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How to add, edit or remove an appointment type

Last updated   ∙   ~ minute read

The following article explains how you can add, edit or remove an appointment type in the Bookings > Appointment Types section of the HotDoc Dashboard.

This allows you to customise the appointment types that are shown online to your patients so that they can choose which appointment suits them best during the booking journey.

 

Best Practice, Medical Director (Pracsoft), Zedmed

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HotDoc Academy Bite Size course available: Appointment Types
Click here to view this as a course on HotDoc Academy

   In this article :

 

What is an Appointment Type?

Appointment Types are required to be set up in the HotDoc Dashboard so that a patient can choose a reason for their booking as they request an appointment.

Appointment types are helpful for guiding your patients to book appointments specific to their needs.

Once added, you will see them appear on your online bookings page under the What is the reason for your appointment? section:

Screen_Shot_2022-02-08_at_4.58.11_pm.png

Example of GP practice 

Screen_Shot_2022-02-08_at_4.56.35_pm.png

 

 

Example of optometry practice 


How to add or edit an Appointment Type

  1. Log in to the HotDoc Dashboard then go to Bookings > Appointment Types:

    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_1.53.47_pm.png

  2. To add a new appointment type, select New Appointment Type, alternatively to edit an existing appointment type select Edit. 

    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_1.56.02_pm.png
    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_2.12.36_pm.png
  3. You will then need to add or edit the appointment type name how you'd like patients to see it, then enable the following settings described below. Click the image to enlarge: 
    • If you would like patients to leave a note when they're booking an online appointment, please see Pre-Consult Notes

      Screen_Shot_2021-04-30_at_4.04.22_pm.png

  4. The next section is only relevant for Telehealth appointment types. To enable Telehealth, select the checkbox and the Patient eligibility options.
    See How to create and manage Telehealth appointments for further information:

    Screen_Shot_2020-07-28_at_3.44.25_pm.png

  5. The next section is only relevant if enabling Referrals for the appointment type:

    • To enable this, check the Ask patient if they have a referral box
    • Select whether or not a referral is required to book an appointment
    • Depending on your above settings, set your message advising patients why they cannot book or the conditions for bookings without a referral
    • Select whether or not the patient is required to upload a copy of their referral

      referral_settings.jpg

    • Once a patient uploads their referral and requests an appointment online, you can access this in the Dashboard by going to Bookings > Bookings History > Click the arrow next to the booking and select View Referral:

      Screen_Shot_2021-10-21_at_10.43.36_am.png

      Please note:The referral link will expire 30 days after the appointment date. If the appointment has been cancelled, it will expire 30 days after the date of cancellation. It will then say Referral preview expired.Please review Referral Uploads - The Patient Journey to see how this process appears to patients.

      Patients can upload multiple PDFs or images of their referral(s). 
      The file format we accept are PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG.


  6. Under Templates for Practitioner Setup decide if that appointment type is for:
    • New and/or existing patients
    • Default appointment length
    • How far in advance patients can book an appointment 
    • Enter any Terms and Conditions the patient must agree to when submitting the booking (e.g. arriving early to the appointment or information about billing)

      book_ahead.png

      These default settings should be what the majority of your practitioners prefer for that appointment type. You can still adjust for individual practitioners in the Practitioner Setup.       
  7. You can then set up payment collection for this appointment type. If required, setup your payments or enter the amount you wish to collect.
    Payment.png


  8. Link the appointment type to the applicable appointment type in your clinical software:

    Screen_Shot_2020-04-28_at_12.10.38_pm.png

  9. You can also select if you would like to accept cancellations for this appointment type (see Why is a patient unable to cancel their appointment? for more information):

    Screen_Shot_2020-04-28_at_12.10.50_pm.png

  10. If you wish to make this a 'Tandem' appointment type (where two appointments are booked at the same time, select Add Supporting Practitioner. To learn more about setting up a Tandem type, see How to create a Tandem Appointment type:
    Tandem.png

  11. Next, you can activate the appointment type for any of your practitioners by checking the boxes next to their name for both new and existing patient types:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-16_at_12.16.33_pm.png


  12. Lastly, save any changes you have made by selecting the green Save button at the bottom of the screen:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-16_at_12.17.44_pm.png

     

How to remove an appointment type

  1. If you would like the delete the Appointment Type entirely, select the Bookings > Appointment Types then Delete on the type you'd like to remove:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-24_at_12.00.09_pm.png
  2. You will then see an 'Are you sure?' alert box. Click Yes, Delete if you still wish to go forward with the removal:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-24_at_12.08.04_pm.png

     

 

Genie

   In this article

 

What is an Appointment Type?

