How to Schedule an Appointment

 Related Training
Scheduling Appointments Recorded Class

There are several locations from which you can schedule an appointment.
Note: If the need for an appointment is urgent, see How to Find the Next Free Slot in the Schedule.

From the Schedule Day View

To schedule an appointment from the Schedule Day View:

1. Navigate to the preferred date in the schedule.
2. Under Actions, select Schedule an Appointment. The Patient Search feature is displayed.
   
3. Find and select the patient. The Appointment window is displayed.
   Note: Click an open space on the search result listing to open the Appointment window. If you click on the patient's name, further patient information is displayed in a pop-out window.
4. In the Search to add procedures field, add the procedures for the appointment.
   Note: The procedure list that is set as the default is displayed automatically. You can use the drop-down list on the right to select a different list of procedures to search from. See How to Use Multiple Procedure Lists / Fee Schedules for more information.
5. Click Schedule Appointment.
6. Click-and-drag the appointment from the left side of the screen to the time slot on the Schedule.
   

From the Patient Tab

To schedule an appointment from the Patient tab:

1. From the Patient tab, click Home.
2. Under Actions, select Schedule Appointment.
3. In the Search to add procedures field, add the procedures for the appointment.
4. Click Schedule Appointment.  The Schedule is displayed. 
5. Navigate to the preferred date in the schedule.
6. Click-and-drag the appointment from the left side of the screen to the time slot.

There is also an Appointment interface on the Patient Record > Home screen that enables you to view a snapshot of the patient's appointments, sorted by Previous, Pending, and Scheduled. 

The appointments are displayed in a list, including the Appointment Status (Scheduled, Confirmed, Checked Out, Seated, Cancelled, Broken, or Failed) and Appointment Info (Date, Time, Duration, Chair, Provider, Location, as well as Appointment Type when types are assigned instead of procedure codes, such as for Ortho and Oral Surgery practices).

You can select an appointment in the list to view additional appointment details. 

Select Appointment Details to open the Appointment card. If needed, you can update or schedule/reschedule the appointment.

From the Location Home Page

To schedule an appointment from the Location Home page:

1. From the Location tab, click Home.
2. Under Actions, select Book an Appointment. The Patient Search feature is displayed.
3. Find and select the patient. The Appointment window is displayed.
   Note: Click an open space on the search result listing to open the Appointment window. If you click on the patient's name, further patient information is displayed in a pop-out window.
4. In the Search to add procedures field, add the procedures for the appointment.
5. Click Schedule Appointment.
6. Click-and-drag the appointment from the left side of the screen to the time slot.

Note: If your practice has multiple locations, you can schedule an appointment that is not the patient's preferred location. When this occurs, an icon is displayed on the appointment tile and next to the Location field to alert you.  You can update the appointment to the preferred location, or continue scheduling at the non-preferred location. In those cases, you are prompted to confirm the action, and the icon remains with the appointment. (This feature must be enabled: Administration > Practice Settings > Notifications.)

From an Existing Appointment

To schedule an appointment from an existing appointment:

1. Select an appointment to view the details.
   
2. Click the Copy icon. A new appointment is created, using the patient, procedures, location, appointment type, duration, and assigned providers.
3. Modify the appointment details as needed before booking.
   Note: Anatomy details, such as tooth number or surfaces, are not copied to prevent inadvertent duplication of planned and completed work.