Yes. CareQueue needs its own article and the language should make it clear this is not just a waiting room list. It is an intelligent clinical traffic controller.

Here’s the full definition set.

Atlas CareQueue

Atlas CareQueue is the live queue system for urgent care, general practice, walk-in visits, same-day appointments, and high-variability clinic flow.

CareQueue helps the clinic manage which patients should be seen next, which provider has capacity, which visits can safely wait, and when the queue needs to reorder itself.

Unlike a static appointment list, CareQueue uses patient urgency, appointment type settings, provider availability, wait time, room status, and provider interruptability to help move the day forward.

What CareQueue Does

CareQueue helps the team:

• Prioritize active patients

• Manage walk-ins and urgent visits

• Balance provider workload

• Reduce hidden bottlenecks

• Automatically adjust patient order as conditions change

• Surface when the queue is open, overloaded, or under control

• Support manual priority when the team needs to override automation

CareQueue is designed for clinics where the schedule does not behave politely.

Key Definitions

Active Patients

Active Patients are patients currently waiting, checked in, roomed, being triaged, ready for provider review, or otherwise moving through the clinic flow.

An active patient may be:

• Waiting for triage

• Waiting for a provider

• In a room

• In treatment

• Awaiting diagnostics

• Awaiting discharge

• Waiting for checkout

• Being manually prioritized by staff

CareQueue uses active patient status to understand demand in real time.

Queue

The Queue is the ordered list of patients waiting for the next clinical action.

The queue is not just based on arrival time. It may consider:

• Appointment type

• Urgency level

• Wait time

• Provider availability

• Room availability

• Required workflow step

• Manual priority

• Provider interruptability

• Clinic load

The queue can move dynamically as new information enters the system.

Queue: Open

Queue: Open means CareQueue is accepting and managing active patients.

When the queue is open, new patients can be added, triage can occur, and CareQueue can evaluate movement through the clinic.

Queue: Closed

Queue: Closed means the clinic is not currently accepting new queue-managed visits.

This may be used when the clinic is at capacity, approaching closing time, pausing walk-ins, or switching to appointment-only flow.

Load

Load represents the current pressure on the clinic.

Load may be influenced by:

• Number of active patients

• Number of available providers

• Patient urgency mix

• Appointment complexity

• Room availability

• Workflow congestion

• Provider interruptability

• Expected time remaining

Load: Low

Low Load means the queue is manageable based on current patient volume and available provider capacity.

This does not mean the clinic is empty. It means the system does not currently detect a flow risk.

Load: Moderate

Moderate Load means the queue is active and should be watched.

The clinic may still be operating normally, but delays can begin if new urgent cases arrive, providers become unavailable, or rooms become blocked.

Load: High

High Load means the clinic is under pressure.

CareQueue may begin reordering patients more aggressively, surfacing bottlenecks, recommending handoffs, or warning that additional intake should be slowed.

Load: Critical

Critical Load means the queue may no longer be safely absorbing demand without intervention.

This may require:

• Pausing walk-ins

• Adding provider coverage

• Reassigning staff

• Moving stable patients to later slots

• Escalating urgent cases

• Communicating delays to clients

Manual Priority

Manual Priority allows the clinic team to override the automated queue order.

This is used when staff have context CareQueue may not fully understand yet.

Examples:

• A patient looks worse in person than the original complaint suggested

• A client has been waiting too long

• A provider specifically requests to see a patient next

• A stable patient can be moved behind a more urgent case

• A case needs immediate review for safety reasons

Manual priority gives the team control without turning CareQueue into a dumb list.

Manual Priority Enabled

When Manual Priority Enabled is on, staff can manually bump or reorder patients.

CareQueue still calculates flow, but manual priority tells the system that human judgment is taking precedence for that patient or moment.

Manual Priority Disabled

When manual priority is disabled, CareQueue relies more heavily on configured rules, urgency logic, wait time, appointment settings, and provider state.

Provider State

Provider State shows each provider’s current ability to accept, continue, or be interrupted for work.

This helps CareQueue avoid treating every provider as equally available when they are not.

A provider in surgery, euthanasia, a complex conversation, or deep documentation should not be treated the same as a provider between rooms.

Available

The provider can accept a new patient or clinical task.

Busy

The provider is actively engaged but may become available soon.

In Room

The provider is currently with a patient or client.

In Procedure

The provider is performing or supervising a procedure and should not be interrupted unless necessary.

In Surgery

The provider is in surgery and should generally be treated as unavailable for queue assignment.

In Euthanasia / Compassionate Care

The provider is handling an end-of-life or sensitive care event.

CareQueue should protect this time and avoid unnecessary interruptions.

Documenting

The provider is completing records, discharge notes, estimates, prescriptions, or other documentation.

Depending on interruptability settings, CareQueue may still assign low-complexity questions or brief reviews.