Appointment Types are required to be set up in the HotDoc Dashboard so that a patient can choose a reason for their booking as they request an appointment.

Appointment types are helpful for guiding your patients to book appointments specific to their needs.

Once added, you will see them appear on your online bookings page under the What is the reason for your appointment? section:

Screen_Shot_2022-02-08_at_4.58.11_pm.png

Example of GP Practice 

Screen_Shot_2022-02-08_at_4.56.35_pm.png

 

 

Example of Optometry practice 


How to add or edit an Appointment Type

  1. Log in to the HotDoc Dashboard then go to Bookings > Appointment Types:

    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_1.53.47_pm.png

  2. To add a new appointment type, select New Appointment Type, alternatively to edit an existing appointment type select Edit. 

    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_1.56.02_pm.png
    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_2.12.36_pm.png
  3. You will then need to add or edit the appointment type name how you'd like patients to see it, then enable the following settings described below. Click the image to enlarge: 
    • If you would like patients to leave a note when they're booking an online appointment, please see Pre-Consult Notes

      Screen_Shot_2021-04-30_at_4.04.22_pm.png

  4. The next section is only relevant if enabling Referrals for the appointment type:

    • To enable this, check the Ask patient if they have a referral box
    • Select whether or not a referral is required to book an appointment
    • Depending on your above settings, set your message advising patients why they cannot book or the conditions for bookings without a referral
    • Select whether or not the patient is required to upload a copy of their referral

      referral_settings.jpg

    • Once a patient uploads their referral and requests an appointment online, you can access this in the Dashboard by going to Bookings > Bookings History > Click the arrow next to the booking and select View Referral:

      Screen_Shot_2021-10-21_at_10.43.36_am.png

      Please note:The referral link will expire 30 days after the appointment date. If the appointment has been cancelled, it will expire 30 days after the date of cancellation. It will then say Referral preview expired.Please review Referral Uploads - The Patient Journey to see how this process appears to patients.

      Patients can upload multiple PDFs or images of their referral(s). 
      The file format we accept are PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG.


  5. Under Templates for Practitioner Setup decide if that appointment type is for:
    • New and/or existing patients
    • Default appointment length
    • How far in advance patients can book an appointment 
    • Enter any Terms and Conditions the patient must agree to when submitting the booking (e.g. arriving early to the appointment or information about billing)

      book_ahead.png

      These default settings should be what the majority of your practitioners prefer for that appointment type. You can still adjust for individual practitioners in the Practitioner Setup.       

  6. You must ensure that you link the appointment type in your HotDoc dashboard to the corresponding appointment type in Genie. In the example below, we have created a new appointment type and linked it to our Procedure and New Patient types in Genie:

    Genie_appt_linking_accept_cancellations.png
  7. You can also select if you would like to accept cancellations for this appointment type (see Why is a patient unable to cancel their appointment? for more information):
    Genie_appointment_linking.png

  8. If you want to limit online availability to match specific Genie Appointment Schedules already set up in your appointment book, select the Custom Schedules option:Genie_Custom_Schedules.png

    In the example above, the appointment type is set to only show available times online that are within the practice's Procedure appointment schedule.

    Please note: You can select more than one schedule type by clicking on the drop down menu.
  9. Next, activate relevant appointment types for your practitioners by ticking the boxes next to their name for both new and existing patients:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-16_at_12.16.33_pm.png


  10. Lastly, save any changes you have made by selecting the green Save button at the bottom of the screen:

    Save_button.png

     

How to remove an appointment type

  1. If you would like the delete the Appointment Type entirely, select the Bookings > Appointment Types then Delete on the type you'd like to remove:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-24_at_12.00.09_pm.png
  2. You will then see an 'Are you sure?' alert box. Click Yes, Delete if you still wish to go forward with the removal:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-24_at_12.08.04_pm.png

     

 

 

Helix

   In this article

 

Training Video

 

 

What is an Appointment Type?

Appointment Types are required to be set up in the HotDoc Dashboard so that a patient can choose a reason for their booking as they request an appointment.

