Group sessions and co-treatment

Two appointment kinds go beyond one patient with one provider:

• A group holds several patients with one or more providers, up to the capacity of its appointment type. Each patient has their own status.
• A co-treatment is one patient seen by providers from at least two disciplines at the same time, such as a speech-language pathologist and an occupational therapist.

Book a group#

1. Click New Appointment and choose a type whose kind is Group, such as Group treatment.
2. Fill in the date, times, location and providers as for any appointment.
3. Under Patients, choose the first patient, then click Add Patient for each other patient in the group.
4. To run the group every week, turn on Repeat (see Recurring appointments).
5. Click Book Appointment.

A group cannot hold more patients than its type's Capacity (patients). Booking past it is refused, and no one can override it; raise the capacity on the type or book a second group.

On the calendar, a group shows its type (or subject) and how many seats are taken, for example 3/4 patients. Patients who cancelled or did not come do not count toward the seats.

Manage the roster#

Open a saved group to see its Roster: every patient with their status. The roster saves as you go; you do not need to click Save Appointment for roster changes.

To add a patient:

1. Click Add Patient above the roster.
2. Search for the patient and leave Episode on Pick automatically, or choose one.
3. For a recurring group, choose whether the patient joins This appointment, This and following or All future appointments.
4. NeatPractice runs the booking checks for that patient only: their other appointments at the same time, authorization, eligibility, guardian, provider enrollment with their payer, and the group's capacity. Warnings about patients already on the roster are not asked again.
5. If the checks find something you may override, enter an Override reason. Click Add Patient.

If the group refuses the patient, the window says why and keeps what you entered. When no one on the roster is still expected (everyone cancelled, did not show or was seen), Add Patient is not offered and the roster says so.

From a patient's row menu on the roster:

• Confirm and No Show set that patient's status only.
• Check In closes the appointment and opens the check-in window for that patient, with their coverage, consents and estimate to review, the same as checking in from anywhere else.
• Undo Check-In returns a patient checked in by mistake to Scheduled before the visit starts.
• Cancel for Patient records that this patient is not coming, with a reason and an optional note. The rest of the group stays booked. A cancellation by the patient inside the late-cancel window counts as a Late cancel. For a recurring group you can cancel the patient from this date, this and following dates, or all future dates.
• Put Back returns a cancelled or no-show patient to Scheduled. The patient's booking checks run again, so a full group refuses them. When the checks find something, a window lists it; if you may override, enter an Override reason and click Put Back. The patient stays cancelled until then.
• Remove from Group takes a scheduled or confirmed patient off the roster, for a patient booked by mistake or leaving the group. For a recurring group, choose which dates it applies to. Patients who already came, cancelled or did not show stay on the roster so the attendance history is complete; a group always keeps at least one patient.

Book a co-treatment#

1. Click New Appointment and choose a type whose kind is Co-treatment.
2. Add the one patient.
3. Under Providers, add a provider from each discipline. Keep one as Primary; the other can assist. Each provider treats in their own discipline.
4. Click Book Appointment.

NeatPractice checks every provider on a co-treatment: their availability, other appointments at the same time, their license for the location's state and their enrollment with the patient's payer. The patient is not counted as double-booked by the co-treatment itself.

The co-treatment shows in each provider's column on the calendar, and its summary card lists each provider with their discipline.

Procedure codes for groups#

Set the group codes on the appointment type under Default procedure codes. A group type open to any discipline can list a code for each discipline it serves, for example 92508 and 97150.