Online scheduling streamlines appointment booking for your practice, offering a user-friendly experience for both patients and staff. Follow these steps to configure online scheduling and optimize your settings.
Step 1: Access the Online Scheduling Settings
Navigate to Extras > Online Scheduling.
Click on Settings to begin configuration.
Step 2: Configure Appointment Types
Add Appointment Types:
Ensure all appointment purposes are synced from your system. If some do not appear, schedule a test appointment and check them in to sync.
Set Appointment Details:
Name & Description: Add a name and description that will be visible to patients.
Duration: Match the appointment duration in your system to ensure consistency.
Prep Time: Add prep time for appointments if needed (e.g., for setup or early arrival). Most people set this to 0 minutes.
Case Types and Rooms:
Assign a default case type for appointments (e.g., new patient, maintenance care).
Specify the room if applicable.
Pricing:
Display prices for appointments or keep them hidden.
Optionally require a deposit during scheduling.
Step 3: Set Provider Availability
Customize Hours:
Set provider hours
Set appointment time hours by using the 'Override provider availability' for specific appointment types if needed.
Use Appointment Grouping
Grouping allows you to manage how many appointments can be scheduled in a specific time block.
Step 4: Configure Site and Settings
Embed Code:
Copy the embed code to add scheduling functionality to your website.
Patient Preferences:
Allow patients to reschedule but not cancel appointments (recommended).
Set limits on how far in advance patients can schedule (e.g., 1 week to 3 months).
Provider Display:
Choose whether to:
Show all providers.
Allow patients to select the first available provider.
Mask providers so patients don’t know whom they are scheduling with.
Thank You Page:
Customize the thank-you message or redirect patients to a specific page on your website.
Redirect and create a query string to your website:
Pre-fill patient information on forms to streamline scheduling for marketing campaigns
Tracking Scripts:
Add tags for Google, Facebook, or other analytics platforms to track scheduling conversions.
QR Code:
Download and print a QR code for patients to easily schedule appointments via their smartphones.
FAQs About Online Scheduling
Q: How can I prevent a new patient from double-booking an appointment next to a “Report of Findings” or another appointment type?
A: You can prevent new patients from scheduling online during time slots that are already booked for a “Report of Findings” (ROF) or any other appointment type (such as appointment type X) by adding that appointment type as a scheduling blocker.
To do this:
Add the appointment type to Visit Purposes
Go to Extras > Scheduling > Visit Purpose
Add the “Report of Findings” (or other appointment type)
Do not enable it for online scheduling
Add the appointment type to the same New Patient scheduling group
Go to the Provider Availability tab
Edit the provider’s schedule settings
Find the group where New Patient appointments are available online
Include the ROF (or blocked) appointment type in that same group
Drag the ROF (or appointment type X) into the same group as the New Patient appointment types
Leave it in the group without enabling it for online booking
Save your changes
Once configured, the system will automatically recognize those booked appointment slots and prevent new patients from scheduling online during times when a “Report of Findings” or other blocked appointment is already scheduled.
Q: How do I modify default settings for online scheduling?
A: Adjust default settings in the Site and Settings section to customize preferences and messages displayed to patients.
Q: Do patients receive a confirmation when they schedule online?
A: Yes, patients receive a confirmation email upon booking.
Q: Can patients cancel or reschedule appointments online?
A: Patients can reschedule appointments online. Cancellation settings are optional and can be enabled in Site and Settings.
Q: How far in advance can patients schedule online?
A: Patients can schedule appointments based on your set limits, ranging from 1 week to 3 months in advance.
Q: How do I avoid simultaneous scheduling of incompatible appointments?
A: Use the grouping feature to limit appointment overlaps and manage simultaneous bookings.
Q: What if I don’t want patients to know which provider they are booking with?
A: Enable the Provider Masking feature to hide provider details during scheduling.