Not All Appointments Are Equal
A routine skin check takes 15 minutes. A Mohs consultation takes 45. A cosmetic Botox appointment sits in between and probably books with a different provider than an acne evaluation. Few specialties have as many visit types.
A single "Book an Appointment" button with 30-minute slots doesn't work: cosmetic patients land in medical slots, medical visits get squeezed, and the front desk reshuffles all day. Online booking works when the structure behind it is right.
Separate Your Visit Types
Define categories that match how your dermatology clinic runs:
- Medical: skin checks, rashes, acne, mole assessments
- Surgical: excisions, biopsies, Mohs consultations
- Cosmetic: Botox, fillers, peels, laser
Give each visit type its own duration and providers. Patients pick what they need and see only slots that fit. A short description under each ("Not sure? Choose 'Skin Concern Evaluation' and we'll guide you") reduces wrong bookings.
Durations by Visit Type
Set durations at the visit-type level and the calendar blocks the right amount of time automatically. A "quick skin check" that's really a full-body exam stops throwing off the day, and providers stay on schedule. Appointment scheduling with visit-type durations makes days less chaotic without seeing fewer patients.
Photos Before the Visit
Dermatology is visual. A rash described on the phone tells your team little; a photo uploaded before the visit gives the provider context before entering the room.
After booking, send a short form asking for one or two photos and a description. It also helps triage: the provider can decide whether a visit needs to be in person. A dermatology intake template with a photo upload field means no separate app: the patient snaps a photo and attaches it.
Connect Booking to Intake
What happens between booking and the visit matters as much as the booking.
A patient books a cosmetic consultation and immediately gets a form about goals, skin type, past cosmetic treatments, and topical allergies. The provider arrives with a clear picture and spends the visit on assessment and planning.
A patient booking for a suspicious mole answers questions about family history of skin cancer, sun exposure, and changes they've noticed, ready before the exam. Formisoft tracks this as patient readiness: the dashboard shows who has finished their forms for today and tomorrow, and anyone who hasn't gets a reminder.
Match Providers to Visit Types
Map each visit type to the providers who handle it. Cosmetic appointments show only your cosmetic specialists; Mohs consultations show only your Mohs surgeon. No patient booked with the wrong provider and then rescheduled.
Start With One Visit Type
If you still book everything by phone, open online booking for your highest-volume visit type first, probably skin checks or cosmetic consultations. Let the team get comfortable, gather feedback, and expand.
Get every patient ready before they walk in.
- Forms, consents, and signatures before the visit
- Your paper forms converted by AI
- BAA included