> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bizaxl.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Appointments
> How to book, confirm, manage, and track patient appointments - from the first consultation to regular therapy sessions.
An appointment is the link between a patient and a practitioner on a specific date and time. Every consultation, every therapy session, and every procedure starts with an appointment. Managing appointments well means patients show up on time, practitioners have the right information ready, and billing is triggered correctly.
***
## 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:
| Type | When to Use |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Consultation | First visit or any visit with a doctor for diagnosis or review |
| Follow-up | Review visit within the free follow-up window (reduced or zero fee) |
| Therapy Session | A scheduled physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or other therapy session |
| Procedure | A scheduled clinical procedure (injection, dressing, etc.) |
### 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
| Status | What It Means |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Open** | Appointment is booked, patient has not arrived yet |
| **Checked In** | Patient has arrived at the center |
| **Closed** | Appointment is completed (consultation or session done) |
| **Cancelled** | Appointment was cancelled before the patient arrived |
| **No Show** | Patient did not attend and did not cancel |
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:
1. Open the Patient Appointment record (search by patient name or appointment number)
2. Confirm the patient's identity
3. Update the status to **Checked In** (or the center's equivalent)
4. 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:
1. Go to the Patient Appointment record
2. Click **New Vital Signs** (or navigate to Vital Signs → New)
3. Select the patient
4. Link to the appointment
5. Record: temperature, pulse, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), respiratory rate, height, weight
6. The BMI calculates automatically from height and weight
7. Save
The vital signs are now part of the patient's history and visible to the doctor in the consultation.
***
## Linking an Appointment to a Therapy Plan
When booking a therapy session appointment, link it to the patient's existing Therapy Plan:
1. In the Appointment form, select the **Appointment for** as "Therapy"
2. Select the **Therapy Type**
3. Select the **Therapy Plan** the session belongs to
4. 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"):
1. Healthcare Settings → "Enable Free Follow-ups" must be on
2. "Valid Number of Days" sets how long the free window lasts
3. "Number of Patient Encounters in Valid Days" sets how many free visits are included
When a patient books a follow-up within the window, the system creates a **Fee Validity** record and the follow-up fee is waived.
***
## Cancelling an Appointment
1. Open the Patient Appointment record
2. Change the status to **Cancelled**
3. Save
If the appointment was already invoiced, coordinate with the billing team before cancelling.
***
## Field Guide: Patient Appointment
| Field | What to Enter |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Patient | The patient being seen |
| Appointment Type | Consultation, Follow-up, Therapy Session, Procedure |
| Duration | Length of the appointment in minutes |
| Status | Open, Checked In, Closed, Cancelled, No Show |
| Practitioner | The doctor or therapist seeing the patient |
| Department | Which department this appointment belongs to |
| Appointment Date | The scheduled date |
| Appointment Time | The scheduled start time |
| Service Unit | The room, gym, or space reserved |
| Mode of Payment | Cash, card, insurance, etc. |
| Paid Amount | Amount collected at booking (if payment is taken upfront) |
| Invoiced | Tick once the appointment has been billed |
| Notes | Any additional information for the practitioner |
| Therapy Type | Filled for therapy session appointments |
| Therapy Plan | Links the session to the patient's therapy plan |
| Referring Practitioner | If the patient was referred by another doctor |
***
## 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](/health-wellness/rehabilitation-center/patient-management): Register the patient before booking
* [Therapy Plans and Sessions](/health-wellness/rehabilitation-center/therapy-plans-sessions): How therapy appointments link to the therapy plan
* [Billing and Finance](/health-wellness/rehabilitation-center/billing-finance): How appointments are invoiced