Check-in your way
Patients scan a QR code at the door, tap a tablet kiosk, or the receptionist adds them in a few seconds. No app to download.
Healthcare · Clinics & practices
Clinic queue management system for calmer waiting rooms
Check patients in by QR code or at reception, show who is next on the waiting-room screen, and call them by SMS when the doctor is ready. For single-doctor practices and multi-room clinics, with walk-ins and appointments in one list.
- Walk-ins + appointments
- Call by number or name
- From $50 / month
What it does
Everything a clinic front desk needs, nothing it doesn’t
Built for single-doctor practices, group practices and multi-room clinics. Walk-ins and booked patients wait in one list, the waiting room can see who is next, and the reception team stops answering “how much longer?”.
Walk-ins and appointments together
Booked patients and walk-ins sit in one queue, so the 10:30 appointment and the patient who just walked in are both visible to the whole team.
Waiting-room screen
Any TV or monitor with a web browser shows the ticket being called and the room to go to. No special display hardware.
Call by number or by name
Use anonymous ticket numbers where privacy matters, or names where your patients prefer a personal call. You decide per clinic.
Wait outside, come back on time
Patients can follow their place in line on their phone and get an SMS when it is their turn, so the waiting room stays calm.
Know your busy hours
See waiting and service times by day, service and room, and plan reception staff around real peaks instead of guesses.
How a visit flows
From the front door to the consultation room, in five steps
1
Arrive and check in
By QR code, kiosk or at reception. The patient gets a ticket number, on paper or on the phone.
2
See the place in line
The waiting-room screen and the phone show who is being called and roughly how long the wait is.
3
Called to the room
The doctor or nurse clicks “call next”; the screen shows the ticket and the room.
4
Seen and done
The visit is closed in one click, so the next patient moves up straight away.
5
Learn from the day
Waiting and service times are recorded automatically for your daily and weekly reports.
Small clinics
What a small clinic actually needs
You don’t need a hardware project. Most clinics start with what is already in the building.
The minimum setup
- A screen in the waiting room: a smart TV, a monitor with a small PC, or a tablet, running the display in a web browser.
- A way to check in: a printed QR code at the entrance, a tablet as a kiosk, or the reception computer.
- One click to call: each doctor or room calls the next patient from a computer, tablet or phone.
Which plan fits
- One location, walk-ins only, up to 3 rooms or desks: Starter at $50 per month.
- Appointments, SMS calls or up to 5 sites: Enterprise at $100 per month.
- Larger groups, API or single sign-on: Custom at $300 per month.
Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial without a credit card. Full details on the pricing page.
| For a clinic | Starter · $50/month | Enterprise · $100/month |
|---|---|---|
| Locations | 1 | Up to 5 |
| Rooms / counters | 3 | Unlimited |
| Team members | 5 | 50 |
| QR & mobile check-in | ✓ | ✓ |
| Self-service kiosk | ✓ | ✓ |
| Appointment booking | — | ✓ |
| Virtual queue with SMS calls | — | ✓ |
| Analytics | Basic | Advanced |
Plans as listed on the Qwaiton pricing page.
Patient privacy
Calling patients without exposing them
A waiting-room screen is public. Whatever appears on it is seen by everyone in the room, so clinics should decide on purpose what to show. These are the choices most clinics make:
- Show ticket numbers, not names. “B-014, Room 2” tells the right patient where to go and nobody else who they are. Use names only where your patients expect it and your privacy rules allow it.
- Collect only what the queue needs. A first name or initials and a mobile number for the SMS call are usually enough. Medical details belong in your practice software, not in the queue.
- Ask before you text. If patients get SMS updates, tell them at check-in and let them choose.
- Keep the paperwork in order. Under the GDPR (EU, UK) and similar laws your clinic is responsible for patient data; ask every software provider, including us, for a data processing agreement before you go live. In the US, ask about HIPAA requirements before entering any health information.
Running a practice in Germany? See our page on the Patientenaufrufsystem (calling patients by name or anonymously, tomedo connection).
Costs
What does a clinic queue system cost?
Public list prices of popular cloud systems, checked on 21 October 2026. Prices exclude taxes; SMS fees, add-ons and hardware can come on top.
| System | Entry price | What the entry plan covers | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qwaiton | $50 / month | 1 location, 3 counters, 5 team members | 14 days, no card |
| Qwaiting | $249 / month | Up to 5 staff logins | 14 days, no card |
| Qminder | $869 / month (or $9,468 / year) | Unlimited locations, 25 users, SMS in US/UK/CA | 14 days |
| Waitwhile | Free, then from $31 / month | Free: 1 location, 50 visits per month | Free plan |
Sources: qwaiton.com/queue-management-pricing, qwaiting.com/pricing, qminder.com/pricing, waitwhile.com/pricing (checked 21 October 2026). For a full breakdown, read our queue management system cost guide or compare the alternatives.
Keep reading
Related pages
Hospital & healthcare queues
Patient flow across registration, lab, radiology and pharmacy.
Healthcare →Appointment booking
Online booking with reminders, mixed with walk-ins.
Appointments →Token display system
What to show on the waiting-room screen and which screen to use.
Token display →Virtual queuing
Let patients wait in the car or a café and come back on time.
Virtual queue →QR code check-in
Check-in from the patient’s own phone, no app needed.
QR check-in →Patientenaufrufsystem (DE)
For practices in Germany: calling patients by name or anonymously.
Auf Deutsch →
FAQ
Clinic queues, answered
What is a clinic queue management system?
It is software that replaces the paper list or the “take a seat, we’ll call you” routine. Patients check in (by QR code, kiosk or at reception), get a place in line, and are called to the right room on a waiting-room screen or by SMS. The clinic sees everyone who is waiting and gets reports on waiting and service times.
Can it handle walk-ins and appointments at the same time?
Yes. Booked patients and walk-ins can be managed in one queue, so the team sees both. Online appointment booking is part of the Enterprise plan ($100 per month); the Starter plan ($50 per month) covers walk-in queues.
Do we need special hardware?
No. The waiting-room display runs in a web browser on a TV, monitor or tablet, and staff call patients from a computer, tablet or phone. A tablet kiosk and a ticket printer are optional.
Can patients be called anonymously?
Yes. You can show ticket numbers instead of names on the screen, which is what most clinics do for privacy, or use names where your patients prefer a personal call.
How much does it cost for a small clinic?
Qwaiton starts at $50 per month for one location with 3 rooms or desks, and $100 per month with appointments and SMS calls for up to 5 locations. Both start with a 14-day free trial without a credit card.
Does it work with our practice management software?
In Germany Qwaiton is in use with tomedo. The Enterprise plan connects to Zapier, Zoho and GoHighLevel. For any other practice software, contact us and we will tell you honestly what is possible.
How long does it take to set up?
Most clinics are live the same day: create your services and rooms, put the display on a screen, print the QR code, and start calling patients.
A calmer waiting room
starting this week.
Try Qwaiton free for 14 days on your own clinic: set up your rooms, put the display on a screen and call your first patient today.
14-day free trial · No credit card · From $50 / month