Stop the “Hourglass”: Tips to Build an Efficient Orthodontic Schedule
With school back in session, those coveted before- and after-school appointment slots vanish fast... leaving costly mid-day gaps that drain productivity. Your schedule shouldn’t look like an hourglass, with bottlenecks at the top and bottom and empty space in the middle.
A smart, data-driven template can keep your days balanced, your production steady, and your team working at an efficient (but not frantic) pace.
1. Start With Data
Before you can design the perfect schedule, you need a clear understanding of your practice’s numbers:
- Production Goals: Know your daily production targets first. From there, work backward using your exam conversion rate to determine how many exams you need each day.
- Procedure Types: Numbers never lie, but the team must consistently use codes for the numbers to be an accurate count of procedures.
- Procedure Timings: Determine how much time procedures really take. If you haven’t conducted procedural time studies for a few years or more, your office may be miscalculating how much time you’ll typically need to perform treatment at a productive pace. Often, “needing more time” isn’t about the procedure; it’s about waiting for the doctor.
- Historical Appointment Counts & Workdays: Knowing your averages will help determine the appointment volume needed to serve your current patient base.
With accurate data, your starting template will be built on facts—not guesswork.
2. Design for Growth
Don’t just plan for today’s needs—build in space for tomorrow’s. Base your template on actual appointment counts, then add a percentage for anticipated growth so you can scale without disruption.
3. Optimize Your Day
Create a template that will enable you to optimize your performance.
- What’s the best time of day for you to perform more challenging procedures?
- How many scheduling slots should you allocate for seeing new patients or handling emergencies in an average week?
By answering questions like these, you are defining a day that would be ideal for you and your team. Design a template that reflects these preferences and train your team to do their utmost to follow it.
4. Look Ahead
Once you have your templates built and implemented, the goal for the scheduling coordinator is to have an average of the same number of appointments filled every day.
If your schedule has days with much higher or lower numbers of scheduled appointments, your scheduling coordinator needs to be looking ahead on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to maintain appointment counts.
Conclusion
When you define your ideal day, it works like other performance targets… motivating you and your team to achieve it every day. Somedays will still be less than ideal, but the overall results will be significantly better than if you continue using outdated scheduling techniques.
How Our 360 Consulting Team Can Help
Comprehensive Practice Operations Audit
- Evaluate patient statuses, appointment classes, procedure codes, and receivables.
- Identify gaps, duplications, and inefficiencies.
- Create a cleanup plan and set long-term data standards.
Data-Driven Schedule Template Design
- Three-day onsite intensive to evaluate doctor time, clinic needs, appointment types, and team availability.
- Design and implement a schedule template that supports case start goals and patient care standards.
Contact us to schedule your design consultation and schedule review.
About the Author
Andrea Cook is a consultant with over 20 years of experience in orthodontics, specializing in hands-on clinical training and team efficiency. A key member of the Gaidge 360 Consulting team, Andrea is recognized for her expertise in OSHA compliance, clinical coordination, and driving productivity within orthodontic practices. Her practical approach and deep industry knowledge help orthodontic teams across the country improve communication, streamline workflows, and enhance overall practice performance.
