Patient availability

Each patient chart has an Availability page. It lists the weekly times the patient can be seen, such as after school on weekdays, and the providers the patient or family prefers. Booking an appointment outside these times shows a booking check warning. The open-slot finder, the waitlist and the cover finder list times inside them and preferred providers first, and the appointment window shows them under the patient.

Open the patient's chart and click Availability in the Profile section. Anyone who can open the chart can see it; changing it needs permission to update the chart.

Adding times#

1. Click Add Window.
2. Choose the day, then the start and end time. Times are on the clock of the patient's location.
3. Optionally choose a preferred setting: clinic, home, school, community or telehealth. Leave it empty when any setting works.
4. Optionally limit the window to one location, and to a range of dates with From and To, such as a school term or a summer schedule. Leave them empty when the window holds everywhere and all year.
5. Add more windows the same way. Use the copy button to repeat a window, then change its day.
6. Click Save Availability.

A patient can have up to 28 windows. Windows on the same day must not overlap where they apply together (the same location, or any location, and dates that meet), and each must end after it starts.

For a booking, NeatPractice reads only the windows for that location and date. When none of them applies, the patient counts as available any time there.

Preferred providers#

Under Preferred providers, click Add Provider and choose a provider. Add up to 10, then drag them into order, first choice at the top, and click Save Availability. Preferred providers show as Preferred (or Preferred #2 and so on) when you look for open times and cover, and waitlist suggestions note Prefers this provider.

Removing times#

Click the remove button on a window and save. With no windows listed, the patient can be booked at any time.