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Frequently Asked
Questions
Is this telemedicine eBook really free?
Yes, we will send your copy of this eBook to your email after you fill in the above form.
Is this eBook for a specific geographic region?
Yes, most of the content in this eBook is catered toward North American practitioners. However, there are generally useful and applicable tips and tricks that can be used anywhere in the world.
Who should download this eBook?
This eBook is intended for professionals and providers in the healthcare space looking to engage or do more with telemedicine. This eBook is not just limited to physicans, but has information for nurses, therapists, counselors and administrators.
What is this eBook about?
Hundreds of hours of research have culminated into a comprehensive eBook documenting how to start and succeed in telemedicine.
How do you charge for SMS?
The SMS are charged per SMS credit. A credit is worth 160 characters. We have additional blocks of SMS that can be purchased as addons.
What support do you provide?
We have live chat which responds within 10 min during working hours and within 4-5 hours outside of working hours. We also offer 'do it for you' setup for $99.
Why do I need addons?
You do not neccessarily need addons. You may choose to purchase them if you feel you need access to higher functionality while remaining on a cheaper plan. However, it is usually better value for money to purchase larger plans which come with the addons included.
Are you HIPAA compliant?
Yes we are and we issue BAAs on our plans.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes, you would only forgo the payments you have already made.
Can I upgrade my plans at any time?
Yes, you can purchase addons selectively or you can upgrade your billing plans at any time.
Why is appointment scheduling software important?
A good appointment scheduling system saves a business time by preventing back and forth between the customer trying to reserve time with the business or staff. This is typically done by maintaining real time availabilities of bookable resources and allowing for bookings of said resources via a live booking page.
When should I consider getting an appointment scheduling system?
Typically businesses opt for an appointment booking system when they have to spend more time organizing appointments than they are comfortable doing. Usually this coincides with having multiple staff and bookable resources with varying schedules.
What type of appointments can be scheduled using an online appointment scheduling tool?
You will be able to offer services face-to-face at your offices or at a location specified by your customer. You will also be able to offer online services by using Google Meet, Zoom or other online meeting software you are using. The types of online meeting systems you will be able to use will depend on the online scheduling tool you are using.
What should a health care provider know about maintaining privacy when offering telemedicine consultations?
Health care providers must ensure that the products they use are HIPAA compliant. Health care providers are required to follow the guidelines set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act with regards to the protections of sensitive patient data.
What makes for a good online booking system?
A good online booking system should be easy to use, mobile-friendly, customizable, support payment methods and automate appointment management.
What is the best appointment scheduling software?
There are a wide range of appointment scheduling applications. For really simple use cases, Google Calendar or Office 365 provides inbuilt booking tools. However, for more advanced scheduling involving recurrence, approvals, payments and managing multiple staff and calendars, businesses opt for booking platforms like Cogsworth.
What is Practice Management Software (PMS)?
This is a type of healtcare software that focuses on the daily management of a practice and is used by health care providers and administrative staff. It assists with organizing patient scheduling, billing and insurance verification. Important reports are also generated from this software. The use of this type of software improves productivity and efficiency.
What is patient appointment scheduling software?
Patient scheduling software is an application that allows patients to make appointments with a medical clinic automatically. Typically, a booking page is presented to the patient to autonomously make the booking.
What is patient appointment scheduling software?
Patient scheduling software is an application that allows patients to make appointments with a medical clinic automatically. Typically, a booking page is presented to the patient to autonomously make the booking.
What is online scheduling?
Online scheduling means your customers are able to schedule appointments with you without having to interact with you via telephone, email or in person. It is, therefore, a much more efficient way of appointment scheduling.
What is involved when setting up online appointment scheduling for telemedicine services?
