Use appointment types to customize appointment background colors, time patterns, and procedures.

In the Main Menu, click Setup, Appointments, Appointment Types.

To assign appointment types to appointments:

• On the Edit Appointment window, select the appointment type.
• Enable the prompt to select an appointment type when creating new appointments.
• For Web Sched New Patient, associate appointment types to Definitions: Web Sched New Patient Appt Types.

The Setup Appointment Types window displays appointment type settings and the list of current appointment types.

• New appointments prompt for appointment type: Determines if an appointment type can be selected immediately when creating appointments.
  • Checked: When creating a new appointment, a popup will appear prompting the user to select the appointment type.
  • Unchecked: No window will popup asking the user the select an appointment type. Instead, appointment types must be selected from within the appointment as needed.
• Warn users before disassociating procedures from an appointment: Set the default behavior when removing procedures from an appointment.
  • Checked: A warning pops up when the user changes the appointment type of an existing appointment if the new type has different procedures than the current type.
  • Unchecked: The user can dissociate procedures from an appointment via appointment type with no warning.
• Add: Click to create a new appointment type. See below for details.
• Up / Down: Reoder appointment types.

Add Appointment Types

Click Add or double-click an existing type to edit.

• Name: Enter the name of the appointment type.
• Color: Associate a background color to the appointment type. Click the square to select a Color. Or click None to clear a color selection.
  • Appointment type color overrides the provider color.
  • When a color is updated, a prompt will appear asking if existing future appointments should have their color updated. Select Yes to update all existing future appointments. Select No to only use the new color for new appointments.
• Procedures: The procedures associated with the appointment type.
  • Add: Click to attach procedures to the appointment type. Procedures associated with an Appointment Type should not have treatment areas (e.g. fillings) as you will not be prompted to enter the tooth. Instead, procedures should be general (e.g. sedation).
  • Remove: Highlight a procedure, then click to remove it from the Appointment Type.
• Time: Indicates the time pattern of the appointment type. By default, it will use the time pattern of attached procedures. Also see Time Pattern Logic below.
  
  • To change the time pattern, use the slider bar on the left. Drag the slider up or down to increase or decrease appointment length.
  • Click each square to toggle between X (provider) and / (non-provider) time. By default, each square in the time bar is 10 minutes. To change the default setting, see Time Increments in Appointment View Setup.
  • Clear: Click to clear the time pattern.
• Hidden: Hide this appointment type as a selection on the Edit Appointment window

Click OK to save.

Changing an Appointment Type

When an appointment type is changed, existing appointments with that type remain unchanged. Double-click the appointment and reselect the appointment type to update.

Changing an appointment type on an existing appointment will treatment plan the procedures for the new appointment type. The original procedures will also remain treatment planned. Manually delete the procedures you do not want in the Treatment Plan module, Procedures grid.

Changing the appointment type from one with a custom time pattern or attached procedures to one with no time pattern will not change the time pattern of the appointment.

Time Pattern Logic

The appointment time is recalculated based on the following logic:

• If the appointment type has procedures attached and a custom time pattern, the custom time pattern is used.
• If the appointment type has procedures attached but does not have a custom time pattern, the procedure time pattern is used.
• If the appointment type has no procedures attached and no custom time pattern, the appointment will not have a time pattern.