First decide on the scheduling increment or building block. For example, the increment may be 15 minutes and is used for the length of a short appointment. The long appointment is usually a multiple of the short appointment, for example, 30 or 45 minutes. The scheduler simply combines two or three short appointments to make a long appointment.

Some practices standardize on a single appointment type and length so that a pace or cadence for the day can be set and maintained (e.g., a 20-minute appointment). The appointment length must be long enough to accommodate many different types of services and patient needs, and to allow providers to stay on time. For example, one patient visit may only require 10 to 15 minutes, leaving extra time for the next appointment should it take longer than the allotted 20 minutes.