9 Best Clinic Scheduling Software

Introduction

Today, making a restaurant reservation is far more quick and convenient than making a patient appointment. As a clinician, if you solve this problem, then you can not only increase your revenue but also improve patient care & experience. And the best solution for this is getting a clinic scheduling software.

But how do you choose the best option? Keep on reading as we compare and reveal to you the best solution for this.

What is Clinic Scheduling Software? 

Clinic scheduling software are tools or systems that allow clinicians to access and manage patient bookings. This includes allowing patients to self-schedule their appointments, managing the calendars of multiple healthcare providers working under you, and sending appointment-related updates to patients, be it for cancellation, rescheduling, reminders, etc.   

9 Best Clinic Scheduling Software: A Quick Comparison

1. Emitrr
2. Weave
3. NexHealth
4. Luma Health
5. Klara
6. Solutionreach 
7. Acuity Scheduling
8. GReminders
9. Square Appointments  

Key highlights: 

• Out of all the options, Emitrr is rated highest for all metrics and has a solid 5/5 rating for customer support like no other.
• Weave & Solutionreach are, although good options, they are the most expensive & do not offer the best value for money.
• Luma Health, NexHealth & Klara are not transparent with their pricing but offer good features. 
• Acuity Scheduling, GReminders, and Square Appointments are horizontal appointment scheduling software and are not specifically meant for healthcare professionals. 

Benefits of Clinic Scheduling Software

Reduce patient wait times

Visiting doctors can be quite stressful as it is and long wait times can increase this further. However, via the clinic scheduling system you can very easily reduce patient wait time. Here’s how: 

• Book medical appointments without human involvement 24/7.
• Reduce dependency on receptionists & their workload and as a result improve their productivity. 
• Reduce patient phone calls for appointment bookings. 
• Improve overall patient experience as this allows them to book appointments without waiting on calls. 

Manage multiple clinic locations

If you have clinics in multiple locations and you want to manage the appointment schedule of all of them in one single place then clinic patient scheduling software can be really useful for you. 

Increased revenue

By investing in scheduling software for your clinic, you can boost your revenue as well. Here’s how:

• Fill empty slots: Based on the medical appointments that are canceled, rescheduled, confirmed, etc., you can manage the appointment slots and make sure all slots are full.
• Low staffing cost: By automating scheduling for your clinic, you can reduce the need for more staff that were needed before to take care of scheduling. 
• Low operational cost: Appointment scheduling software can also reduce operational costs such as the cost of paper, calendar, ink, books, etc. 

Reduce no-shows & cancellations

Did you know, as per a report, 68% of patients prefer clinicians or healthcare providers who offer convenient online scheduling options to patients for making, rescheduling, and canceling appointments? So, by implementing the best scheduling software, you can better engage with your patients & improve patient experience as well.

Improved patient engagement and satisfaction

With features such as self-scheduling, two-way texting, SMS, working hour display, etc., you can engage your patients more, reduce no-shows and cancellations, and improve their overall satisfaction with the care and services you provide. 

Improved workflow for healthcare providers

By utilizing the features offered by clinic scheduling software, healthcare providers can improve the workflow via:

• Improved billing process: You can easily integrate your patient management system with your clinic patient scheduling software and using this your staff can easily send payment links or reminders to your patients improving payment related workflow.
• Less burden on administrative staff: Healthcare staff and receptionists usually juggle multiple tasks but with the help of scheduling software, so many tasks can be automated leading to better employee productivity and low burn out.
• Better allocation of resources: Free from the task of manual appointment scheduling, your staff can focus on other important matters, such as patient care, allowing you to allocate your resources better. 

Features to Look for in a Clinic Scheduling Software

Here are some key features that you should look for in a clinic scheduling software: 

Patient-focused features:

• Automated reminders: Send automated reminders to patients about sending recalls, payment reminders, upcoming appointments, notifications, etc. 
• Self-scheduling: Allow patients to view your calendar and book appointments as per your availability, as well as allow them to cancel, schedule, or reschedule appointments.  
• Integration with calendar: This feature syncs you and your patient’s calendar and automatically updates any changes, new appointments, cancellations, etc., to avoid double healthcare bookings and last-minute challenges. 
• SMS capability: Send SMS reminders, recalls, updates, and other notifications to your patients so that they never miss an appointment. 
• Two-way communication: Easily conversate with your patient with two-way communication. 
• Virtual queue: Puts your patient in a virtual queue to see if any slots are available 
• Working hours display: Allow you to edit your display hours so that your patients can make appointments as per your availability. 
• Online patient dashboard: Allows patients to access updates, reports, billing information, and more. 
• End-to-end encryption: Allows you to send your patient’s confidential information to them safely over the phone.  