Appointment types are helpful for guiding your patients to book appointments specific to their needs. Examples of common appointment types are:

  • Standard Consult
  • Long Consult
  • Skin Check
  • Vaccinations (Flu, Travel etc)

Once added, you will see them appear on your online bookings page under the What is the reason for your appointment? section:

Screen_Shot_2022-02-08_at_4.58.11_pm.png

Example of GP Practice 

Screen_Shot_2022-02-08_at_4.56.35_pm.png

 

 

Example of Optometry practice 


How to add or edit an Appointment Type

  1. Log in to the HotDoc Dashboard then go to Bookings > Appointment Types:

    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_1.53.47_pm.png

  2. To add a new appointment type, select New Appointment Type, alternatively to edit an existing appointment type select Edit. 

    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_1.56.02_pm.png
    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_2.12.36_pm.png
  3. You will then need to add or edit the appointment type name how you'd like patients to see it, then enable the following settings described below. Click the image to enlarge: 
    • If you would like patients to leave a note when they're booking an online appointment, please see Pre-Consult Notes

      Screen_Shot_2021-04-30_at_4.04.22_pm.png


  4. The next section is only relevant if enabling Referrals for the appointment type:

    • To enable this, check the Ask patient if they have a referral box
    • Select whether or not a referral is required to book an appointment
    • Depending on your above settings, set your message advising patients why they cannot book or the conditions for bookings without a referral
    • Select whether or not the patient is required to upload a copy of their referral

      referral_settings.jpg

    • Once a patient uploads their referral and requests an appointment online, you can access this in the Dashboard by going to Bookings > Bookings History > Click the arrow next to the booking and select View Referral:

      Screen_Shot_2021-10-21_at_10.43.36_am.png

      Please note:The referral link will expire 30 days after the appointment date. If the appointment has been cancelled, it will expire 30 days after the date of cancellation. It will then say Referral preview expired.Please review Referral Uploads - The Patient Journey to see how this process appears to patients.

      Patients can upload multiple PDFs or images of their referral(s). 
      The file format we accept are PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG.


  5. Under Templates for Practitioner Setup decide if that appointment type is for:
    • New and/or existing patients
    • Default appointment length
    • How far in advance patients can book an appointment 
    • Enter any Terms and Conditions the patient must agree to when submitting the booking (e.g. arriving early to the appointment or information about billing)

      book_ahead.png

      These default settings should be what the majority of your practitioners prefer for that appointment type. You can still adjust for individual practitioners in the Practitioner Setup.       
  6. You can then set up payment collection for this appointment type. If required, setup your payments or enter the amount you wish to collect.
    Payment.png

  7. Link the appointment type to the applicable appointment type in Helix:

    Helix_Link_appointment_type.png

  8. You can also select if you would like to accept cancellations for this appointment type (see Why is a patient unable to cancel their appointment? for more information):
    Helix_Accept_Cancellations_Online.png

  9. Next, you can activate the appointment type for any of your practitioners by checking the boxes next to their name for both new and existing patient types:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-16_at_12.16.33_pm.png


  10. Lastly, save any changes you have made by selecting the green Save button at the bottom of the screen:

    Save_button.png

     

How to remove an appointment type

  1. If you would like the delete the Appointment Type entirely, select the Bookings > Appointment Types then Delete on the type you'd like to remove:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-24_at_12.00.09_pm.png
  2. You will then see an 'Are you sure?' alert box. Click Yes, Delete if you still wish to go forward with the removal:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-24_at_12.08.04_pm.png

     

 

Optomate

   In this article

 

What is an Appointment Type?

Appointment Types are required to be set up in the HotDoc Dashboard so that a patient can choose a reason for their booking as they request an appointment.

Appointment types are helpful for guiding your patients to book appointments specific to their needs.

