Scheduling an appointment is often a new patient's first experience with your office, so you need to make a good impression. If it is in accordance with your organization's procedures, you may want to ask the potential patient for only enough information to schedule the initial appointment rather than asking for the patient's entire health history over the phone. Scheduling a new-patient appointment does not create a patient record in your database; so, if the patient cancels or doesn't show up, you don't clutter up your patient database with a patient who you might never hear from again.
Notes:
When you create an appointment for a new patient, the patient's contact information is stored only in Appointment Book. Dentrix Enterprise doesn't automatically create a patient record in Family File. Instead, you must create a patient record in Family File record when the patient arrives for the appointment, but Dentrix Enterprise uses the information from the appointment to create that patient record so you don't have to re-enter anything.
Since a new patient does not have a record in Family File, some options in Appointment Book are unavailable. Until you create a patient record in Family File for a new-patient appointment, you cannot set the appointment complete, attach treatment-planned procedures to the appointment, attach continuing care to the appointment, attach treatment requests to the appointment, generate quick letters for the patient, or send email messages to the patient.
If a new patient fails to show up for his or her first visit, you can delete the appointment from Appointment Book.
Be aware that your organization's standards and policies may require you to collect or not collect certain information when scheduling a new-patient appointment.
Scheduling appointments requires the "Appointments, Schedule New" security right.
To schedule a new-patient appointment
In Appointment Book, do one of the following:
On the toolbar, click the Schedule Appointment button 
.
On the File menu, click Select Patient - New Appt.
Use the find appointment utility to find an available appointment time, and then double-click an open time slot.
If you are already viewing the correct date, double-click an open time slot in an operatory.
Note: If the current Appointment Book view includes operatories for multiple clinics, Appointment Book displays all the operatories that are associated with that view; however, depending on a certain organization setting, you may be able to schedule an appointment only in an operatory of the clinic that has been assigned to the current view.
If applicable, do one of the following:
If the Password - Appointments, Schedule New dialog box appears, user verification has been assigned to the "Appointments, Schedule New" task. Do one of the following:
If your user account has been granted the "Appointments, Schedule New" security right, enter your credentials in the User ID and Password boxes, and then click OK.
If your user account has not been granted the "Appointments, Schedule New" security right, have a user with permission temporarily override this restriction so you can schedule an appointment this one time. The overriding user enters his or her credentials in the User ID and Password boxes and then clicks OK.
If a message appears, informing you that you do not have rights to this operation, your user account has not been granted the "Appointments, Schedule New" security right. To have a user with permission temporarily override this restriction so you can schedule an appointment this one time, do the following:
On the message, click Yes.
In the Password - Appointments, Schedule New dialog box, the overriding user enters his or her credentials in the User ID and Password boxes and then clicks OK.
The Select Patient dialog box appears.
Search for the patient to make sure that he or she does not already have a Family File record. If the patient does not exist in your database, click New Patient.
The Enter New Patient Information dialog box appears.
Enter the following information as needed:
Name - The patient's last name, first name, and middle initial. When you create a Family File record from this appointment, the name is transferred to the patient's record.
Phone - The patient's home phone number. When you create a Family File record from this appointment, the phone number is transferred to the patient's record as the primary contact phone number.
Mobile - The patient's mobile phone number. When you create a Family File record from this appointment, the phone number is transferred to the patient's record as the secondary contact phone number.
Email - The patient's email address. When you create a Family File record from this appointment, one of the following occurs: if you are adding the patient to a new family, the email address entered is transferred to the patient's record; if you are adding the patient to an existing family, the guarantor's email address is used.
Address -The patient's address. When you create a Family File record from this appointment, the address is transferred to the patient's record as the primary address by default.
Referred By - If the patient was referred to your office, select the referral source (an existing patient, a dentist, or a specialist). When you create a Family File record from this appointment, the referral source is transferred to the patient's record.
Do the following:
Click the search button 
.
The Select Referral Type dialog box appears.
Select one of the following options:
Patient - One of your existing patients referred this new patient.
Doctor/Other - Another doctor or dental professional referred this new patient, or the new patient came to find out about your practice from an advertisement or other source.
Click OK.
Do one of the following:
For a patient referral - Do the following:
In the Select Patient dialog box, search for a patient.
Do one of the following:
Double-click the correct patient.
Select the correct patient, and then click OK.
For a doctor/other referral - Do the following:
In the Select Referred By dialog box, select the correct source in the list.
Note: If the list is long, to filter it by name, in the Enter Name box, enter all or part of the referral source name, and then click the search button .
To attach a receiving provider, do the following:
Under Receiving provider, click the Provider search button .
The Select Provider dialog box appears.
