.

    Unfilled Appointment Slot

    Total appointment slots that were not filled by a scheduled patient visit or purposely unscheduled per day.

    Wait Time

    The average time spent by a patient before receiving care in the waiting area or exam room.


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