METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR SUGGESTING IMPERFECT TIMES FOR CYCLICAL APPOINTMENTS

1 . A method comprising:

receiving availability information defining available periods for a healthcare related asset;

receiving an appointment parameter defining a number and frequency of recurring appointments to be scheduled;

determining, via processing circuitry, periods of overlap between the available periods and the appointment parameter; and

determining an inconsistent schedule pattern based on the periods of overlap.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the appointment parameter comprises receiving practitioner constraints.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the appointment parameter comprises receiving patient constraints.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the inconsistent schedule pattern is performed responsive to an inability to determine a consistent schedule pattern.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the inconsistent schedule pattern comprises scoring alternative scheduling options based on an amount of deviation from a consistent schedule option.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the inconsistent schedule pattern comprises selecting overlap periods that follow a consistent pattern for at least a threshold number of appointments and, for periods that do not follow the consistent pattern, selecting an alternative period having a relatively small amount of deviation from the consistent pattern.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein an amount of deviation is based on a number of changes from the consistent pattern or a magnitude of change from the consistent pattern.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing one or more scheduling options to a patient to enable the patient to select one of the one or more scheduling options.

9 . An apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to:

receive availability information defining available periods for a healthcare related asset;

receive an appointment parameter defining a number and frequency of recurring appointments to be scheduled;

determine periods of overlap between the available periods and the appointment parameter; and

determine an inconsistent schedule pattern based on the periods of overlap.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry being configured to receive the appointment parameter comprises the processing circuitry being configured to receive practitioner constraints or patient constraints.

11 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein determining the inconsistent schedule pattern is performed responsive to an inability to determine a consistent schedule pattern.

12 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry being configured to determine the inconsistent schedule pattern comprises the processing circuitry being configured to score alternative scheduling options based on an amount of deviation from a consistent schedule option.

13 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry being configured to determine the inconsistent schedule pattern comprises the processing circuitry being configured to select overlap periods that follow a consistent pattern for at least a threshold number of appointments and, for periods that do not follow the consistent pattern, select an alternative period having a relatively small amount of deviation from the consistent pattern.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein an amount of deviation is based on a number of changes from the consistent pattern or a magnitude of change from the consistent pattern.

15 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to provide one or more scheduling options to a patient to enable the patient to select one of the one or more scheduling options.

16 . A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions for:

receiving availability information defining available periods for a healthcare related asset;

receiving an appointment parameter defining a number and frequency of recurring appointments to be scheduled;

determining periods of overlap between the available periods and the appointment parameter; and

determining an inconsistent schedule pattern based on the periods of overlap.

17 . The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein program code instructions for receiving the appointment parameter include instructions for receiving practitioner constraints or patient constraints.

18 . The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein determining the inconsistent schedule pattern is performed responsive to an inability to determine a consistent schedule pattern.

19 . The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein program code instructions for determining the inconsistent schedule pattern include instructions for scoring alternative scheduling options based on an amount of deviation from a consistent schedule option.

20 . The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein program code instructions for determining the inconsistent schedule pattern include instructions for selecting overlap periods that follow a consistent pattern for at least a threshold number of appointments and, for periods that do not follow the consistent pattern, selecting an alternative period having a relatively small amount of deviation from the consistent pattern.

21 . The computer program product of claim 20 , wherein an amount of deviation is based on a number of changes from the consistent pattern or a magnitude of change from the consistent pattern.

22 . The computer program product of claim 16 , further comprising program code instructions for providing one or more scheduling options to a patient to enable the patient to select one of the one or more scheduling options.