Predictive Scheduling in LiveOps® is part of the Engagement Module. In order to utilize Predictive Scheduling, you need to have Dental Intelligence Online Scheduling set up. If you are interested in learning more, CLICK HERE to request a demo!
Every open slot in your schedule represents lost revenue. Predictive Scheduling in LiveOps® is an AI-powered feature that identifies and fills scheduling gaps without requiring extra time or effort from your front office or scheduling team.
Instead of your team spending hours calling and texting patients to fill last-minute openings, Predictive Scheduling does it for you. It scores patients based on their likelihood to accept an invite and keep their appointment, then reaches out automatically with specific time slot offers via SMS or email.
The numbers add up fast:
A single no-show per day costs a practice $20,000–$70,000 per year
The ADA estimates that inefficient scheduling practices can cost practices up to $150,000 annually
Cancellation and no-show rates reached 12% in 2023, with some months hitting 14%
Predictive Scheduling gives you a proactive system to protect and recover that revenue — without adding to your team's workload.
Key Features
AI-Driven Patient Scoring
Two continuously-learning scores determine which patients to contact: one for likelihood to accept an invite, and one for likelihood to keep the appointment. Both scores improve over time as the system learns from real outcomes. Learn more about Patient Scoring.
Intelligent Patient Matching
Patients can be matched to open slots based on their AI score and how long it's been since their last visit. The system prioritizes those who are both most likely to respond and most overdue.
Automated Outreach via SMS or Email
Outreach messages include specific available times and a scheduling link. You can customize message content, timing, and your preferred delivery channel.
Fully Configurable Rules
You set the parameters. Which service types, how many patients to contact, when messages go out — all of it is under your control. The system works the way your practice works.
Calculating Your ROI
Use this simple formula to estimate how much revenue Predictive Scheduling could recover for your practice:
Weekly Production Recovered (Avg. Production per Visit) × (Missed Appointments per Day) × (Business Days per Week)
Monthly Production Recovered (Weekly Production Recovered) × (Weeks per Month)
As a reference point, a 10% no-show rate equals approximately 1 missed appointment per day per provider.
How Predictive Scheduling Works
We're rolling out Dental Intelligence Predictive Scheduling in phases. If your practice is part of the Predictive Scheduling Beta, you'll see Predictive Scheduling in your dashboard — though some automation rules may still be rolling out to your phase. If you don't see Predictive Scheduling at all, it means your practice hasn't been added to the beta yet.
Available Now: Empty Slot Backfill
The system scans your upcoming schedule for open appointment slots within a window you define (for example, the next 5 or 7 days). It then identifies patients who are due for a hygiene appointment, ranks them by their likelihood to accept and attend, and automatically sends outreach to the best candidates.
You control:
How many days out to look for open slots
How many patients to contact per open slot
Which service types to fill (adult hygiene, pediatric hygiene, etc.)
If patients are matched with any provider or their assigned provider
When to skip patients
When outreach messages are sent
Enable Empty Slot Backfill Automation
Set up Empty Slot Backfill directly from your LiveOps® dashboard:
Click on Schedule, then click LiveOps® from the left side menu
In the upper right corner of your LiveOps® dashboard, click on the Predictive Scheduling button
Click on the pencil icon to edit the Empty Slot Backfill configuration
Make the following selections:
Set the number of days from today that all empty slots available should be filled (ie, 7 days from today)
Set the number of patients that the identified empty slots should be offered to (ie, 2 patients per slot)
Choose the service type for adults and the service type for children
For patients listed on the Hygiene Past Due list, offer empty slots who a) have the highest score, or b) have been the longest past due
Set the number of days since patients who have previously been offered an open time slot should be skipped (ie, skip patients who were offered a time slot previously during the last 15 days)
Optional:
-Click the Pick Patients That Match the Slot With to match patients with any provider or their assigned provider
-Click the Past Due Not More Than checkbox to only offer empty slots to patients who are not more than X months past due (ie, 12 months)
Choose the send time of the empty slot message (Note: Available times are on the hour between 9am - 7pm. The message will be sent to patients within 30 minutes of the selected time)
Choose the preferred delivery channel (text or email)
Review your message content, then click Save
Once saved, it's time to enable your Empty Slot Backfill automation. Click on the toggle to turn it green. Once enabled, the rule will show as Active.
To return to your LiveOps® dashboard, click the Close button.
In Beta: Likely to Miss Appointment Backfill
The system continuously reviews confirmed appointments and flags those at high risk of a no-show, based on each patient's history and behavior patterns. Depending on your preference, at-risk appointments can be moved to a designated sidetrack operatory and backfilled with a high-scoring patient, or double-booked directly with a top-scoring backup when the risk confidence is high. Outreach is sent automatically to patients who match your selected criteria for the open slot.