On Call / Consultable

The provider is not directly holding the queue but may be available for questions, case review, approvals, or escalation.

Offline / Unavailable

The provider should not receive queue assignments.

Provider Interruptability Score

Provider Interruptability Score measures how interruptible a provider is at a given moment.

This is one of the most important parts of CareQueue.

A provider may technically be present, but not meaningfully interruptible. CareQueue uses interruptability to avoid breaking concentration, disrupting sensitive care, or assigning work to the wrong person.

What Interruptability Considers

The score may consider:

• Current provider state

• Appointment type

• Room status

• Procedure status

• Surgery involvement

• Euthanasia or compassionate care flag

• Active documentation load

• Number of assigned patients

• Patient urgency

• Pending approvals

• Provider role

• Manual overrides

• Clinic-specific settings

High Interruptability

The provider can likely be interrupted or assigned new work.

Examples:

• Between appointments

• Reviewing records

• Available for triage questions

• Waiting on diagnostics

• Not currently in a sensitive interaction

Medium Interruptability

The provider may be interruptible, but only for appropriate reasons.

Examples:

• In documentation

• Between rooms but behind schedule

• Supervising a stable treatment

• Available for urgent escalation but not routine questions

Low Interruptability

The provider should generally not be interrupted.

Examples:

• In a complex appointment

• In a client conflict conversation

• In a procedure

• Behind schedule with active cases

Do Not Interrupt

The provider should not be interrupted unless there is an emergency.

Examples:

• Surgery

• Euthanasia

• Critical patient stabilization

• Controlled substance issue

• Safety event

• Serious client escalation

Weighted Availability

Weighted Availability is CareQueue’s estimate of how much real provider capacity exists.

This is different from simply counting how many providers are clocked in.

For example:

• 3 providers in the building does not mean 3 providers are available.

• 1 provider between rooms may be more available than 2 providers tied up in surgery and euthanasia.

• A provider with low interruptability contributes less usable capacity to the queue.

Weighted Availability helps CareQueue make smarter movement decisions.

Example

If Dr. A is available, Dr. B is documenting, and Dr. C is in surgery, CareQueue may calculate that the clinic has only partial provider capacity even though three doctors are present.

That is the whole point. Reality beats the schedule.

Automatic Queue Movement

CareQueue can automatically move patients based on real-time conditions.

It may adjust order when:

• A higher urgency patient arrives

• A patient has waited too long

• A provider becomes available

• A provider becomes unavailable

• A room opens

• A patient is marked ready

• Diagnostics return

• A visit changes status

• A manual priority is added

• Clinic load changes

This keeps the queue alive instead of fossilizing into “who arrived first.”

Automatic Bumping

Automatic bumping means CareQueue can move one patient ahead of another when the system detects a stronger clinical or operational reason.

Common reasons include:

• Higher urgency

• Longer wait time

• Better provider match

• Available room match

• Appointment type rules

• Procedure timing

• Provider availability

• Safety concern

Automatic Holding

CareQueue may also hold a patient in place when they are not ready to move.

Examples:

• Waiting on intake

• Waiting on client consent

• Waiting on diagnostics

• Waiting for estimate approval

• Waiting for a specific provider

• Waiting for a room type

Appointment Settings and CareQueue

CareQueue behavior is controlled heavily by Appointment Settings.

Appointment types define how CareQueue should treat different visit types.

Settings may include:

• Default urgency

• Duration

• Buffer time

• Required room type

• Required provider type

• Surgery requirement

• Compassionate care flag

• Online booking behavior

• Default workflow

• Queue priority behavior

• Interruptability impact

• Whether the visit can be automatically moved

• Whether the visit requires manual review

This is where the clinic teaches CareQueue the difference between a wellness visit, urgent care exam, surgery, tech visit, euthanasia, emergency, or recheck.

CareQueue Patient Priority

CareQueue priority is the system’s ranking of which patient should move next.

Priority may be based on:

• Clinical urgency

• Time waiting

• Appointment type

• Patient status

• Room readiness

• Provider match

• Workflow stage

• Manual priority

• Client constraints

• Clinic load

CareQueue should not blindly reward arrival time. First-in-first-out works for sandwiches, not medicine.

Urgency

Urgency reflects how quickly a patient needs clinical attention.

Possible urgency levels may include:

Routine

Stable patient. Can safely wait within normal flow.

Examples:

• Wellness exam

• Vaccine visit

• Stable recheck

• Nail trim

• Routine technician visit

Priority

Should be seen sooner than routine visits but is not immediately critical.

Examples:

• Mild illness

• Ear infection

• Limping but stable

• Minor wound

• Decreased appetite but bright and stable

Urgent

Needs timely clinical assessment.

Examples:

• Vomiting repeatedly

• Respiratory concern

• Eye injury

• Pain

• Bloated appearance

• Heat exposure

• Worsening condition

Critical

Needs immediate attention.