Either leave the ID and Last Name boxes empty to get a list of all providers, or enter all or part of a provider's ID or last name in the ID or Last Name box, respectively, to search for a provider.
Under Search By, select one of the following options: This Clinic, to search for the provider in the clinic that you are currently logged in to; All Clinics, to search for the provider in all clinics; or My Clinics, to search for the provider in the clinics to which you have been granted the "My Clinics, Select Provider " security right.
Notes:
The All Clinics option is available only if your user account has been granted the "View All Providers" security right for the Central clinic and if your user account has not been granted the "My Clinics, Select Provider" security right for the clinic that you are currently logged in to.
The My Clinics option is available only if your user account has been granted the "My Clinics, Select Provider" security right for at least one clinic and if your user account has not been granted the "View All Providers" security right for the Central clinic.
Either select the All Providers option to include providers who are associated with clinics (and who have a Log On User ID), or select the In ApptBook option to include providers who have been set up in Appointment Book.
Click the search button .
The matching primary and secondary providers appear in the list.
Select the correct provider.
Click OK.
If a patient summary has been requested, select the Patient Summary Record Requested checkbox.
If a patient summary has been provided, select the Patient Summary Record Provided checkbox.
Click OK.
Click OK.
The New Appointment Information dialog box appears.
Set up the following options as needed:
Provider - To specify a provider for the appointment, do one of the following:
Enter a provider ID in the box.
To use the provider selector, do the following:
Click the search button .
The Select Provider dialog box appears.
Note: If the Auto list checkbox (under Providers in) is selected when you open the dialog box, the providers who are assigned to the view currently being used in Appointment Book appear in the list automatically. Also, if you switch between the View and Clinic options under Providers in, the list of providers is updated automatically.
Under Providers in, by default, the View option is selected, so you can view providers who are assigned to the view currently being used in Appointment Book. To view the providers who are associated with the clinic that is assigned to the view currently being used in Appointment Book, select the Clinic option.
If the Auto list checkbox is clear, or if you need to filter the list of providers, enter all or part of a provider's ID or last name in the ID or Last Name box, respectively, and then click the search button to view the matching providers.
Do one of the following:
Double-click the correct provider.
Select the correct provider, and then click Select.
Note: This button is available only if a provider is selected.
ENC# - If an encounter number is required, click the search button , select the correct number, and then click OK. The encounter number may be populated automatically and the search button may not be available depending on a certain global setting.
Reason - Select the reasons for the appointment. Do any of the following:
If the patient is being seen for work that is part of an initial visit, such as an exam and cleaning, do the following:
Click Initial.
The Select Initial Reasons dialog box appears.
Select the reasons for the appointment.
Click OK.
If the patient is being seen for other reasons, for each procedure code that you want to add as an appointment reason, do the following:
Click Misc.
The Procedure Codes dialog box appears.
In the Category list, select a procedure code to see a list of the corresponding procedure codes. In the Procedure Code List, select the correct procedure code.
Click OK.
Notes:
To remove specific reasons, select them, and then click Delete.
To remove all reasons at once, click Del. All.
Desc - As you add appointment reasons, Dentrix Enterprise updates the appointment description automatically, but you can change the description as needed.
Length - As you add appointment reasons, Dentrix Enterprise updates the appointment length automatically, but you can change the length if more or less time is needed to complete the appointment. To change the appointment length, do the following:
Click the search button .
The Appointment Time Pattern dialog box appears.
Do any of the following:
Drag the slider left or right to decrease or increase the time.
Click the left arrow button to decrease the time one appointment unit at a time (the length is determined by the clinic's time block size).
Click the right arrow button to increase the time one appointment unit at a time (the length is determined by the clinic's time block size).
Click between the slider and the left arrow to decrease the time 30 minutes at a time.
Click between the slider and the right arrow to increase the time 30 minutes at a time.
As you increase the length of time, white boxes with an X are added below the slider bar; as you decrease it, boxes are removed. You can change what appears in any of the boxes below the slider bar to represent who is providing care to the patient during the procedure. To set up the correct time pattern for the appointment, click each box as needed to switch between chair (blank), assistant (/), and provider (X) time.
Note: You can use these assignments to help you maximize your productivity and the use of all operatories.
Click OK.
Amount - As you add appointment reasons, Dentrix Enterprise updates the appointment amount, but you can change the amount as needed.
Staff - To specify the staff member who will assist with this appointment, do one of the following:
Enter a staff ID in the box.
To use the staff selector, do the following:
Click the search button .
The Select Staff dialog box appears and displays a list of the staff members who are associated with the clinic that is assigned to the view currently being used in Appointment Book.
