Check and Manage Provider Availability in Production Calendar

The Production Calendar is a tool that helps you set up your Scheduler. You can set up the availability of your providers as to which location and operatories they would be available for and on which specific days and hours in a day. Ensure you set up the Provider's Availability to see the Operatory reflected in the scheduler.

To learn more about configuring the production setup in the production calendar, click here.

Topics Covered

• Check Provider Availability for the Month
• Create a New Provider Schedule
• Duplicate an Existing Provider Schedule
• Manage Provider Availability
• Mark Provider as Unavailable
• Update Provider Schedules for a Specific Date from the Scheduler 

Explore this video for an in-depth walkthrough.

Let's explore how to check and manage provider availability. Perform the steps below.

• Navigate to the System Menu > select Production Calendar under Scheduling.

You can quickly access the production calendar directly from Scheduler. To do that:

• Click on the Setup icon from the Scheduler.
• Select the Provider Availability option under the Production Calendar section.

On the Provider Availability tab:

• Select the Provider.
• Select the required Day of the week.

To create a schedule for a specific date, click Specific Date.

• Select the date from the date picker or use the arrow keys to navigate through the calendar.

Once you select the provider and the day or date, the availability schedules will be displayed on the screen.

You can view the following information in each schedule:

• The schedule for the current day will be marked with a green tag, stating, 'Applies Today'.
• The pattern of schedule repetition.
• Start and End Date of the schedule.
• Start and End Time of the schedule.
• The Location where the schedule applies.
• The linked Operatories.

Check Provider Availability for the Month

You can quickly check the availability of the provider by utilizing the Month View on the right.

• Ensure that you have selected the right Provider.
• Select the Month and Year from the Month View section on the far right.
• Click on a Date to navigate to the corresponding schedules of the selected provider for that date.

• The month view itself is an easy tool to quickly find the available dates.
  • The dates marked in Green show that the provider is available.
  • The dates marked in Grey show that the provider is unavailable.
  • The dates in White signify there are no configured schedules for the selected provider.

Create a New Provider Schedule

Watch this video for a concise summary.

To create a new provider schedule, perform the steps below.

• Click Create New Date Schedule.
• Select the New Blank Schedule option.

• You can see the configured maximum number of concurrent appointments for the selected provider.
  • To change this setting, click Go to this provider's settings.
  • This will navigate you to the Provider Details slide-out, where you can alter the maximum number of concurrent appointments setting.

Note: The Provider's Settings will only be accessible if you have the relevant permissions.

• Select the Location to add the schedule to.
  • Select the Operatories for the location.
  • Select the Start and End Time for the schedule.
  • To add another location, click +Add another Location.

• Use the Add Break option to add up to 3 breaks for the provider. 
  • Select the Break Start and Break End times.
  • To delete a break, click the X icon.

Note: During breaks, the provider will be marked as unavailable, and the same will be reflected on the Scheduler.

• To delete a provider's operatories and working hours for a location, click Delete.

Tip: If you are unsure about the provider's working hours when setting the start or end time, click Show Clinician Working Hours.

Enter the following information.

• Schedule Name*: Enter the preferred schedule name.
• Schedule Start On*: Enter the intended start date to begin this schedule.
• Schedule Ends On: You can choose to add an end date for this schedule. After the end date, the schedule will not be used unless configured.
• Apply this Schedule: Select whether you want this schedule to be applied Every week, Every 2 weeks, or for a Custom time period.
  • Repeat*: If a Custom time period is selected, choose whether to repeat the schedule on a Weekly or Monthly basis.
  • On the/Every*: If a Custom time period is selected, choose the interval in weeks to repeat the schedule on a weekly basis, OR choose the required weeks of the month to repeat the schedule on a monthly basis.
• Copy Schedule to other Days?*: Select Yes to this option if you want to create and repeat schedules with similar settings for other days.
  • Select days*: Select the days to copy the schedule to.
• Once all details are filled, click Save.

Duplicate an Existing Provider Schedule

Instead of creating a schedule from scratch, you can duplicate an existing schedule that has all the preferred configurations.

To duplicate an existing provider schedule, perform the steps below.

• Click Create New Date Schedule.
• Select the Duplicate Another Existing Schedule option.
• Choose the schedule to duplicate from the list.

Note: When duplicating existing schedules, you can only see the schedules of the selected provider in the dropdown list.

• Once you select an existing schedule to copy from, all the details will be pre-populated.
• Make any required changes, if necessary.
• Click Save. 
  • The duplicate schedule will be created and ready for use.

Manage Provider Availability

Watch this video for a complete understanding.

When you select a day or date, the schedule that appears at the top of the list will be prioritized.

• To set the order in which schedules are applied, click and move the drag handle to the required position.

• To edit an existing schedule, click Edit.
  • Make the required changes.
  • Click Save.

• To delete an existing schedule for the provider, click Delete for the intended schedule.
  • Click Delete on the confirmation modal.

Note: Practice Managers, based on the location they have access to, can Edit or Delete Provider Availability Schedules. However, users can view the schedules of all other locations regardless of their access level.

• To see how the schedules appear in the scheduler, click See Scheduler View.

• You can select the required date to view the provider's schedules in Scheduler View.

Mark Provider as Unavailable

Watch this video for a concise summary.

• You can mark a provider as unavailable for a specific date.
  • Click on Specific Date and select the intended date.
  • Select Mark as Unavailable.
  • Select if you want to mark the current day (Today) or any Specific Dates as unavailable.

If you select the Specific Dates option:

• Choose the required dates from the calendar in the Mark as Unavailable modal.
• The Selected Dates will be displayed on the bottom of the modal.
• Click Apply after selecting the required dates.

• When marking any specific day for a provider as unavailable, and if any appointments exist on that day, a Mark as Unavailable modal will appear listing the affected appointments.
• Users can review and take necessary actions before proceeding.

• To mark a provider back to Available status, click the Mark as Available drop-down menu.
  • Select Today for the current day.
  • To mark multiple dates as available, select the Specific Dates option. 

Note: When you try to book an appointment with a provider who has been marked as unavailable, a Provider Working Hours modal will appear.

Note: The operatory in the scheduler will be removed if all the providers in that operatory are marked as unavailable.

Update Provider Schedules for a Specific Date from the Scheduler 

Watch this video for a quick walkthrough.

To update a provider's schedule for a specific date from the Scheduler, follow these steps:

• Navigate to the Scheduler.
• Hover over an Operatory Header to view schedules of all providers in the operatory.

• Click the pencil icon next to the intended provider to update the provider's schedule.

On the Update Provider Schedules modal that appears,

• Mark the provider as Available or Unavailable.
• Update the provider's schedule by:
  • Selecting the new Location, Operatories, Start Time, and End Time.
  • Adding breaks using the + icon.
  • Deleting breaks or provider schedules for additional locations.
• Once all changes are made, click Apply.

• When updating a provider's schedule from this touchpoint, a date template will be automatically created for the provider for that particular day in the Production Calendar.

Practices can use this simple and effective guide to learn how to set up provider schedules and check provider availability in the Production Calendar.