Scheduler Settings
This document shows how to create default settings for the Scheduler making it easy to choose providers and visit types for patient appointments. Also learn how to create exceptions for clinic holiday closings or provider time off.
You can access the scheduler by opening the Scheduler button on your left hand menu
You can also access the Scheduler settings from the General tab in the System Set up.
Working the tabs from Right to Left makes an easier flow for set up.
1. Appt Reminders
Make sure to hit Save on the top to save your changes on this tab.
Only the Users with the Role of Owner will see Appt. Reminders
2. Cluster Booking
3. Office Hours
There is a separate document for the Online Hours which you can find here - https://help.healthcoretech.com/a/1906751-online-hours-special-hours-in-schedule-settings
Begin the process in the Office Hours tab. This includes all of the hours the clinic is open for appointments. Be sure to exclude lunch or any other times during the day during which you do not want to schedule any appointments.
Office Hours also determines the beginning and end times of your calendar view for your scheduler.
4. Schedule Exceptions
The Exceptions Tool allows you to temporarily block the schedule from accepting appointments without affecting the clinic's regular set up. It also allows you to open blocks of time not normally available for appointments. Exceptions can be for one or multiple providers. They can also be for parts of a day or entire date ranges.
There are numerous options for creating exceptions. Use the pull-down selectors to choose:
- By Provider
- By Visit Type
- For a date range or for specific hours on one day
- To allow or prohibit appointments
Be sure to include both a From and To date to avoid blocking the entire year.
5. Providers
When Setting hours make sure you are filling in the blocks to cover the minutes of the last appt visit type. Example if you are doing a OV that is 15 min long at 5:00 PM on the Provider hours you would want the time blocks to go till 5:15 PM.
The grid on this tab represents the provider who is selected on the left
Save time by clicking the Default button to add clinic hours to the grid and then fine tune by adding or removing specific segments based on provider availability
6. Visit Codes
The final components for setting up the Scheduler are located on the Visit Codes tab. Here you can create visit types for services provided in the clinic. Each visit type has a code and a description. Work through each visit type and set the following:
- Code
- Description
- Color
- Minutes
- Visit Type (for EHR)
- Maximum Bookings
- Default Availability
- Hourly Start Times
1. Visit Types: Create visit types to use on the Scheduler to easily identify what services the patient is receiving. Use the Up and Down arrows to arrange the visit types in the order you want to see them when using the multiple appointments scheduling tool.
2. Settings: Each visit type has unique properties that are set here. Choose colors that make it easy to identify visit types on the Scheduler. Set the length of time for each type and mark it Active. The Code is what appears in the Scheduler. The Visit Type field is reflected in EHR in the Reason for Encounter.
3. Allowed Providers / Max bookings: Make sure to click the name of the provider you are setting the visit type for as each provider can have different hours. Allow provider for scheduling. Max Bookings sets limits for the number of patients that can be scheduled per visit time block.
4. Default Time Availability: Grid to set hours, per visit type, per provider.
5. Hourly Start Time: Manage time blocks per appointment type by setting start times within each available hour.
The Visit Type setting determines what displays in the EHR Doctor Screen.
Set Visit Types and Availability Per Provider
Each provider has their own set of visit types and hours of availability per visit type. Work through each provider to assign visit types and availability.
1. Select the Visit Type from the list
2. Choose the Provider
3. Click the Copy button to automatically add the provider's default hours. Or use the day of the week boxes and from/to hours to set availability for each
Add New Visit Code
Click Add New Visit Code and enter the Code and Description. Click Save to add the visit type to the list.
Remove Visit Code
Remove unused visit codes by choosing the code and clicking the Remove Visit Code button. If there are not patients with future appointments for that code, click Yes in the box that pops up.
If the code has patients with future appointments, re-assign those visits to a different visit code.
Update Provider/Visit Type
If a provider leaves the clinic or stops performing a specific visit type, use this feature to assign all of their future appointments to a new provider or change the visit type to a new type. Click Save to perform the update.
Under the show hidden you will see your Web Availability Existing Patients. This visit type is copied from the standard Office Visit type. This is where the online availability for existing patients comes from.
Changing visit type for a provider
If you wish to see the other appointments you can hit the Show All and it will list all the appointments even if they are not set to Allow in the settings.
