Checklist template

Patient flow and wait time review for clinics

A ready-to-use checklist with 105 items in 6 sections, covering Scheduling, Check-in to room, Provider time, Check-out, Communication, Metrics. Use it as-is in InspectLoop, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 105 Items
  • 76 Yes / No checks
  • 6 Scored ratings
  • 106 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Scheduling 21 items

  1. Appointment types have standard lengths defined in the scheduling system Yes / No 1 pt
  2. New patient visits are booked in a longer slot than follow-up visits Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Each provider's schedule holds same-day slots that are released on the morning of the day Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Same-day slots were still available at opening on the day of the review Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Double-booking follows a written rule on who may approve it Yes / No 1 pt
  6. No provider had more than the permitted number of double-booked slots today Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Appointment reminders are sent by text, call or email before the visit Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Patients can confirm or cancel directly from the reminder Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Cancelled slots are offered to patients on a waiting list Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Patients with repeated no-shows are handled under a written policy Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Tomorrow's schedule is reviewed today for missing orders, results or referrals Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Procedure visits are booked into a room equipped for the procedure Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Telehealth visits are grouped in blocks rather than scattered between in-person visits Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The first appointment of the session is not booked before the provider's scheduled arrival Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Lunch and administrative time are blocked in each provider's schedule Yes / No 1 pt
  16. The scheduling staff use a written guide to choose the appointment type from the patient's reason for calling Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Days until the third next available routine appointment Number
  18. Days until the third next available new patient appointment Number
  19. Appointments booked today across all providers Number
  20. Same-day slots left unfilled yesterday Number
  21. Fit between the schedule and demand Rating
    • Same-day slots open at opening, double-booking within the rule 5 pts
    • Same-day slots already gone at opening or double-booking beyond the rule 3 pts
    • No same-day slots held and most schedules double-booked 1 pt

2. Check-in to room 19 items

  1. The system records a time stamp when the patient arrives Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The system records a time stamp when the patient is taken to an exam room Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The medical assistant sees new arrivals on a tracking board or screen without leaving the clinical area Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Patients were called in appointment order unless a clinical reason was recorded Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Each provider working today had at least the number of exam rooms set by the company staffing model Yes / No 1 pt
  6. No patient was held in the waiting room while a room assigned to their provider sat empty Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Vital signs are taken at a set point in the rooming sequence, the same way by each medical assistant observed Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The medical assistant confirmed the reason for the visit during rooming Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The medication list was reviewed with the patient during rooming Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Rooming was completed within the time standard set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  11. No patient was left waiting in a hallway or at the vitals station Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Patients needing a urine sample or other test before the provider were directed to it during rooming Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Refill requests and screenings due were queued in the chart by the medical assistant before the provider entered Yes / No 1 pt
  14. A medical assistant is assigned to each provider for the session Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Average time from check-in to exam room for 5 patients timed (minutes) Number
  16. Longest time from check-in to exam room observed (minutes) Number
  17. Exam rooms in use at the time of the review Number
  18. Exam rooms empty at the time of the review Number
  19. Movement of patients from check-in to exam room Rating
    • Roomed at or before the appointment time 5 pts
    • Short delays for some patients 3 pts
    • Most patients roomed well after the appointment time 1 pt

3. Provider time 17 items

  1. The first patient of the session was seen by the provider within 10 minutes of the appointment time Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The room status showed the provider when each patient was ready Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The provider entered the room within the time standard after the patient was marked ready Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Patients waiting alone in a room longer than 15 minutes were visited with an update Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Supplies and consent for a planned procedure were set up before the provider entered Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The provider was not called out of a visit for questions that could wait, during the visits observed Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Messages for the provider are batched by the medical assistant between visits Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Orders for tests, referrals and prescriptions were entered before the provider left the room Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Visit notes for this morning's patients were closed by the end of the session Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Providers running more than 20 minutes behind had patients moved to a colleague or rescheduled, per company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Unplanned work-in patients were added only with the approval named in the scheduling policy Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Visits ran within the booked slot length in at least 4 of 5 visits timed Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Average time a patient waited in the exam room before the provider entered, for 5 patients timed (minutes) Number
  14. Average time the provider spent in the room, for 5 visits timed (minutes) Number
  15. Minutes the provider observed was behind schedule at mid-session Number
  16. Patients seen per provider in the last full session Number
  17. Provider punctuality during the session observed Rating
    • On time throughout 5 pts
    • Up to 20 minutes behind 3 pts
    • More than 20 minutes behind 1 pt