If the staff member is not listed, to add him or her to the clinic (whose ID appears in the box near the bottom of the dialog box), click Add new staff to open the Staff Information dialog box, enter the staff member's information, and then click OK.
You are returned to the Select Staff dialog box.
Do one of the following:
Double-click the correct staff member in the list.
In the list, select the correct staff member, and then click Select.
Note: This button is available only if a staff member is selected.
Status - You can assign a status to the appointment to indicate confirmation, the last contact with the patient regarding the appointment, or the status of a patient's visit. From the list, select "<none>" or an appointment status.
Schedule - You can categorize the appointment into one of three groups. From the list, select one of the following options:
FIXED - A fixed appointment indicates that the patient has an inflexible schedule and can only be seen at the scheduled time. This is the default selection.
OPEN - An open appointment indicates that the patient is willing to change the date and time of the appointment if necessary. You can add a patient to the Open List only if the appointment has a date, time, and operatory. This ensures that the patient is seen whether or not the office has an opening before the scheduled date.
ASAP - An ASAP appointment indicates that the patient want to be seen earlier if an appointment time becomes available. You can add a patient to the ASAP List only if the appointment has a date, time, and operatory. This ensures that the patient is seen whether or not the office has an opening before the scheduled date.
Type - You can classify the appointment according to the amount of production it will generate. As you add appointment reasons, Dentrix Enterprise can update the production type, but you can change the type as needed. From the list, select "<none>" or a production type.
Op / Date / Time - If you double-clicked a time slot in Appointment Book to begin scheduling the appointment, Dentrix Enterprise inserts the corresponding operatory, date, and time for the appointment, but you can change the operatory, date, and/or time as needed.
Notes:
To find an available appointment time using the find appointment tool, click Find.
To move the appointment to the Pinboard so you can manually find an available appointment time, click Pin Board.
If the current Appointment Book view includes operatories for multiple clinics, Appointment Book displays all the operatories that are associated with that view; however, depending on a certain organization setting, you may be able to schedule the appointment only in an operatory of the clinic that has been assigned to the current view.
Change any of the following as needed:
Op - To specify an operatory, do one of the following:
Enter an operatory ID in the box.
To use the operatory selector, do the following:
Click the search button .
The Select Operatory dialog box appears and displays a list of the operatories that are assigned to the view currently being used in Appointment Book..
Under Operatories in, by default, the View option is selected, so the operatories that are assigned to the view currently being used in Appointment Book appear in the list. To view the operatories that are associated with the clinic that is assigned to the view currently being used in Appointment Book, select the Clinic option.
If the operatory is not listed, to add it to the clinic (whose ID appears in the box near the bottom of the dialog box), click Add new Ops to open the Operatory Information dialog box, enter the operatory's information, and then click OK.
You are returned to the Select Operatory dialog box.
Either double-click the correct operatory in the list; or select the correct operatory in the list, and then click Select.
Note: The Select button is available only if an operatory is selected.
Date - To specify a date, do one of the following:
Enter a date in the box in a mm/dd/yyyy format.
To use the date selector, do the following:
Click the search button .
The Select Date dialog box appears.
Select the correct date.
Click OK.
Time - To specify a time, do one of the following:
Enter a time in the box.
Note: You can enter a time using various formats. For example, you can type 8a, 8am, or 8 AM; 1p, 1pm, or 1 PM; 8:30a, 8:30am, or 8:30 AM; or 1:30p, 1:30pm, or 1:30 PM.
To use the time selector, do the following:
Click the search button .
The Select Time dialog box appears.
Do any of the following:
Drag the slider left or right to decrease or increase the time.
Click the left arrow button to decrease the time one appointment unit at a time (the length is determined by the clinic's time block size).
Click the right arrow button to increase the time one appointment unit at a time (the length is determined by the clinic's time block size).
Click between the slider and the left arrow to decrease the time one hour at a time.
Click between the slider and the right arrow to increase the time one hour at a time.
Click OK.
Note - You can attach important information directly to the appointment. An appointment note usually references special situations that your office should be aware of before seeing the patient. If clarification is needed or to add other details about the appointment, enter a note.
Notes:
To add a date and time stamp to the note where the text cursor is currently positioned in the box, click Insert Dateline.
To insert a blank line or start a new line in the box, while pressing Ctrl, press Enter. Pressing Enter alone closes the Appointment Information dialog box.
An appointment with a note has a blue musical note symbol in the upper-right corner.
To view or edit the patient's name, phone number, address, or referral source, click New Pat Inf.
Select any of the appointment check list items at the bottom of the dialog box as needed.
Click OK.
Note: You can identify a new-patient appointment in Appointment Book by the "NP" that appears to the left of the prospective patient's name on the appointment.
