Requirements for Appointment Workflow

Appointment Workflow does not require licensing, and is included in the standard EXACT software.

Software version

• The Appointment Workflow was introduced in EXACT v10.16.
• The Arrival Tasks List is available from version 11.3SP1.
• The planned treatment online booking integration is available from v11.3 SP3.
• The Resetting and Editing Appointment Status functionality is available from v12.2.
• The Marketing Consent prompt for both Arrivals and Departure Tasks Lists is available from v12.10.

If the practice uses Locations, practitioners must understand the implications for the exit workflow

From v12.9 onwards, a practitioner who selects a Location when logging in to the practice will only see Departure Task List (exit workflow sidebar) patients for that Location. Patients from other Locations will not display on that practitioner's exit workflow.

So if a patient is configured for Location A but is incorrectly booked for Location B, that patient will not show in the exit workflow for logged-in Location B practitioners.

To process that patient, a practitioner will need to first log out of Location B and log into Location A. To avoid this inconvenience, focus efforts on correctly recording patient preferred locations, and on correctly booking patients to their preferred locations.

Users must understand the actions required by Receptionist and Provider

The Appointment Workflow depends on specific sequential actions from both Receptionists and Providers.

If the Receptionist fails to accept the patient into the workflow, EXACT does not know that the patient is being processed, so further Appointment Workflow functions are not possible.

A patient can only be moved to the chair by the Provider to whom that patient has been assigned in the appointment book (not by the Receptionist, nor by another Provider).

If the Provider fails to move the patient to the chair (in the software), EXACT understands the patient to still be waiting in Reception, and software functions such as Charging and Move to Departure are consequently not possible.

Configuration

• Specify the default recall services by means of Configure > Recalls.
• Appointment Workflow only uses the multi-column appointment book, which must be enabled in Configure > Practice settings > Appointment Books:

  

• Within Appointment Books you also need to Enable Appointment Workflow (shown above), as this is disabled by default (by default there is therefore no Departure List).
• The Appointment Workflow must be correctly configured by means of an Appointment Workflow Wizard before it becomes operational in the Provider workflow and will appear as a Departure task list on the Main screen.
• The Departure Task List has a feature where the first available appropriate appointment (that meets the requirements specified by the Provider) is automatically listed for the departing patient. If this function proves to be software resource-intensive there is an option to replace it with a simpler Search link. See Configuring Planned Treatment Appointment.
• EXACT will automatically prompt the Receptionist to Collect Mobile number if a patient has the SMS Mobile field un-checked in the Patient File. To reduce such prompts, practitioners who record patient details should always check (tick) this box. See Also: Reducing automated "Collect Mobile" prompts

Requirements for planned treatment online appointment booking integration

To use the planned treatment online booking integration all requirements will need to have been met for online appointment booking (see Requirements of Online Appointment Bookings), and the practice will need to have been configured for planned treatment online booking (see Configuring Planned Treatment online booking)

IMPORTANT: What you can see and do in the software interface depends on your role within the work flow and your access rights in the system. So if you try to click a button to perform an action and nothing happens, it may be because 1) you have the wrong role for performing that action, or 2) you don't have rights to perform it. For example, a Dentist can see the patient retention Departure Task List on the Main screen, but cannot perform these tasks because as per the configuration, they are handled only by the Receptionist role.