Online access to my appointment book is one of the core service features of the Doctor Kara, P.C. Family Clinic. It is a direct result of my personal frustration as a patient in trying to get an appointment with my primary care provider. I doubt I am not alone in this frustration. Having to wait for an office to open to talk to a receptionist—only to find out the office is booked solid for 4 weeks—and all I needed was my annual visit to refill my Zyrtec for my spring allergies. Well, it all seemed a bit silly in my opinion.

That’s when I started looking for a software company that could custom build me a program so my appointment book could be available 24/7. Isn’t technology great?! Because I make house calls and house calls to employment sites, I'm not always in the office and available to answer the phone. If I'm with another patient in the office, you don’t have to worry about waiting for a return call just to schedule an appointment. That was another pet peeve of mine as a patient—waiting for that return call that never came or was 3 days later.

Most of my patients use the online appointment book for reserving an appointment because they find it convenient and they have computer access. I am still happy to receive phone calls and manually schedule patients who do not have computer access.

The benefits of online scheduling are that it is very convenient, but highly secure. The software company maintains secure servers and encrypts the information. For those occasions when talking to a receptionist about the reason for your visit would be embarrassing, you have complete privacy when you use the online appointment book. The only person who sees your “reason for visit” comments is Dr. Kara.

One of the new benefits soon to be available at the Doctor Kara, P.C. clinic is a “Patient Portal” system which has a scheduling feature. So those of you who are already familiar with online scheduling will see a new program. The portal has many more features and will offer even better access and convenience. All of the patients who have financially supported Doctor Kara, P.C. in the first year of business have made this added convenience possible. Thank you to all my patients who put their trust in me and made it financially possible to add even more conveniences to the clinic. Every one of you are the reason I love to serve.