Two patients are scheduled for the same appointment time describes which scheduling method?

• A. Open hour scheduling
• B. Time Specified Scheduling
• C. Double booking scheduling
• D. Wave scheduling

Answer: (C)

Overlapping appointments, where two patients are set to start at the exact same time, is double booking. The idea is to maximize the clinician’s time by assuming one visit will be quick or that a cancellation might free a slot, allowing the second patient to be seen after the first. This can boost efficiency in busy practices, but it can also lead to longer wait times if both visits take longer than expected. This differs from fixed-time scheduling, where each patient has a specific, separate slot; open hour scheduling, where patients are seen in a first-come, first-served fashion within a block of time; and wave scheduling, where several patients are scheduled for the same time but seen in a staggered sequence within a set period.