Specialist doctors: booking first consultations online

A first specialist consultation needs time to read the referral, take the history and examine, and new patients want a date without waiting on the phone. Open first consultations to online booking as their own longer service, say in the description what to bring, and keep a few slots back for urgent referrals. New patients book the right length, your secretary takes fewer calls, and follow-ups stay in their shorter slots.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service, sits within one day and has its own capacity.

Durations are examples: set your own, and state your fees in each description.

Ask patients to bring documents on the day or send them by email beforehand, according to your practice's rules. The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that appears in the patient's calendar file, so ask them not to write symptoms or diagnoses there.

Some referrals can't wait for the next free first consultation. Leave a few times unopened each week and add urgent patients yourself from your bookings list; first and last name are enough.

Group first consultations at the start of a clinic session, follow-ups after them. Slots repeat each week on the weekdays you choose until an end date, so the pattern takes minutes to set up. When a slot is booked, it leaves your page.

Book the follow-up or results appointment from your list before the patient leaves. If you enter their email, they get a confirmation with a calendar file. Rescheduling works across services, so a follow-up can move to a longer slot if needed. Patients can't move or cancel online: they call the practice and you move the appointment.

Book has one booking page per business and no staff field. Give each specialist their own services, such as "First consultation with Dr Martin". Book doesn't send reminders or take payments. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.