The Practice Administrator can block off time slots on the Scheduler as unavailable in the Scheduler Setup screen (e.g., lunch break, administrator meeting). The Admin can perform 2 kinds of Scheduler Blocks:
• | “Hard Block” – no appointments are allowed to be booked during the time slot(s) specified unavailable; time slots will not appear on the Scheduler |
• | “Soft Block” – users will be able to book appointments for time slots for which the provider has indicated unavailability; time slots will appear called out in light blue on the Scheduler |
*Note: Users must click in the “Allow Booking” check box to indicate a Soft Block.
To mark a time slot as unavailable:
1. | Click the “Unavailable” tab, located at the top right corner of the screen. |
2. | Enter the Unavailable Reason. |
3. | Select the Start/End Dates from the Calendar by clicking the icon. |
4. | Click in the “Allow Booking” check box to allow appointment booking in that time slot. |
*Note: This allows the user to assign flexibility to this time slot(s) (e.g., “working lunch”) and avoid removing this time slot(s) from the Scheduler altogether. User must click in this check box to indicate a Soft Block.
5. | Select the Covering Provider using the drop-down menu to ensure that this provider will take care of the unavailable slots. |
*Note: This option becomes available when performing a Soft Block ONLY.
6. | Select the days of the week to mark unavailable in the Schedule by clicking in the check boxes. |
7. | Select the hours of unavailability by using the Start/End Time drop-down menus. |
8. | Enter the Slot Duration in minutes. |
9. | If performing a Soft Block, select Visit Types to include by clicking in the check box(es). |
*Note: Click in the check box at the top of the column to select all Visit Types listed.
10. | Click the “Save Un-Availability” button to save selections. |
Note: Blocks must be configured ahead of time to avoid having to manually block individual time slots when operating in the Scheduler.