Provider-focused features: 

• Multi-location support: Access and manage your clinic’s appointment and scheduling across different locations in one place. 
• Setup appointment slot based on operatory/visit type: Allows you set up appointment slot based on the type of visit, e.g. if its a general consultation, it can be 15 minutes. If its a root canal, you can set it to 45 minutes.
• Automatic fast fill: Fast fill slots automatically. For e.g. if a person A cancels their appointment last minute and had an appointment for a 15 minute slot, then you can automatically reach out to everyone who has a 15 minute slot appointment in the future and tell them that there is an opening.
• EHR/EMR Integration: Access patient information easily by integrating with your existing EHR/EMR/PMS such as Athenahealth, Dentrix, etc. without interrupting workflow. 
• HIPAA Compliance: Ensure that your patient communication complies with HIPAA to protect sensitive patient information and to protect patient privacy.
• Reporting and Analytics: Access key metrics such as cancellations, appointments, no-shows, etc. to book your appointments. 
• Manage calendar: This lets you manage, edit, and update the calendar of all the clinicians working for your clinic. 
• Send group reminders: Send appointment reminders or any other notification to a group of patients scheduled for a day. 
• Recurring messages: Send recurring or follow-up messages a week or a few days in advance. 
• Personalization: Personalize messages with first name, last name, etc. Add attachments to your messages and more. 

9 Best Clinic Scheduling Software: Detailed Analysis

Emitrr 

Emitrr is our top pick for the best clinic scheduling software because it offers comprehensive features for scheduling & appointment, it integrates with 1000+ EHR/EMR/PMS/CRM tools, is extremely affordable and even has a 5/5 rating for its customer service. The best part is that with Emitrr, you can not only simplify the scheduling aspect of your clinic but also take care of two-way patient communication, reviews & reputation management, run email campaigns and more. We recommend you to choose Emitrr if you are tired of using multiple software and are looking for an all-in-one solution. 

Emitrr Features

• Automated healthcare bookings
• Automated reminders & scheduling 
• Setup appointment slot based on the operatory/visit type
• Automatic fast fill based on slot timing
• Integration with calendar
• Self-scheduling
• SMS capability
• Virtual queue
• Manage calendar
• Multi-location support
• Working hours display
• Reporting and Analytic
• HIPAA Compliance
• Online patient dashboard
• Calendar management 
• Personalization
• Filters for sorting
• Enable patient booking via social media, website & Google 
• Collect insurance information via image or attachments 
• Send links
• Website widget to allow patients to book appointments 

Emitrr Integrations

Emitrr integrates with more than 1000 PMS/EHR/EMR tools including:

• AthenaHealth
• Curve Hero
• Denticon
• Dentrix
• Dentrix Enterprise
• Dentrix Ascend
• DrChrono
• Dolphin
• Eaglesoft
• Orthotrac
• eClinicalWorks
• OpenDental
• Kareo
• Practiceworks
• Acuity Scheduling
• HousecallPro
• HubSpot
• Mailchimp
• And more..

Emitrr Pros

• Intuitive interface
• Unparalleled customer service
• Wide range of features
• Two-way texting 
• Flexible pricing
• Seamless integration
• Easy to setup dashboard 
• Quick training 

Emitrr Cons

• No major issues with this software 

Emitrr Pricing

Emitrr is one of the most affordable clinic scheduling software, and its pricing starts at $99 a month. What’s worth noting is that with Emitrr, you not only get access to scheduling features but also all other features that it offers, including SMS marketing, reputation management, etc. that too without any additional cost. 

Emitrr Customer Support 

• Capterra: 5/5 
• G2: 4.8/5

Weave

Weave is specifically designed for healthcare professionals and is a great tool to consider if you want to simplify scheduling for your clinic. The software offers plenty of useful features such as appointment writebacks, digital forms, etc., and caters to chiropractors, dentists, etc. Weave has an intuitive interface and offers good customer support and integrations. However, you may face technical and messaging issues with it.  

Weave Features

• Automatic appointment confirmation
• Automatic appointment reminders
• Digital forms
• Analytics 
• Online scheduling
• Appointment writebacks
• Text response templates
• And more.. 

Weave Integrations

• Dentimax
• Dentrix
• Dolphin
• Denticon
• Eddson
• Easydental
• Eaglesoft
• And more..

Weave Pros

• Intuitive interface 
• Good customer service
• Useful texting features

Weave Cons

• Technical glitches 
• Limited features
• Messaging issues

Weave Pricing

Weave’s pricing is a bit on the higher side and it starts at $399. It also charges a setup fee of $750. 