Examples:

• Collapse

• Severe respiratory distress

• Active seizure

• Major trauma

• Uncontrolled bleeding

• Non-responsive patient

• Suspected GDV

Critical patients should override normal queue behavior.

System Event Log

The System Event Log records important queue events and system actions.

This may include:

• Patient added to queue

• Patient moved

• Manual priority applied

• Provider state changed

• Queue opened or closed

• Load changed

• Patient escalated

• AI or automation action taken

• Manual override used

• Assignment changed

The event log gives the clinic visibility into why CareQueue did what it did.

No Events Yet

No events yet means no queue activity has been recorded during the current session or selected timeframe.

CareQueue Use Cases

Urgent Care

CareQueue helps urgent care teams manage unpredictable intake, walk-ins, triage order, provider pressure, and shifting room availability.

General Practice

CareQueue helps GP clinics manage same-day sick visits, drop-offs, late arrivals, technician appointments, provider delays, and add-on work.

Walk-In Clinics

CareQueue gives walk-in clinics a live operating layer so they can prioritize patients by need instead of arrival time alone.

Hybrid Clinics

For clinics that run appointments and walk-ins together, CareQueue helps balance scheduled visits against incoming urgent demand.

Using Atlas CareQueue

Atlas CareQueue is the live patient queue for urgent care, walk-in, same-day, and high-variability clinic flow.

CareQueue helps your team understand who is waiting, who should be seen next, which providers are available, and when the system needs to adjust the order of patients.

CareQueue is not a static waitlist. It uses appointment settings, patient urgency, provider state, weighted availability, manual priority, and clinic load to help manage patient flow in real time.

Active Patients

The Active Patients section shows patients currently moving through the clinic queue.

Patients may appear here when they are checked in, waiting for triage, roomed, waiting for a provider, in treatment, awaiting diagnostics, awaiting discharge, or otherwise active in the visit flow.

Provider State

Provider State shows each provider’s current availability and interruptability.

This helps CareQueue understand whether a provider can take another case, answer a question, review a patient, or should not be interrupted.

Weighted Availability

Weighted Availability is CareQueue’s estimate of usable provider capacity.

A provider who is available contributes more capacity than a provider who is in surgery, in a procedure, documenting, or handling a sensitive appointment.

This helps CareQueue make more realistic decisions than simply counting how many providers are scheduled.

Provider Interruptability

Provider Interruptability measures whether a provider can safely or appropriately be interrupted.

A provider may be physically present but not interruptible.

For example, a provider in surgery or compassionate care should usually be protected from interruption. A provider between rooms may be highly interruptible. A provider documenting may be partially interruptible depending on clinic rules.

Interruptability is controlled through appointment settings, provider state, workflow status, and clinic configuration.

Manual Priority

Manual Priority allows the team to override CareQueue’s automated order.

Use this when a staff member has clinical or operational context that should take priority over automation.

Manual priority may be used when a patient appears worse than expected, a provider requests to see a case next, a client has waited too long, or a case needs immediate human review.

Automatic Queue Movement

CareQueue can automatically move patients as conditions change.

Patients may move when urgency changes, wait time increases, providers become available, rooms open, diagnostics return, or the clinic load changes.

CareQueue may also hold patients when they are waiting on intake, consent, diagnostics, estimates, discharge, or a specific provider.

Queue Status

Queue status shows whether the clinic is currently accepting queue-managed visits.

Open means CareQueue is active and accepting patients.

Closed means the queue is paused or not accepting additional queue-managed visits.

Load

Load shows the current pressure on the clinic.

Low load means the queue is manageable.

Moderate load means the clinic is active and should monitor flow.

High load means the clinic is under pressure and may need intervention.

Critical load means the clinic may need to pause intake, reassign staff, escalate cases, or communicate delays.

System Event Log

The System Event Log records important queue activity.

This may include patient movement, manual priority changes, provider state changes, queue status changes, load changes, assignments, overrides, and automation actions.

Use the event log to understand what happened and why.

Appointment Settings

CareQueue behavior is configured through Appointment Settings.

Appointment settings may control:

• Default urgency

• Visit duration

• Buffer time

• Required room type

• Required provider type

• Workflow steps

• Queue priority

• Manual priority behavior

• Interruptability impact

• Automatic movement rules

This allows CareQueue to treat a wellness visit, sick visit, surgery, technician appointment, urgent care case, and euthanasia differently.

When to Use CareQueue

Use CareQueue when your clinic needs to manage:

• Urgent care flow

• Walk-ins

• Same-day appointments

• Drop-offs

• Provider bottlenecks

• Room congestion

• Triage order

• Mixed scheduled and unscheduled visits

• High-volume client flow

CareQueue is designed to keep the clinic moving without forcing the team to manually rebuild the day every time reality walks through the door.