Offering online appointment scheduling is a great way to give patients flexibility and control over their appointments. They can find and book appointments at their own convenience and get their appointment reminders and paperwork without ever needing to make a phone call!
Online Scheduling through Engagement also gives the practice complete control over which procedures, providers and operatories can be booked online. This has a direct integration with your practice management software, so all of the appointment information is automatically entered for you.
Default vs. Service-First Patient Scheduling Experience
Depending on the scheduling experience flow order you have selected for each link, patients will be presented with either the Default or Service-first experience when booking an appointment online:
Patient details (including insurance if enabled in scheduling link)
Reason for visit
Time slot
Reason for visit
Patient insurance information (*only if enabled in scheduling link)
Time slot
Patient details
The flow order can be set for each individual scheduling link, allowing you to choose the experience you'd like based on the practice-level services selected for that link.
Default Scheduling Experience
Scheduling as a New Patient
Scheduling as a New Patient
Generally, new patients will access your general online scheduling link through your website. Learn how to share and/or send your practice's general online scheduling link.
When a new patient clicks on the online scheduling link, they will be required to select and enter in the following information:
Select I'm a new patient
First and last name
Birthday
Phone and email address
Primary insurance (this field will show only if the request insurance setting was selected when the scheduling link was created)
If insurance details are required: Upon selecting their primary insurance carrier, the patient will be asked to also enter their Member ID and Group number (optional). Entering this information will allow Engagement to run an eligibility check upon completing the appointment request (available for Engagement subscriptions that include DI Insurance, click here to request more information)
Next, the patient will select their Reason for Visit from the available options you have set up
Then, they will be prompted to either select a Specific Provider or the Next Available Provider
Next, they will select an appointment date and time slot from the available times Engagement [Modento] is able to read from your Practice Management Software (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental) and the time durations you have selected
Patients can choose to leave a comment prior to confirming their appointment. Any comments left by the patient will show in the Inbox Online Scheduling notification.
Lastly, the patient will Confirm and Schedule
Scheduling as an Existing Patient
Scheduling as an Existing Patient
Existing patients have the option to schedule through your general online scheduling link, or a staff member can send them an invitation to schedule.
When an invitation to schedule is sent from the office, it will auto fill the patient's contact and insurance information, as well as the appointment type they are scheduling for. The patient will simply need to choose a day and time, and it will automatically create an appointment in your practice management software.
Important note about patient names: If an existing patient chooses to book an appointment online through your general scheduling link, when filling out the scheduling form and entering their name, their first and last name must match how it has been listed in your practice management software. If you have misspelled a patient name or added special characters, Engagement will not recognize them as an existing patient.
For more information on how to send an Invitation to Schedule, click here.
First, the patient receives a link to schedule via text, email, or the Modento Patient mobile app
The Patient Portal will open in a new window. The patient will select I'm an existing patient
The patient will enter their first and last name, birthday, and will have the opportunity to update their primary insurance information if needed
Next, the patient will select their Reason for Visit from the available options you have set up
Then, they will be prompted to either select a Specific Provider or the Next Available Provider
The patient will then select a time that is most convenient for them
Note: Engagement can read into existing patient data to give date and time suggestions based on trends from their last appointments.
Patients can choose to leave a comment prior to confirming their appointment. Any comments left by the patient will show in the Inbox Online Scheduling notification.
Lastly, the patient will review details and confirm their appointment
Now that the appointment request has been confirmed, the patient can choose to book another appointment for themselves ("Same patient") or a family member ("Different patient")
If you have enabled a deposit for the appointment booking, the patient will receive an email requesting payment
Note: If the appointment requires a reservation fee, they will be asked to "Pay & Confirm." For more information on adding a reservation fee to a service type, click here.
If the reservation fee gets declined or doesn’t process properly then patients will get a text or email to re-submit payment.
Service-First Scheduling Experience
New and existing patients will experience the same flow order when they click on/receive a scheduling link that has the service-first experience enabled.
When a patient clicks on the online scheduling link, they will first be required to select a reason for the visit. Once a service is selected, they will click Continue
If request insurance info is enabled: Patients will be prompted to select their primary insurance provider and add their Member ID and Group Number (optional). Once the information has been entered, they will click Continue
Note: Once the patient has entered their insurance info, Dental Intelligence will show the patient if they are in or out of network on the next step of the scheduling experience. Patients can still choose to book an appointment even if they are out of network UNLESS you have defined 'Do not accept' insurance carriers in Schedule > Configuration > General Settings.
Next, the patient will choose the date and time slot for their appointment, then click Continue
Finally, patients will select if they are a new or existing patient and enter their personal details (name, birthday, etc). Once finished, they will click Continue
Patients will review a summary of their requested appointment and can leave a note for the doctor (optional), then they will click Schedule to confirm their request
Note: If the appointment requires a reservation fee, they will be asked to "Pay & Confirm." For more information on adding a reservation fee to a service type, click here.
If the reservation fee gets declined or doesn’t process properly then patients will get a text or email to re-submit payment.
Appointment Scheduled Email Notification
After an appointment has been confirmed, the patient will receive an emailed Appointment Scheduled notification. This email will look something like this:
You can modify the verbiage of these Appointment Scheduled notifications in Engagement Settings by clicking on the Verbiage tab. Click here to learn more about customizing verbiage.
If the patient would like to add the appointment to their personal calendar, they can click on the attached calendar file to download and save it to their preferred calendar.
Looking for additional information about online scheduling? Check out our webinar!