Many healthcare clinics’ and hospitals’ waiting rooms have been crowded in recent weeks, thanks to the rapid global outbreak of coronavirus. With the newly launched DocClocker app, which was created and funded entirely by practicing medical physicians, patients can receive real-time wait times — preventing the spread of the contagious virus by limiting the exposure of sick patients in waiting rooms.

“It is important that people are not sitting in sick waiting rooms during the coronavirus outbreak when there are delays in the office,” Dr. Eric Carter, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of DocClocker, said in a statement. “DocClocker providers value their patients’ time and are engaged in technology efficiencies that mitigate long wait times. At times like these, patients deserve nothing less.”

DocClocker is on a mission to create transparency in the waiting room and enhance communication between patients and their medical providers. It allows for medical providers to deliver patients with waiting room wait times to create positive patient experiences — allowing patients to avoid sick waiting rooms and pursue other activities in case the office is running behind.

In addition to receiving real-time wait times, patients can easily make last-minute appointments; using a convenient self-pay option or finding in-network providers. Patients can manage appointments through the app, receive appointment reminders, write reviews and report long waits.

DocClocker is free to all patients and is significantly more affordable than basic appointment management tools that have dominated the market in recent years.

“Until healthcare systems develop more comprehensive programs to limit the spread of COVID-19, DocClocker has the potential to help patients by avoiding long delays in the waiting room, and in turn, decrease the exposure and transmission of this communicable disease. We encourage patients to take advantage of this free resource,” added Dr. Kevin Makati, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of DocClocker.