Skip to main content
LocalMed: Navigating your Dashboard

Set up your LocalMed portal and ensure that your online scheduling services are synced correctly with your practice management software

Erika Gardner avatar
Written by Erika Gardner
Updated over 11 months ago

LocalMed by Dental Intelligence is a powerful online scheduling service that makes it easier for millions of patients to schedule with their providers.

The success of your LocalMed portal is reliant upon the provider and scheduling information as it has been entered in your practice management software (ie, Dentrix, Open Dental, Eaglesoft). Please ensure that this information is current and up to date to prevent scheduling issues in LocalMed.

In this article, we'll go over the details of getting set up with LocalMed and share additional resources so that you can ensure your LocalMed portal is fully functional!


First, make sure your practice management software is up to date

LocalMed operates by pulling provider and appointment availability information as it has been entered in your practice management software and reflecting that information to patients who are attempting to schedule an appointment online.

Before allowing patients the ability to schedule online via LocalMed, ensure that all of your practice providers, operatories, and schedules are up to date.

If you need assistance adding providers or setting up scheduling in your practice management software, please reach out to your practice management software support team.


Next, add providers

A provider's availability in LocalMed is determined by how they are setup in your practice management software. To adjust a provider's schedule or operatory availability, you must change it in your practice management software in order for it to be reflected in LocalMed.

Details required for setting up providers in LocalMed

Before adding a provider in LocalMed, the provider must be set up in your practice management software as a provider. You will need the following information for each provider you want to make available for online scheduling in LocalMed:

  • Name

  • Display Name (shown to patients)

  • Provider ID

  • Provider Operatory

  • Provider Schedule

  • Appointment Types

Click here to learn how to set up providers in LocalMed.


Then, add appointment types

Before adding a new appointment type in LocalMed, make sure that the appointment/block type exists in your practice management software.

Remember, appointment time duration in LocalMed is determined by how it has been setup in your practice management software. To adjust appointment duration, you must change it in your practice management software in order for it to be reflected in LocalMed.


Customize scheduling settings to fit your needs

Once providers and appointment types have been added to LocalMed, you can customize scheduling settings that allow you to control who can request appointments and when.

Enable a Calendar Buffer to allow more control of your provider's schedules. A Calendar Buffer means that a patient cannot schedule an appointment within a certain number of hours before the appointment. For example, a 24 hour Calendar Buffer means patients cannot schedule an appointment that falls within 24 hours of the current time.

If necessary, you can also block certain patients from scheduling online. To add a patient to the Blacklist, simply enter their email and select a reason for blocking. Should the patient attempt to schedule online, they will receive the following message via email:

Learn more about customizing your scheduling settings in LocalMed:


Set up online scheduling site widgets

One of the most convenient parts about online scheduling is that your link can be put to work anywhere and everywhere your practice is online.

Add a LocalMed scheduling widget to your website, Facebook business page, or Google My Business page. Once your widget has been published, implement an announcement banner in the LocalMed scheduling patient portal to make your patients aware of important office policies or other pertinent notices.

Learn how to set up your LocalMed site widgets with these helpful guides:


Send scheduling requests to single patients or in bulk

Important note: In order to be able to send scheduling links through custom texts and emails to your patients, you must be set up to use LocalMed Online Scheduling in Dental Intelligence.

With LocalMed enabled, you can send scheduling requests directly from the Analytics patient card. Open a patient card by clicking on a patient's name in any report or list in Analytics, or by searching for the patient in the search bar in the top bar navigation.

In addition to sending scheduling requests to a single patient, you can also send a bulk scheduling request to a filtered group of patients via text or email.

Learn how to send individual and bulk scheduling messages:

Preview the patient experience

When a patient clicks on a scheduling widget or receives a scheduling request link, the scheduling prompts will allow them to book as a new patient or existing patient. Depending on the settings that you have enabled, the patient will be able to choose their provider, appointment type, date, and time.

At the end of the booking, the patient will confirm the details they have entered and will receive an appointment confirmation via email.

Click here to learn more about the patient scheduling experience.


Navigating your LocalMed Dashboard

LocalMed Connect

The LocalMed Connect module in your LocalMed Practice Overview tab should be used as an indicator of your current account status. Once you've setup your LocalMed portal, check to ensure that all locations, providers, and appointment types are connected.

Click on the Settings gear to review each of these items as well as preview your schedule to ensure that everything is operating correctly.

Online Scheduling Dashboard

  1. Access your LocalMed account by logging in as a Provider at LocalMed.com

  2. Here you will have your Online Scheduling dashboard pop up as the default. This will include the following tools:

    1. Scheduled Appointments Graph, this shows the increase and decrease in scheduled appointments over a period of time

    2. New Patients Pie Chart, this shows how many new patients & returning patients have scheduled through LocalMed over a period of time

      Note: For the graph and pie chart, you are able to change the period of time being viewed by selecting the Scheduled Drop Down Menu in the top right hand corner

    3. A list of Recently Scheduled Appointments

    4. Any Pending Appointments from LocalMed

      1. To learn more about Pending Appointments, click here

If you are a Multiple Location Practice, you can switch between locations by clicking the Practice Drop Down Menu. This way you can view performance for specific locations!

Did this answer your question?