The Timeline lets you view and interact will all appointments and events happening at your practice within a selected date range.
Contents
This tutorial will cover:
Navigate to the Timeline by clicking on Timeline on the top right corner of the Receptionist Dashboard or by clicking Timeline under the scheduling section of the main menu.
View multiple days on the timeline
The Timeline will either default to todays date or the last date or date range selected. Use the inner and outer arrows to navigate back and forth between days and weeks respectively, the Home icon will return you to todays date.
Use the Calendar icon to select a specific date or date range by first clicking the small calendar icon within the date selector as shown below. Select the first and then the last date of the range you'd like to view, i.e. 5th Oct to 7th Oct will give you a three day view.
Create appointments
From the top right of the timeline click Create Appointment.
Then, drag your mouse cursor across the timeslot that you would like to book the appointment for.
A sidebar will appear on the right side of your screen where you can select or create a new patient, and enter the treatment details of the appointment.
Appointment Guide:
Appointment Tab: Summary of the Appointment.
Patient Details: Search for an existing patient, create a new patient file, edit patient details, or clear patient if you need to clear the form.
Appointment Details: Dictated by the spot on the timeline where the appointment was created.
Stoplight Colours: Green indicates a great option, Yellow indicates an option that is doable, but there are better options available, Red indicates a bad option such as the appointment being too short/long for that slot or another event happening at the same time as that appointment.
More Appointment Options: Click to see more options if the patient would like to know other availabilities
Treatment: This is where you select the treatment for the appointment.
You can either select from your Treatment Templates (emergency, new patient, consultation, etc.)
Or if it's an existing patient, you can select a step from their existing treatment plan.
Waitlist: Add the patient to the waitlist, by asking if they have availability to come before their appointment should an opportunity come up. You will use this information to fill any appointment gaps in the books.
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. For example, afternoons only would be 12-5pm
Select the appointment urgency: high, medium, low
Notes: any extra notes you would like to add
14. After entering the waitlist, click the tag icon to optionally include any tags related to the appointment. Tags that are machine related such as Cerec or IV Sedation could work well here.
15. Scheduled Communications will show you any automated tasks or automated notification (SMS or Email) to be sent to your patient.
16. You will also be able to view any pre or post appointment checklist items which will need to be completed.
17. Scroll back up to the top to view and record Notes.
18. Scheduling notes relate to any notes relevant to that particular appointment.
19. Social notes relate to any non-medical related notes, such as any pet names or favourite music, to help better connect with the patient.
20. Patient notes relate to anything that the clinic needs to know about the patient, no matter which appointment eg. If they use a wheelchair or are anxious.
21. Patient Details: Scroll back to the top of sidebar to edit patient details.
22. Patient Details icon.
23. Patient's preferred dentist.
24. Patient's preferred hygienist.
25. Patient's preferred practice.
26. Patient's preferred fee schedule.
27. Tags related to the patient such as vaccinated, anxious, etc.
28. Health Fund Details.
29. Primary Contact & Patient Relationship details.
Changing Appointment Duration
Hover your mouse curser over an appointment and grab the edge at either the start or finish time to increase or decrease the duration. Any changes to the scheduling of an appointment will open the Sidebar and will only be saved after the Save Appointment button is clicked at the bottom of the Sidebar.
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.