A Simpler Patient Experience
Patients can submit an appointment request from a phone, tablet, or computer without waiting for the office to open.
Patient Appointment Request Software
Online Appointment Requests for Medical Practices
Give patients a simple way to request care online - without giving up control of your schedule.
PatientLink Appointment Requests allow patients to submit their contact information, provider and location preferences, preferred days, and other scheduling details from your existing website. Your staff can then review, assign, track, and complete each request from one organized dashboard.
- Accept online appointment requests day or night
- Capture patient preferences in a consistent format
- Organize staff follow-up in one centralized dashboard
- Keep control over which appointments are scheduled
PatientLink
Request an Appointment
Patient name
Jordan Taylor
Preferred provider
Dr. Morgan
Preferred day
Tuesday or Thursday
Reason for visit
New patient consultation
Submit Request
Appointment Requests
Scheduling Dashboard
Live
12Active
5Scheduled
3Unassigned
New
Jordan Taylor
New patient consultation
Now
In Review
Maria Lopez
Follow-up appointment
8 min
Scheduled
Chris Bennett
Office visit confirmed
22 min
✓
Request received
A Better Path to Care
Turn Your Website Into a Better Patient Access Point
Patients often visit a medical practice’s website because they are ready to take the next step. PatientLink gives them a convenient way to submit a request while allowing your staff to review and confirm the right appointment.
A More Organized Staff Workflow
Bring online requests into one dashboard instead of relying on disconnected voicemail, email, and handwritten notes.
Greater Scheduling Control
Your team reviews each request before confirming the provider, location, visit type, date, and time.
How It Works
From Website Visitor to Scheduled Patient
PatientLink provides a clear, trackable process for collecting and managing appointment requests.
Add a Request Link
Add a “Request an Appointment” button to your existing website, provider pages, or marketing campaigns.
The Patient Shares Their Preferences
Collect contact information, provider and location preferences, preferred days, insurance details, reason for visit, and comments.
The Request Appears in PatientLink
Authorized staff can immediately review the request from a shared Appointment Request dashboard.
Assign and Track Follow-Up
Assign the request to a team member, add internal notes, and update its status as staff works toward resolution.
Contact the Patient and Schedule
Confirm the necessary details and schedule the appropriate appointment through your normal practice-management workflow.
Active18
Scheduled7
Unassigned4
Avg. Days Open1.6
Patient
Status
Assignee
Preferred Day
Jordan Taylor
New
Unassigned
Tue / Thu
Maria Lopez
In Review
A. Johnson
Monday
Chris Bennett
Contacted
K. Davis
No preference
Appointment Request
Jordan Taylor
- Provider
- Dr. Morgan
- Location
- North Clinic
- Preferred days
- Tuesday, Thursday
- Reason
- New patient consultation
Assign
Send SMS
Update Status
One Shared Workspace
Manage Every Request From One Dashboard
Give your scheduling team a shared view of new requests, ownership, progress, notes, and completed activity.
Centralized Request Queue
View and filter active, scheduled, archived, and assigned requests.
Staff Assignments
Make responsibility clear by assigning requests to specific team members.
Status Tracking
Move requests through a consistent workflow from New to Scheduled.
Internal Notes and Activity History
Record follow-up details and retain a timeline of important changes.
Optional Two-Way SMS
When SMS Chats are enabled, begin a text conversation from the request workflow.
Benefits for Patients and Staff
Make Appointment Requests Easier to Manage
Accept Requests After Hours
Patients can submit a request during evenings, weekends, or whenever it is convenient.
Reduce Phone Tag
Collect useful scheduling information before staff begins follow-up with the patient.
Capture Consistent Information
Standardize the details your scheduling team receives from every online request.
Keep Requests From Getting Lost
Centralize requests instead of relying only on voicemail, email, spreadsheets, or paper notes.
Improve Staff Accountability
Use assignments, statuses, notes, and history to clarify ownership and next steps.
Support Complex Scheduling
Review requests involving specific providers, locations, visit types, insurance, referrals, or other requirements.
Understand the Difference
Appointment Requests vs. Patient Self-Scheduling
Both options create a digital path to care, but they support different scheduling workflows.
Staff Reviews Before Scheduling
The patient submits information and preferences. Your staff reviews the request, contacts the patient if needed, and confirms the final appointment.
- Practice controls the final appointment
- Works well for new patients and specialty care
- Supports provider, location, insurance, and referral review
- No need to expose appointment availability publicly
Patient Selects an Open Time
The patient views available appointment slots and chooses a specific date and time without staff scheduling the initial visit.
- Best for predictable appointment types
- Requires defined availability and eligibility rules
- May not fit visits requiring clinical or administrative review
- Reduces staff involvement for eligible appointments
Convenience without losing control.
PatientLink Appointment Requests give patients an online option
while keeping your scheduling team in charge of the final appointment.
Flexible Use Cases
Appointment Request Workflows for Medical Practices
New Patient Requests
Give prospective patients a clear way to request their first visit.
Specialty Consultations
Collect initial details before selecting the correct provider or visit type.
Multi-Location Practices
Allow patients to identify a preferred office while staff confirms the best location.
Provider-Specific Requests
Collect a preferred provider while preserving flexibility to review availability.
Appointments Requiring Review
Support requests involving triage, referrals, records, insurance, or eligibility checks.
Marketing Campaigns
Use a direct request link in email, advertising, social media, or recall outreach.
Connected Patient Engagement
Continue the Patient Journey With PatientLink
An online appointment request can be the first step in a more connected patient experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Online Appointment Request FAQs
Learn how PatientLink helps practices collect and manage appointment requests without automatically placing patients on the schedule.
Talk with our teamWhat is online appointment request software?
It gives patients a digital way to ask a medical practice for an appointment. The patient submits information and preferences, and practice staff reviews the request before confirming the appointment.
Does a request automatically schedule the patient?
No. Submitting a request does not automatically place an appointment on the practice’s schedule. Staff reviews the request and confirms the final appointment details.
Can patients choose a provider or location?
Patients can request a preferred provider and/or location. Staff can then review those preferences and determine the appropriate scheduling options.
Can requests be assigned to staff members?
Yes. Requests can be assigned to individual team members so ownership and follow-up responsibility are clear.
Can staff track the status of each request?
Yes. Staff can update requests as they move through statuses such as New, In Review, Contacted Patient, Scheduled, Unable to Reach, Cancelled, Rejected, Duplicate, or Archived.
Can we add it to our existing website?
Yes. Your practice can add a “Request an Appointment” link or button to its current website and direct patients into the PatientLink request experience.
Can Appointment Requests work with two-way texting?
When PatientLink SMS Chats are enabled, staff can begin a text conversation with the patient from the Appointment Request workflow.
Is Appointment Request the same as self-scheduling?
No. With Appointment Request, the patient submits preferences and the practice confirms the appointment. With self-scheduling, the patient chooses an available appointment slot directly.
Create a Better First Step
Make It Easier for Patients to Request Care
Give patients a convenient online option while giving your staff the organization and control needed to manage every request.