When approaching different suppliers of online appointment scheduling tools, ensure that their system is able to seamlessly integrate with your telemedicine system as a unique virtual appointment link to your waiting room must be included as the location when the appointment invitation is sent to the patient. Ensure that the scheduling software works on the devices you are planning to use. Once you've made your decision, you will have to set up the system by adding staff and services as well as indicating availability and integrating your calendar software with the online appointment scheduling tool to ensure you don't have any double bookings as the two systems will sync the calendars. Enquire about assistance from the supplier if you encounter any issues during the set up process. The most crucial step is to ensure that the system is tested and works as intended, and that patients don't struggle when booking appointments once the booking page has been embedded in your website. Lastly, ensure you have back up plans available with regards to your internet connection.
What is appointment reminder software?
Appointment reminder software allows you to set up SMS and email reminders which are then automatically sent out to customers at predetermined times. This has been proven to reduce the number of no shows.
What is an appointment?
An appointment is a meeting or consultation set for a specific date, time and place
What is a virtual online appointment?
A virtual appointment, is where online communication software such as Zoom or Google Meet is used to facilitate the appointment. This means that meeting participants can attend the meeting from the comfort of their own home.
What is a booking widget?
A booking widget is an application that you can add to your website that will allow customers to book appointments with you. Typically, it takes a couple of minutes to install booking widgets on websites.
What happens after a patient has scheduled a telemedicine appointment?
After an appointment has been scheduled online, both the health care provider and the patient will receive calendar invitations to the consultation with a unique virtual location link. Online appointment scheduling software, such as Cogsworth, allows for email and SMS reminders to be sent to patients and staff at predetermined times prior to the start of the appointment.
What are the main reasons that patients miss telemedicine consultations?
The most obvious barrier is technology. By making use of a user friendly booking system you increase the chance that your patient will follow through with the booking process. Some patients still don't view virtual appointments as real appointments and don't realize that they are wasting someone's time if they don't show up for the appointment. Research also indicates that this is the case when they aren't seeing their primary health care provider. If there aren't any consequenses when a patient doesn't show up for their appointment they are more likely not to show up as they think they can easily just book another appointment online. A solution to this challenge includes implementing a policy where a penalty is imposed on patients who don't show up. Patients forget they have a virtual appointment. Solve this challenge by implementing automated reminders that are sent out to patients at predetermined times prior to the appointment.
What are the different appointment scheduling methods?
Phone and email are still the most popular appointment scheduling methods. However, autonomous booking software enables businesses to sync their bookable resources and expose them via a public booking page, which is accessible to clients for self-bookings.
What are the defining features of a modern online appointment scheduling tool for telemedicine?
The focus is to ensure that customer experience is improved. Schedules are confirmed digitally through the integration of different software systems. Unnecessary costs are diminished. Health care providers can determine what information they gather from patients during the appointment booking process. The intake forms can be completed by the patient at their own leisure. Reaching out to patients can be personalised by using your patient's first name. They are scalable and secure solutions. They are HIPAA compliant.
What are the components of an online booking system?
When setting up your online booking system the basic components include adding your staff members, services, locations and creating your booking form. You will be required to add availability for staff and/or services as well as the locations where the appointments will take place (physical, telephone, online, etc). You will also have to set up your booking form with questions to ensure you gather the necessary information from your customers. More advanced components include integrations with calendar software, payment software and online meeting software. This will allow you to import appointments set up outside of your online booking system to ensure no double bookings take place. By integrating with payment software you enable your customers to pay for a service whilst booking their appointment. By integrating with online meeting software such as Zoom or Google Meet you are able to provide virtual services to your customers.
What are some of the disadvantages of an online booking system?
Your customers will require internet access to book appointments. You will have to ensure that you are ready to deal with an increase in the number of appointments as prefer doing business online. If the online booking system used does not meet your needs it can be detrimental to your business.
What are some of the benefits of online appointment booking?
You will save time in terms of staff not having to field calls to set up appointments. By automating reminders, you will reduce the number of no shows. Customers are also able to book appointments with you around the clock at their own convenience and won't be bound to your office hours for making bookings. By allowing for online payments to be made, the payment process becomes much less cumbersome and improves the customer experience.