4. Check-out 15 items

  1. The follow-up appointment was booked before the patient left the clinic Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Referrals ordered during the visit were sent or scheduled before the patient left Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The patient left with a printed or electronic after-visit summary Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Prescriptions were sent to the pharmacy before the patient left Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Patients sent for lab work or imaging were told where to go Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Patients were told how they will receive test results Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Patients were told by when to expect test results Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Check-out took place in the exam room or at a desk separate from the check-in line Yes / No 1 pt
  9. No more than 2 patients were waiting to check out at any time during the observation Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The exam room was released for cleaning as soon as the patient left it Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The time the visit ended is recorded in the system Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Patients asked at the exit knew their next step (appointment, test or referral) Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Average time from end of the provider visit to leaving the clinic for 5 patients timed (minutes) Number
  14. Patients who left today without the follow-up appointment the provider requested Number
  15. Check-out of patients Rating
    • Next steps booked and explained for every patient 5 pts
    • Some patients left with steps still to arrange 3 pts
    • Patients routinely told to call back to arrange follow-up 1 pt

5. Communication 13 items

  1. The morning huddle covered today's overbooked slots, absences and room assignments Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The huddle lasted no more than 10 minutes Yes / No 1 pt
  3. A tracking board or system screen shows each patient's status (arrived, roomed, ready for provider, ready for check-out) Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Statuses on the tracking board matched what was seen in 5 rooms checked Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Door flags or room lights are used the same way by every team observed Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The clinical team tells the front desk when a provider falls behind Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Delays are announced to the waiting room or shown on a screen Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Patients on today's schedule were contacted before arrival when the provider was known to be running late or absent Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Front desk and clinical staff use one agreed channel (secure chat, headset or status board) for flow messages Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The employee asked could say who decides to redistribute patients when a provider is delayed Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Patient phone messages about same-day appointments are answered within the time set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Patients are informed of the late-arrival policy in the reminder or at booking Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Communication about delays, among staff and to patients Rating
    • Delays shared promptly with staff and patients 5 pts
    • Shared among staff but not with patients 3 pts
    • Delays not communicated 1 pt

6. Metrics 20 items

  1. Average visit cycle time last month, from arrival to departure (minutes) Number
  2. No-show rate last month (%) Number
  3. Sessions last month that started on time (%) Number
  4. Patients who left without being seen last month Number
  5. Scheduled slots filled last month (%) Number
  6. Patient survey score for wait time last period (%) Number
  7. Cycle time is measured from system time stamps rather than estimated Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Cycle time is reported by provider Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The no-show rate is reported by appointment type or by day of the week Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Flow results are posted where the clinical team can see them Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The clinic manager reviews flow results with providers monthly Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The clinic has a written target for cycle time Yes / No 1 pt
  13. The clinic has a written target for the no-show rate Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Patient comments about waiting are reviewed with the team Yes / No 1 pt
  15. A written action plan exists for each flow measure that missed its target Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Actions from the previous flow review have been completed Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Date of the last flow review meeting with providers Date
  18. Name of the clinic manager Short text
  19. Overall patient flow Rating
    • Smooth, with waits within target 5 pts
    • Bottlenecks at one stage 3 pts
    • Delays at several stages 1 pt
  20. Corrective actions required Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the InspectLoop template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In InspectLoop you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

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