Setting a daily schedule

The first task you must accomplish in setting up your practice is to specify the days and hours your practice is open. In the Schedule, you can determine and set the days and hours your practice will be open and the size of the time blocks.

To set a daily schedule

1.   In the Schedule toolbar, click the Setup button, and then click Practice Setup.

The Practice Schedule Setup dialog box appears.

 

2.   If your practice is not open on a particular day, clear the box next to that day.

Note: A warning appears if you try to set an appointment for a day that your practice is not open.

3.   To set your practice’s working hours for each day your practice will be open, click the day search button.

The Set Time Limits dialog box appears.

 

Note: You can break any day into three time ranges. The default for each day is 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A warning appears if you try to set an appointment for a day that your practice is not open, such as 12:30 p.m.

4.   To change a time block, click the Start Time or End Time search button of the time block that you want to change.

 The Select Time dialog box appears.

5.   Click the left arrow to decrease or the right arrow to increase the time, and then click OK.

6.   Repeat steps 3 through 5 for each day the practice is open.

7.   If necessary, under Time Block Size, adjust the time block size displayed in the main window of Schedule.

Note: You can divide appointment blocks into 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, or 30-minute units. Each unit represents the amount of time a provider or an assistant is present during a procedure. For example, during the first portion of an appointment, the assistant may only be present to prep the patient. The default is 10-minute blocks. Select the block that fits your practice best.

8.   Under Appointment Amount, select one of the following to calculate the appointment amount using the applicable fee schedules:

·        Always Calculate – By default, appointment amounts are recalculated according to provider and fee changes. When you select this option, you cannot edit the amount when you make an appointment.

·        Allow Amount to be entered/fixed – Calculates the appointment amount automatically according to the procedures and the selected provider but allows you to edit the fee schedule.

9.   To close the Practice Schedule Setup dialog box, click OK.