Weave Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.8/5
• G2: 4.5/5

NexHealth

NexHealth is a great platform to engage with your patients and secure more appointments via easy self-scheduling features, instant payment options, appointment reminders, and more. The platform integrates with different EMR and EHR tools, but it can be quite difficult to use. Additionally, NexHealth offers limited support hours and does not have transparent pricing, so you must take these factors into consideration. 

NexHealth Features

• One-click recalls
• Waitlist
• Customize schedule by appointment types
• Appointment booking & scheduling
• Customization
• Online billing & collections
• And more..

NexHealth Integrations  

• Dentrix
• Opendental 
• eClinicalWorks
• Opencare
• Ooma
• Deardoc
• And more..

NexHealth Pros

• Easy online scheduling
• Interactive software
• All-in-one platform 

Nexhealth Cons

• Limited support hours 
• Limited scheduling features
• Not transparent with pricing 
• Hard to use

NexHealth Pricing

Nexhealth offers month-to-month service and different kinds of pricing plans. Since they have not revealed their pricing on the website, you will have to get in touch with the company for more details on this. 

NexHealth Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.8/5
• G2: 4.8/5

Luma Health

Luma Health is a useful software that is specifically meant for doctors and healthcare providers. The platform highly focuses on offering features that can simplify patient journeys right from making a first booking to aftercare. It is quite user-friendly and offers plenty of integrations and useful features. However, customers often complain about facing technical issues and delays in sending messages. 

Luma Health Features

• Text and web scheduling
• Actionable reminders
• Smart waitlist
• Patient-initiated texting
• Multilingual messaging
• Patient Success Dashboard
• And more..

Luma Health Integrations

• Athenahealth
• eClinicalWorks
• Veradigm
• Oracle Health
• Meditech
• Epic
• NextGen
• And more..

Luma Health Pros

• User-friendly
• Customization flexibility
• Good customer service

Luma Health Cons

• Syncing delays
• Technical issues with software
• Opt-out option opt outs the customer out of all kinds of communication

Luma Health Pricing

Luma Health has not provided information on its pricing. You will have to get in touch with the company to obtain information on this. 

Luma Health Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.7/5
• G2: 4.8/5

Klara

Klara is a well-known patient engagement platform meant for clinics and medical practices. The software offers many useful and unique clinic scheduling features, such as video visits, automated digital intake, etc. However, customers often complain about its poor integration with EHR tools and also for not offering the best value for money. 

Klara Features

• Self-scheduling 
• Two-way texting
• Appointment customization
• Automated digital intake and insurance collection requests
• Automate text reminders
• Video visits
• And more..

Klara Integrations

• athenaOne
• Nextech
• Veradigm
• ModMed
• Intergy
• AdvancedMD
• Meditab
• eClinicalWorks
• And more.. 

Klara Pros

• Video visit option
• Intuitive interface
• Useful scheduling features 
• Good customer service

Klara Cons

• Limited and poor integration with EHR tools
• Value for money is not good

Klara Pricing

Klara has not shared information on its plans and pricing. 

Klara Customer Support 

• Capterra: 4.4/5
• G2: 4.5/5

Solutionreach 

Solutionreach is comprehensive software meant for clinics and other healthcare facilities to improve patient appointment workflow and overall patient experience. For this, the software offers features like location management, appointment customization, and more. Solutionreach is a great clinic scheduling software; however, it is quite expensive, and you may face technical issues with it. Here’s some more information about this software:

Solutionreach Features

• Automated reminders & scheduling 
• Location management
• Automated bookings
• Integrations
• Working hours display
• Customization
• HIPAA compliant
• And more…

Solutionreach Integrations

• Denticon
• Fuse
• Dentrix
• Opendental
• Eaglesoft 
• Curve Dental
• And more..

Solutionreach Pros

• Useful scheduling & communication tools
• User friendly interface software

Solutionreach Cons

• Poor customer service  
• Many technical issues with the software

Solutionreach Pricing

Solutionreach’s pricing starts at $329 a month.

Solutionreach Customer Support

• Capterra: 3.8/5
• G2: 4.3/5

Horizontal Scheduling Software 

Apart from the options listed above, there are many other horizontal scheduling software that customers often choose for their clinics. However, in spite of offering great features and price, they may not be best suited for the healthcare industry. This is because they may lack integration with popular EHR/EMR tools, may not be HIPAA compliant, or may not have different kinds of features and capabilities to offer you support in the long term. Irrespective, here are some options that are popular amongst users: 

Acuity Scheduling 

Acuity Scheduling is an extremely easy-to-use appointment scheduling software that caters to not just healthcare, but all kinds of business industries. If you are solely looking for scheduling or appointment software with plenty of useful features, then Acuity is a good choice. However, if, as a clinician or healthcare provider, you want an all-in-one patient tool that allows you to communicate with your patient with two-way texting, offers marketing capabilities, reputation management, etc., then something like Emitrr should be your choice. 