What are some of the benefits of implementing online appointment scheduling system for my telemedicine appointments?
The following are some of the benefits: A huge reduction in time to schedule appointments. An increase resource and staff utilization. An increase in customer satisfaction. Patients can book and reschedule appointments 24/7. Health care providers are easily able to reschedule appointments if necessary and patients are immediately informed of the updated date and time of the appointment via email. Setting up automated reminders will reduce the number of no shows. An online appointment scheduling system pays for itself as less time will be spent on appointment scheduling and the number of appointments booked will increase.
Is it possible to have staff confirm appointments before the booking is finalised?
You can set Cogsworth up to allow customers to request appointments for certain dates, times and services. The staff member (or the business administrator) who has been booked will then first have to approve the request before the appointment is confirmed. Once confirmed, the invite will be sent out.
How to take bookings online?
To enable you to take online bookings you need to acquire online appointment scheduling software that integrates with your website. Booking software is embedded on your website either on a page you dedicate to bookings, or can be configured as a floating widget/button in the corner of your website screen.
How to make an appointment booking site?
When acquiring an online appointment booking system, you will either be provided with a URL that customers can access to make online bookings with you or you will be able to integrate your booking system with your website. Cogsworth allows you to embed your booking page in your website or create a call to action button that can be embedded in your website.
How long does booking appointments take?
Depending on the number of questions posed to your client and the amount of information gathered, booking an appointment should only take a few minutes.
How do patients schedule and join telemedicine appointments?
Firstly, health care providers must ensure that their telemedicine system is integrated with their online appointment scheduling software. The location in the appointment calendar invitation will include a link to join a virtual meeting room instead of a physical location.
How do I setup online bookings?
Once you have acquired your online appointment scheduling software, you will be required to set up the system with information such as bookable staff, services offered, availability, integrations with your current calendar service, etc. Once the system has been setup there shouldn't be any manual intervention required from your side and customers will be able to book appointments with you online.
How do I setup appointment reminders?
In Cogsworth setting up appointment reminders is really easy. Navigate to the Notifications menu item and under Reminder Settings select whether you want to send out an email or SMS reminder to staff or customers. You will also have to indicate how long before an appointment you want to send out the reminder. Cogsworth even allows you to customize the reminder text. Once you've set up your reminder you won't have to worry about it ever again as they will be sent out automatically.
How do I setup appointment reminder text?
Your online appointment scheduling software should allow you to create reminders to be sent out at predetermined times and allow you to specify what information you provide in these reminder messages.
How do I setup appointment reminder email?
When setting up reminders in your online appointment scheduling software you will be able to select whether you want to send out email or SMS reminders. You will then also be able to specify what information you want to include in these reminders.
How do I prevent double bookings?
By integrating your current calendar software with your online appointment scheduling software you can ensure that any appointments made outside of the system are imported into the system to ensure the staff member is shown as unavailable during those times.
How do I create an appointment template?
Your appointment scheduling software tool will allow you to specify questions you want to pose to your customer during their booking process. This is usually referred to as a form and depending on the appointment scheduling software used, the functionality surrounding appointment templates will differ.
How do I create an appointment template?
A great way of confirming appointments that have been booked online is to send out booking confirmation notifications. Cogsworth allows you to send out email and SMS notifications. It also allows you to send out notifications when appointments are rescheduled or cancelled to ensure your customer is always up to date with their appointment bookings.
How can I get customers to book appointments online?
There are various ways in which to increase online bookings. Here are some suggestions: Spread the word about your online booking system by leveraging social media channels. Inform your email subscribers of your online booking system. Include online booking links in your email signatures. Send out emails or text messages to existing customers informing them that they can now book appointments with you online. Most importantely, ensure that your booking link/button is easily visible on your website.
Do I need to install anything on Windows or Office?
Cogsworth is completely cloud hosted, and there is no need for you to install anything on your computer. You just need to give your web designer some instructions on how to install in on your website. You can then log into Cogsworth via the website.