You control:
The Attendance Score threshold used to flag high-risk appointments
Whether at-risk appointments are moved to a sidetrack operatory
Whether high-confidence slots are automatically double-booked with top-scoring patients
Which patients are matched to the slot, based on your selected criteria
Enable Likely to Miss Appointment Backfill Automation
Set up Likely to Miss Appointment Backfill automation directly from your LiveOps® dashboard:
Click on Schedule, then click LiveOps® from the left side menu
In the upper right corner of your LiveOps® dashboard, click on the Predictive Scheduling button
Click on the pencil icon to edit the Likely to Miss Appointment Backfill configuration
Make the following selections:
Set the number of days from today that appointments should be filled (ie, 7 days from today)
Set the Attendance Score percentage threshold (ie, 10%)
Set the number of patients that the identified empty slots should be offered to (ie, 2 patients per slot)
Choose the service type for adults and the service type for children
For patients listed on the Hygiene Past Due list, offer empty slots who a) have the highest score, or b) have been the longest past due
Choose the operatory that these backfill patients should be seen in
Set the number of days since patients who have previously been offered an open time slot should be skipped (ie, skip patients who were offered a time slot previously during the last 14 days)
Optional:
-Click the Pick Patients That Match the Slot With to match patients with any provider or their assigned provider
-Click the Past Due Not More Than checkbox to only offer empty slots to patients who are not more than X months past due (ie, 12 months)
Choose the message send time (Note: Available times are on the hour between 9am - 7pm. The message will be sent to patients within 30 minutes of the selected time)
Choose the preferred delivery channel (text or email)
Review your message content, then click Save
Once saved, it's time to enable your Likely to Miss Appointment Backfill automation. Click on the toggle to turn it green. Once enabled, the rule will show as Active.
To return to your LiveOps® dashboard, click the Close button.
In Beta: Unconfirmed Appointment Backfill
The system monitors your schedule for appointments that have been booked but not yet confirmed by the patient, within a timeframe you define. When an appointment stays unconfirmed, it's moved to a designated sidetrack operatory, freeing up the original slot to be backfilled with a confirmed patient — keeping your primary schedule protected. The system then ranks eligible patients by their Acceptance Score and how overdue they are, and automatically sends outreach to the best candidates for the open slot.
You control:
The timeframe used to identify unconfirmed appointments
Which operatory is designated to hold unconfirmed patients
Which service types are eligible for backfill outreach (hygiene, consultations, or other procedures)
Enable Unconfirmed Appointment Backfill Automation
Set up Unconfirmed Appointment Backfill automation directly from your LiveOps® dashboard:
Click on Schedule, then click LiveOps® from the left side menu
In the upper right corner of your LiveOps® dashboard, click on the Predictive Scheduling button
Click on the pencil icon to edit the Unconfirmed Appointment Backfill configuration
Make the following selections:
Set the number of days from the appointment date that unconfirmed appointments should be filled (ie, 3 days before the appointment)
Set the number of patients that the identified empty slots should be offered to (ie, 2 patients per slot)
Choose the service type for adults and the service type for children
For patients listed on the Hygiene Past Due list, offer empty slots who a) have the highest score, or b) have been the longest past due
Choose the operatory that these backfill patients should be seen in
Set the number of days since patients who have previously been offered an open time slot should be skipped (ie, skip patients who were offered a time slot previously during the last 14 days)
Optional:
-Click the Pick Patients That Match the Slot With to match patients with any provider or their assigned provider
-Click the Past Due Not More Than checkbox to only offer empty slots to patients who are not more than X months past due (ie, 12 months)
Choose the message send time (Note: Available times are on the hour between 9am - 7pm. The message will be sent to patients within 30 minutes of the selected time)
Choose the preferred delivery channel (text or email)
Review your message content, then click Save
Once saved, it's time to enable your Unconfirmed Appointment Backfill automation. Click on the toggle to turn it green. Once enabled, the rule will show as Active.
To return to your LiveOps® dashboard, click the Close button.
Can I see proposed appointments on my schedule?
Yes. Your team can instantly tell which slots are truly open versus already in play, so you're never guessing what automation is doing behind the scenes.
Appointment slots that have been offered to patients via automation (like Empty Slot Backfill) or manually proposed by a teammate will show as a distinct striped "Time Slot Proposed" block on your schedule, along with how many patients it's been offered to and the matched service type.
Click on the block to view the details of which patients received the scheduling proposal and manage pending invites.
How to Turn Off Predictive Scheduling
To disable any of your Predictive Scheduling rules, simply click on the automation toggle to turn it grey. Once disabled, the rule will show as Inactive.
