The Timeline is the 'home page' of Principle. The Timeline lets you view and interact will all appointments and events happening at your practice within a selected date range.
From this module you'll learn how to:
Navigate the Timeline and understand the primary functions
Create an appointment for new and existing patients
Create, reschedule and cancel an appointment
Understand the appointment card
Understand what the Timeline is and how it functions as the main scheduling hub in Principle.
Contents:
💡Tip: As you work through these modules, open Principle and create a test patient so you can follow each step in real time. Practising as you learn will help you become confident using the system day to day.
Key Functions:
Navigation:
Use the two outer arrows to navigate between weeks.
Use the two inner arrows to navigate between single days.
The Home icon will return you today's date.
The Calendar Icon will allow you to select a specific date or date range.
Clicking the downwards arrow will allow you to create various calendar events.
User settings will allow you to change various layout settings which will be specific to your own user.
Practice settings will allow you to change various layout settings which will be applied to all users within the practice.
2. Viewing appointments:
Each column represents a practitioner's book.
Click any appointment to open the appointment card. From here, you can view or edit its details.
Creating an appointment:
From the top right of the timeline click Create Appointment.
Drag your cursor across the desired timeslot to create the appointment.
The appointment card will appear on the right side of the Timeline. Before saving the appointment, you must add patient and appointment details before you can save the appointment.
Appointment Tab: Summary of the Appointment.
Patient Details: Search for an existing patient or create a new patient file.
Appointment Details: A summary of the appointment including the practitioner, time and date.
Stoplight Colours: Operates like a traffic light system - Green being ideal | Yellow being acceptable | Red indicates conflict or overlap.
Treatment: Select the treatment for the appointment.
You can either select from your Treatment Templates (Emergency, New Patient, Consultation, etc.) If the appointment is for an existing patient, you can select a step from their existing treatment plan.
1. Automations: Any automated SMS, Emails or Tasks related to the appointment
2. Waitlist: Preferred appointment availability should an earlier appointment become available. This will be used to fill any appointment Gaps.
Date from/to will pre-fill to today's date until the day before the appointment.
Time from/to: Enter a specific timeframe if the patient can only attend during a certain time.
Select the appointment urgency: high, medium, low
Notes: Any relevant notes applicable to the patients waitlist preferences.
3. Appointment Checklist: Pre and Post appointment checklist reminders relevant to the appointment.
4. Tags: Any tags which are relevant to the appointment. For Example, 'Scanner needed', or 'lab job arrived'. These tags will be visible from the appointment on the Timeline.
Appointment card icons
The top of the appointment card will allow you to edit the patient details, noting their preferred dentist, Fee Schedule and any patient Tags. You can also add any Health Fund cards or Patient Relationships.
Notes
Scheduling notes are any notes relevant to that particular appointment.
Social notes relate to any non-medical related notes, such as any pet names or favourite music, to help build rapport with the patient.
Patient notes relate to anything that the clinic needs to know about the patient, no matter which appointment, for example, if they use a wheelchair or are anxious.
Changing Appointment Duration
Hover over the top or bottom of the appointment block and drag to adjust. The sidebar will reopen - Click Save Appointment to confirm.
Double Booking
Principle allows you to Double Book appointments on a practitioners timeline if needed. Doing so will expand the timeline for that practitioner for the day to include a second column for overlapping appointments or events.
In the top right of the timeline click Create Appointment.
Then, click and drag the curser across the timeslot you would like to book the appointment in (see image below).
The Appointment Sidebar will open, create the appointment as usual, as described above.
Once you click Save Appointment at the bottom of the sidebar, a warning will be displayed to confirm that you want to double book the practitioner.
Move appointments from one practitioner to the other
Click and drag the appointment from one practitioner's timeslot to the other.
The appointment can be moved around between practitioners but wont be saved in place until you click the Save Appointment button at the bottom of the sidebar.
Cancelling an appointment
You can cancel an appointment through the Timeline, the Patient Profile or the Receptionist Dashboard.
From the Patient Profile
1. Click the Search bar at the top of the Timeline and search the patient. You can find patients by searching for their name or details such as a phone number.
2. Find the appointment under the Upcoming Appointments box on the left side of the patient profile. To the right, you will see three dots.
3. Click on the three dots to get a drop down of options. At the bottom, you have the option to cancel.
4. Click Cancel and the Cancel Appointment dialogue should appear. From here you can add the patient to the Follow Up list to contact at a later date.
Select a predefined date from the dropdown, or set a specific date for the follow up.
The Follow Up option should be toggled on. This ensures that patients are followed-up as per the practitioner's duty of care.
* Turning off 'Add to Follow Up' *
If the patient is adamant on not being followed up, you can toggle this function off. Be sure to write notes in the text box explaining why this patient does not want to be contacted.
5. Add any cancellation notes, noting why the appointment is being cancelled.
6. Cancel the appointment.
From the Timeline
1. Find the appointment you wish to cancel. After opening the appointment card, click the three dots at the top right of the appointment card.
2. Click 'Cancel'. The Follow Up options will display as above.
From the Receptionist Dashboard
1. Click Receptionist Dashboard from the sidebar.
2. If not today, find the date of the appointment you wish to cancel by clicking on the calendar icon on the top right of the page
3. Find the patient's appointment under Expected Arrivals then click on the three vertical dots on the right side of the appointment line to open up the menu.
4. Click 'Cancel'. The Follow Up options will display as above.
💡Tip:
Keep the Timeline open throughout the day - it’s your control centre.