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

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!

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.

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.

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:

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.

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:

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:

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:

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.

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.

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!