---
title: "What Is Schedule template? Dental Practice Glossary"
description: "A schedule template is the standard layout of appointment times, providers, rooms and block types for each day, set in the software and used as the base for..."
url: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/schedule-template
publisher: Copeland Consulting Services
email: drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com
contact: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact
---

Practice management

# Schedule template

A schedule template is the standard layout of appointment times, providers, rooms and block types for each day, set in the software and used as the base for booking.

A schedule template is the pattern the office books against. A published study of an outpatient clinic tested new scheduling templates and found they improved patient wait time and clinic session length when staff followed them. That clinic was not a dental office, so the finding shows an approach, not a dental result. In dentistry, the template sets provider hours, hygiene time, [block schedule](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/block-schedule) slots and open time for emergencies. The ADA advises matching office hours to the times most patients can come in, and it describes time management as a balance between quality and quantity. A template should be reviewed against actual [no-show](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/no-show) and cancellation patterns.

[Next stepPractice consulting with Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact?topic=consulting)

## Related terms

-   [Block schedule](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/block-schedule)
-   [No-show](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/no-show)
-   [Cancellation policy](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/cancellation-policy)
-   [Production](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/production)

## Sources

1.  [PMC, Evaluating and Improving an Outpatient Clinic Scheduling Template](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5977636/)
2.  [ADA, Office Hours and Time Management](https://www.ada.org/resources/practice/practice-management/office-hours)

## Talk with Dr. Copeland

[Contact Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact)[Email](mailto:drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com)