Once added, you will see them appear on your online bookings page under the What is the reason for your appointment? section:

Optom_Appointment_Types.png


How to add or edit an Appointment Type

  1. Log in to the HotDoc Dashboard then go to Bookings > Appointment Types:

    Screen_Shot_2022-02-21_at_1.53.47_pm.png

  2. To add a new appointment type, select New Appointment Type, alternatively to edit an existing appointment type select Edit. 
    Optomate_New_Appointment_Type.png
    Optomate_Edit_Appointment_Type.png
     
  3. You will then need to add or edit the appointment type name how you'd like patients to see it, then enable the following settings described below. Click the image to enlarge: 
    • If you would like patients to leave a note when they're booking an online appointment, please see Pre-Consult Notes

      Screen_Shot_2021-04-30_at_4.04.22_pm.png


  4. The next section is only relevant if enabling Referrals for the appointment type:

    • To enable this, check the Ask patient if they have a referral box
    • Select whether or not a referral is required to book an appointment
    • Depending on your above settings, set your message advising patients why they cannot book or the conditions for bookings without a referral
    • Select whether or not the patient is required to upload a copy of their referral

      referral_settings.jpg

    • Once a patient uploads their referral and requests an appointment online, you can access this in the Dashboard by going to Bookings > Bookings History > Click the arrow next to the booking and select View Referral:

      Screen_Shot_2021-10-21_at_10.43.36_am.png

      Please note:The referral link will expire 30 days after the appointment date. If the appointment has been cancelled, it will expire 30 days after the date of cancellation. It will then say Referral preview expired.Please review Referral Uploads - The Patient Journey to see how this process appears to patients.

      Patients can upload multiple PDFs or images of their referral(s). 
      The file format we accept are PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG.


  5. Under Templates for Practitioner Setup decide if that appointment type is for:
    • New and/or existing patients
    • Default appointment length
    • How far in advance patients can book an appointment 
    • Enter any Terms and Conditions the patient must agree to when submitting the booking (e.g. arriving early to the appointment or information about billing)

      book_ahead.png

      These default settings should be what the majority of your practitioners prefer for that appointment type. You can still adjust for individual practitioners in the Practitioner Setup.       
  6. Link the appointment type to the applicable appointment type in Optomate:
    Optomate_Linking_Appointment_Type.png

  7. You can also select if you would like to accept cancellations for this appointment type (see Why is a patient unable to cancel their appointment? for more information):
     Optomate_Accept_Cancellation.png
  8. Next, you can activate the appointment type for any of your practitioners by checking the boxes next to their name for both new and existing patient types:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-16_at_12.16.33_pm.png


  9. If you wish to make this a 'Tandem' appointment type (where two appointments are booked at the same time), select Add Supporting Practitioner.
    To learn more about setting up a Tandem type, see How to create a Tandem Appointment type:
    Tandem.png

  10. Lastly, save any changes you have made by selecting the green Save button at the bottom of the screen:

    Save_button.png

     

How to remove an appointment type

  1. If you would like the delete the Appointment Type entirely, select the Bookings > Appointment Types then Delete on the type you'd like to remove:
    Optomate_Delete_Appointment_Type.png
  2. You will then see an 'Are you sure?' alert box. Click Yes, Delete if you still wish to go forward with the removal:

    Screen_Shot_2020-03-24_at_12.08.04_pm.png

     

 

Dental4Windows, HotDoc Calendar

   In this article

 

What is an Appointment Type?

Appointment Types are required to be set up in the HotDoc Dashboard so that a patient can choose a reason for their booking as they request an appointment.

  • We suggest that customise your HotDoc Appointment Types to be in line with the types in your clinical software and what you perform at your clinic.
  • Once Appointment types are added to your HotDoc Dashboard, you will see them appear on your online bookings page under the What is the reason for your appointment? section:

Screen_Shot_2021-02-18_at_5.29.16_pm.png

Example of how Appointment Types appear to a patient

 

How to add or edit an Appointment Type

  1. Login to the HotDoc Dashboard using your user account details. 

  2. Select Bookings then Appointments Types. To create a new appointment, select New Appointment Type in the top right corner or Edit to change an existing type:

    1.png

You will then be shown the New or Edit Appointment Type screen where you can add or change the details for your appointment type. 


How it appears to patients (display details)

This section allows you to edit the appointment name, colour indication, online settings, notes, alert messages and more.  

2.png

  1. Firstly add or edit the name of the appointment type, exactly as you'd like the patient to see it. You can also do the following:

  2. Select a colour to associate with the Appointment. This colour will appear in your Appointment Calendar this type of booking is entered (supported browsers are Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari).

  3. Tick Enabled for online appointments if you would like patients to be able to book this type online. Leave this box unticked if you'd prefer to have the patient call the clinic directly to book in.

  4. Ask patients to provide a brief description of why they are booking this consult by ticking the box next to Ask patients to enter the reason for their appointment. See Pre-Consult Notes for more information.
  5. Add a message to appear as soon as the appointment type is selected will alert the patient about extra information. This is useful for describing what the appointment type is in further detail. 