Acuity Scheduling Features

• Self-scheduling
• Online payment options
• Embed scheduler into your website
• Reporting & analytics
• Automated bookings
• No-show protection tools
• Multi-location management
• Create recurring appointments
• And more..

Acuity Scheduling Integrations

• Zapier
• Zoho
• Zoom
• MailChimp
• Google
• Drip
• And more..

Acuity Scheduling Pros

• Useful calendar management and syncing
• Super easy-to-use
• Allows online scheduling through website
• Many templates & integrations

Acuity Scheduling Cons

• Not an all-in-one software for healthcare professionals
• Quite expensive
• Does not integrate with many EHR/EMR tools 

Acuity Scheduling Pricing

Acuity Scheduling offers four kinds of pricing plans:

• Emerging: $16 per month
• Growing: $27 per month
• Powerhouse: $49 per month
• Enterprise: Custom

Acuity Scheduling Customer Support

• Capterra: 4.7/5
• G2: 4.7/5

GReminders

GReminders is another popular appointment and scheduling software, and just like Acuity Scheduling, it also caters to different kinds of businesses, including healthcare. The platform offers plenty of useful scheduling features, is HIPAA compliant, and even offers a free plan. However, if you are looking for an all-in-one software that not only automates scheduling but also takes care of another aspect of your clinic or healthcare facility, such as two-way communication with patients, reputation management, marketing campaigns, etc., then you should consider other options listed in the guide above.  

GReminders Features 

• SMS or text message for appointment reminder
• Reminder templates
• Email reminders
• Schedule in-person or online events
• Website customization for bookings
• HIPAA compliance
• And more..

GReminders Integrations

• Google Meet
• HubSpot
• Microsoft Teams / Skype
• Salesforce
• ActiveCampaign
• Salesloft
• Stripe
• Zapier
• And more.. 

GReminders Pros

• Affordable scheduling software
• Free plan available
• Plenty of appointment & scheduling features
• HIPAA compliant

GReminders Cons

• Does not integrate with many EHR/EMR tools
• Not user friendly
• Delays in delivery of reminder SMS
• Not an all-in-one software for healthcare professionals

GReminders Pricing

GReminders offers four kinds of pricing plans:

• Basic: Free
• Standard: $8 per month
• Professional: $39 per month
• Business: $99 per month

GReminders Customer Support

• Capterra: 4.6/5
• G2: 4.7/5

Square Appointments

Square Appointments is an all-in-one solution for scheduling appointments, bookings, and accepting payments. Apart from its useful scheduling features, what we love about Square Appointments is its ability to sync with the EHR or PMS system to simplify the payment process. The software caters to different industries, so if you run a med spa clinic, this can be a great software for you. However, it may not be the best option for healthcare professionals looking for HIPAA-compliant software. 

Square Appointments Features

• Free online booking website
• Automated email and text reminders
• Google Calendar sync
• Multiple locations and multiple time zones
• Website integration
• Waitlist
• And more..

Square Appointments Integrations

• DrChrono
• Acuity Scheduling
• Jotform
• MassageBook
• ClinicSense
• Remedly
• And more..

Square Appointments Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Useful appointment scheduling features

Square Appointments Cons

• Customer support is hard to reach
• Integrates with very few EHR/EMR tools
• Failure in sending reminders
• Some features require add-on fees

Square Appointments Pricing

Square Appointments offer three kinds of plans:

• Free: $0 for a single location
• Plus: $29 per month per location
• Premium: $69 per month per location

Square Appointments Customer Support

• Capterra: 4.3/5
• G2: 4.3/5

Use Cases of Clinic Scheduling Software

There are plenty of ways in which you can use clinic scheduling software:

• Save the receptionists’ time dealing with in-person inquiries
• Offer patients online booking based on the real-time availability of the doctor
• Allow the patient to book appointments at their own convenience, even if that’s out of hours
• Avoid two bookings at once
• Reopen canceled slots for other patients to book
• Give clinic staff to focus on patient care more
• And a lot more!

How to Implement a Scheduling Software for a Clinic?

