Before You Start
- The patient must already be registered in the system.
- The practitioner must have a schedule set up (days and hours of availability).
- The service unit (room, gym, or bed) must exist in the system.
Booking a New Appointment
Step 1: Open the Patient Appointment Form
Go to the Healthcare workspace → Consultation card → Patient Appointment, then click New. Or click the Patient Appointment shortcut in the workspace.
Step 2: Select the Patient
Type the patient’s name or ID in the Patient field. Select the correct patient from the dropdown. The patient’s name, age, and gender fill in automatically.Step 3: Choose the Appointment Type
Select the type of visit:Step 4: Select the Practitioner
Choose the doctor or therapist from the list. Only active practitioners appear.Step 5: Choose the Date and Time
Select the appointment date. The available time slots for that practitioner on that day appear based on their schedule. Pick a slot. The Duration field fills in based on the appointment type’s default duration (set in Appointment Type).Step 6: Select the Service Unit
Choose the physical location where the appointment will take place (for example, “Consultation Room 1”, “Physio Gym A”, “Hydrotherapy Pool”). This ensures the space is reserved and shows as occupied.Step 7: Add Notes (Optional)
Use the Notes field to add any special instructions, the reason for the visit, or information the practitioner should know before seeing the patient.Step 8: Save and Submit
Click Save. An appointment confirmation message is sent automatically to the patient’s mobile or email (if enabled in Healthcare Settings). The appointment status is now Open.Appointment Statuses
The system automatically updates appointments to “Past” or equivalent overnight for any Open appointments that passed without being attended.
Checking In a Patient
When the patient arrives at the reception:- Open the Patient Appointment record (search by patient name or appointment number)
- Confirm the patient’s identity
- Update the status to Checked In (or the center’s equivalent)
- Direct the patient to the waiting area or straight to the service unit
Vital Signs Before the Appointment
Once the patient is checked in, the nurse records vital signs linked to this appointment:- Go to the Patient Appointment record
- Click New Vital Signs (or navigate to Vital Signs → New)
- Select the patient
- Link to the appointment
- Record: temperature, pulse, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), respiratory rate, height, weight
- The BMI calculates automatically from height and weight
- Save
Linking an Appointment to a Therapy Plan
When booking a therapy session appointment, link it to the patient’s existing Therapy Plan:- In the Appointment form, select the Appointment for as “Therapy”
- Select the Therapy Type
- Select the Therapy Plan the session belongs to
- This links the session to the right plan so the session count is tracked correctly
Appointment Confirmation and Reminders (Automatic)
You do not need to do anything for these - they run automatically. Confirmation: sent immediately when the appointment is saved. Reminder: sent to the patient a set time before the appointment (for example, 1 day before or 2 hours before). The timing and message are configured in Healthcare Settings.Fee Validity: Free Follow-up Visits
If your center offers free follow-ups within a certain period (for example, “any follow-up within 7 days of the consultation is free”):- Healthcare Settings → “Enable Free Follow-ups” must be on
- “Valid Number of Days” sets how long the free window lasts
- “Number of Patient Encounters in Valid Days” sets how many free visits are included
Cancelling an Appointment
- Open the Patient Appointment record
- Change the status to Cancelled
- Save
Field Guide: Patient Appointment
Reports and Monitoring for Appointments
- Open Appointments number card (workspace): how many appointments are still open today
- Appointments to Bill number card (workspace): how many appointments need invoicing
- Patient Appointment Analytics report: trends by practitioner, department, and period
Troubleshooting
The practitioner I need does not appear in the dropdown Check that the practitioner’s status is Active and that they have a schedule set up for this day. Without a schedule, they appear unavailable. No time slots appear when I select a date The practitioner has no schedule for that date. Check the Practitioner Schedule or choose a different day. I cannot link the appointment to a therapy plan Make sure the Therapy Plan exists for this patient and that “Appointment for” is set to Therapy. If the plan is already completed, it will not appear in the dropdown. The patient says they did not receive a reminder Check that the mobile number on their Patient record is correct. Also verify that “Send Appointment Reminder” is on in Healthcare Settings. An appointment shows as “Open” from yesterday The daily automatic job should update these to a past status. If it did not run, ask your Admin to manually update or trigger the scheduler.Best Practices
- Always confirm the patient’s mobile number when booking - if the number is wrong, reminders never reach them
- Book therapy session appointments as part of the therapy plan from the beginning (all 10 sessions at once) rather than one at a time - this helps the patient plan ahead and reduces scheduling friction
- Use the Notes field to tell the practitioner anything important before they see the patient
- Do not cancel appointments on behalf of the patient without their consent - cancellations affect their therapy plan progress count
Related Features
- Patient Management: Register the patient before booking
- Therapy Plans and Sessions: How therapy appointments link to the therapy plan
- Billing and Finance: How appointments are invoiced