     

  6. Click Save!

Telehealth Settings

The next section is only relevant if you wish to make the appointment type a Telehealth appointment type.

th1.png

  1. Select the checkbox and the Patient eligibility options. See How to create and manage Telehealth appointments for further information. 

  2. Click Save!

 

Referral Settings

The Referrals section is relevant if you wish to accept referrals for an appointment type.

re1.png

Patients can upload multiple PDFs or images of their referral(s). 

The file format we accept are PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG.
 

  1. To enable this, check the box next to Ask patient if they have a referral.

  2. If a referral is required to make an online appointment, select the Yes radio button and add in terms and conditions into the field.


  3. If you require the patient to upload a copy of their referral, select the Mandatory radio button. 

  4. Press the green Save button. 

  5. Once a patient uploads their referral and requests an appointment online, you can access this in the Dashboard by going to Bookings > Bookings History > Click the arrow next to the booking and select View Referral:

    .png

  6. The referral will then open in a new tab on your internet browser for you to save or print. 

Please note: The referral link will expire 30 days after the appointment date. If the appointment has been cancelled, it will expire 30 days after the date of cancellation. It will then say Referral preview expired. Please review Referral Uploads - The Patient Journey to see how this process appears to patients.

Templates for Practitioners 

  1. Under Templates for Practitioner Setup decide if that appointment type is for new and/or existing patients, the default appointment length, and enter any extra Terms and Conditions the patient agrees to when submitting the booking.

  2. Click Save! 

    22.png

Add payment for online booked appointments

  1. You can then set up payment collection for this appointment type. If required, setup your payments or enter the amount you wish to collect. 

    Payment.png

  2. Click Save. 

 

Select your practitioners

You can activate the appointment type for any of your practitioners 

  1. Check the boxes next to their name to allow them to take bookings for both new and/or existing patients:

    c.png


  2. Lastly, save any changes you have made by selecting the green Save button at the bottom of the screen.

     

How to remove an appointment type

  1. If you would like the delete the Appointment Type entirely, select the Bookings > Appointment Types then Delete on the type you'd like to remove:

    aaa.png
  2. You will then see an 'Are you sure?' alert box. Click Yes, Delete if you still wish to go forward with the removal.

 

Cliniko, CorePlus, Nookal

In this article

 

How to add or edit a new appointment type 

  1. In your HotDoc Dashboard, go to Bookings > Appointment Types 

    Screen_Shot_2022-05-16_at_10.39.13_am.png

  2. To create a new appointment type select + New Appointment Type, or to edit an existing appointment type select Edit:

    Screen_Shot_2022-05-16_at_10.38.17_am.png

  3. In the How it appears to patients section, you can add or edit the appointment type name, enable or disable online bookings and edit from the following settings:

    Click the image to see a description of each setting: 
    appt_type_settings.png

  4. In the Templates for practitioners section, determine the settings for existing and new patient bookings:
    • Select the check box to enable New and/or existing patients
    • Choose a Default appointment length (this should match the appointment length in your practice management system)
    • Type the days for How far in advance patients can book an appointment 
    • Select the checkbox to enter any Terms and Conditions the patient must agree to when submitting the booking (e.g. arriving early to the appointment or information about billing)

      Screen_Shot_2022-05-16_at_10.00.07_am.png

  5. In the Link to Appointment Type section, click the drop down and select the corresponding appointment type in your practice management system to link this to your HotDoc appointments.
    Important: You must link your Cliniko appointment types to your HotDoc appointment types, otherwise online bookings will not be successful

    Screen_Shot_2022-05-16_at_10.13.06_am.png
  6. In the Appointment available online for your Active Practitioners section, select the checkbox for each practitioner to enable this appointment type for existing and/or new patient bookings:

    Screen_Shot_2022-05-16_at_10.24.38_am.png

  7. Lastly, select the green Save button!

    Screen_Shot_2022-05-16_at_10.27.10_am.png

How to remove an appointment type 

  1. If you would like the delete the appointment type entirely, select the Bookings > Appointment Types then Delete next to the appointment:

    Screen_Shot_2022-05-16_at_10.41.40_am.png

  2. Confirm this by selecting Yes, Delete (existing appointments will not be affected):

    Screen_Shot_2022-05-16_at_10.43.21_am.png

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