The ophthalmologist's office: planning and practice. Effective patient scheduling.

Effective patient scheduling, a most important building block in the creation of any successful practice, can best be accomplished by (1) devising a specially designed appointment book to suit the individual needs of each ophthalmologist; (2) thorough education of the telephone receptionist in the working habits of the ophthalmologist, in the ability to evaluate ocular emergencies, in the screening of personal calls, and in the importance of "break" time for the doctor; and (3) formulation of methods to reduce lost time because of irresponsible patients.