Implementing a scheduling software may seem challenging, but it really is not. Here are some tips that can help you pick the right software and make a smooth transition:

Identify your goals 

In order to pick the right scheduling software for your clinic, you first need to identify your goal and define your objective. This clarity will help you narrow down the features you really need and identify the software that best fits your needs. 

In this step, one important aspect to consider is the appointment setup workflow. Think of the level of autonomy you want to give your patients or how involved you want your staff to be in the booking process. For this, there are two options in this that you can consider:

• Semi-automated: In this, the final confirmation to accept medical appointments come from the admin or the healthcare provider. 
• Fully automated: In this, patients can book their appointments independently. 

Ultimately, we suggest finding a balance between automation, administrative efficiency, and admin control to pick the best software.

Look for options

Do your research on the best clinic appointment scheduling software, read online reviews, see if the software can be sustained in the long run, etc.  Depending on your requirements, you may come across these options:

• White label clinic scheduling software: Allows you to create your own logo, name, website, etc., but may not be ideal for scaling.
• All-in-one Sass clinic scheduling software: This kind of software comes with not just scheduling features but all other services and capabilities that you may need to make your clinic more efficient. Emitrr is a good example of this.  
• EHR: These can easily be integrated with different software and are affordable, but are not best for scalability.

If you are looking for a sweet spot between features, price, scalability, etc., then all-in-one SaaS clinic appointment software is the best option to consider. 

Determine your budget

Consider the cost of implementing a medical clinic scheduling software. Check what the monthly cost is; see if there are any set up fees. Focus on getting the best value for money. 

While doing our research, we found that Emitrr offers the best value for money. Within their monthly price, they give you access not just scheduling features but also other services which may come in handy to you in case you expand your practice in the future.  

Offer staff training

Once you are done picking an online clinic appointment system, make sure to give you staff the necessary training to use it. For the best user experience, it is advised to make tutorials and tips accessible for them. 

Monitor performance & implement feedback

Lastly, track the performance of the new clinic booking system and gather feedback from staff to fill any gaps and to ensure your objectives are met. Evaluate the software’s effectiveness over time to get the best out of your investment.  

Emitrr Vs EHR Vs CRM Tool For Clinic Scheduling: Which One Should You Choose? 

Why Emitrr is the Best Clinic Scheduling Software? 

According to a survey conducted by Healthcare Purchasing News, lack of access, personalization, and convenience are the biggest pain points of patients.

The fact that it takes around nine minutes to make a doctor’s appointment – which is six times longer than making a restaurant reservation shows how important addressing this is. 

And this is a window of opportunity for you as a clinician or healthcare provider to work on the pain points of your patients and offer them that which they desperately seek.

It is ridiculous that your patients:

• Have to wait in a room full of patients & mull over their worries
• Go through a tiring appointment booking process
• Deal with last-minute cancellations
• Not being able to reach you because of busy calls & booking an appointment  

Now, the answer to how you can solve this problem and how you can make healthcare more accessible and convenient for patients is by investing in an all-in-one patient software like Emitrr. Here are the benefits of using Emitrr:

• Offer a virtual waiting room by giving access to your calendar 
• Send links via SMS (such as google meet link) to talk to your patients virtually
• Allow patients to view available slots and self-schedule appointments
• Inform patients via SMS about changes or cancellations in their appointments due to any reason & give them the option to reschedule the appointment by replying with a simple option
• Send automated text reminders with an easy reply button so that a patient is able to book an appointment with you in spite of you missing the call. 

Upcoming Trends in Clinic Scheduling Software

Clinic appointment management systems are ever evolving. And by being aware of the latest or upcoming trends in clinic scheduling software you can make the right choice of software for your business.

AI Assistants

AI assistants can be integrated into patient appointment software and can help in solving initial customer queries and in improving the customer experience.

Automation

Incorporating machine learning or AI into your clinic appointment booking app can help with automation and help in reducing staff workload. 

Payment integration

Integrating a patient management system with a payment system is a growing trend and something that you can look for. This integration allows patients to make payments for their appointments online easily and can be a great feature to increase patient satisfaction as well.

Virtual waiting rooms

Virtual waiting rooms allow patients to wait for their appointment virtually. This feature saves the patient’s time and improves overall patient experience. 

Insights in real time

Advanced analytics tools integrated into clinic booking software help clinicians access real-time insights into scheduling patterns and allow them to manage appointment bookings better. 

FAQs

Conclusion 

The difficulty in appointment booking is a big challenge that patients face, which not only leads them to seek an alternative but also worries them to the extent that they choose to avoid care altogether at times.

To make this more accessible and convenient for your patients, consider getting a clinic scheduling software like Emitrr.