This article provides an overview of the Dentrix settings you'll need to configure so your practice can use YAPI's Smart Scheduling feature.  Follow the instructions in each section below to review these settings and make any necessary edits before you set up Smart Scheduling in the Practice Online Portal.

Table of Contents

• Setting Your Practice's Schedule
  • Editing Your Practice's Regular Schedule
  • Editing Individual Days
  • Setting Events to Block Off Time
• Setting Provider Availability
  • Editing a Provider's Schedule
  • Editing Individual Days
• Reviewing Available Continuing Care (Recall) Types
• Optional: Reviewing & Adding Multi-Codes
• Next Steps
• Related Articles

 

Setting Your Practice's Schedule

Smart Scheduling uses the availability you set here to help present patients with available times when they schedule online.  Use the instructions below to review your practice's schedule and make any needed adjustments. 

1. In your Dentrix Appointment Book, click Setup and select Practice Schedule.

   

2. Review your office's open hours including office closures like holidays. If you need to set up or edit your practice schedule, proceed to Editing Your Practice's Regular Schedule, Editing Individual Days, and Setting Events to Block Off Time below.

   

Editing Your Practice's Regular Schedule

1. Click Setup and select Practice Appointment Setup.
   

2. In the Practice Appointment Setup window, select the boxes for the days of the week that your practice is open (these may already be selected). 

3. To edit the open hours for a day of the week, click the double arrow >> next to it.  In the Set Time Limits window, edit the Start and End Times for that day of the week.  Then click OK. Close.

   Warning! DO NOT set an End Time to the same as another Start Time.  This can keep patients from seeing your full availability when using Smart Scheduling.

4. Optional: Repeat for any other day of the week that needs to be edited.

5. Click OK when finished.

Tip: For details on making changes to your regular schedule, follow the instructions in Changing Office and Provider Schedules on the Dentrix website.

 

Editing Individual Days

Click Setup and select Practice Schedule.

• To edit the open hours for a single day: Double-click the day on the calendar and change the Start and End Times.  Then click Close.

  Warning! DO NOT set an End Time to the same as another Start Time.  This can keep patients from seeing your full availability when using Smart Scheduling.

• To mark an entire day as closed: Select the day on the calendar and click Office Closed at the top of the window.  Then select Close Office on Selected Date for a one-time closure or Set Yearly Holiday on Selected Day to set this as a closed day every year.

Tip: For details on making changes to a single day's schedule, follow the instructions in Changing Office Hours for a Day on the Dentrix website.

 

Setting Events to Block Off Time

When Events are scheduled for an operatory on your Dentrix schedule (like a Lunch and Learn), YAPI removes these time slots from your Smart Scheduling availability. To block off time with an Event, follow the instructions in Scheduling Events for Operatories on the Dentrix website.

 

Setting Provider Availability

Smart Scheduling uses the provider availability you set in Dentrix to present patients with available times for providers when they schedule online.  It's important to double-check the schedule of any provider you want available for Smart Scheduling and keep their schedule up to date in Dentrix so patients don't accidentally schedule on a time that the provider is unavailable.

Use the instructions below to check and adjust each provider's availability to the time frames you want patients to be able to schedule for online.

1. In your Dentrix Appointment Book, click Setup and select Provider Setup.

   

2. In the Provider Setup window, select a provider that you want to take online-scheduled appointments, then click Schedule.

   

3. Review the provider's schedule.  If you need to make any edits, proceed to Editing a Provider's Schedule below.

   

 

Editing a Provider's Schedule

1. In the Provider Setup window, select the provider, then click Setup.

2. Click the double arrow >> next to the day of the week you need to change. 

3. In the Set Time Limits window, edit Start and End Times for that day.  Then click OK.

   Warning! DO NOT set an End Time to the same as another Start Time.  This can keep patients from seeing your full availability when using Smart Scheduling.

4. Click OK when finished.

Tip: For details on making changes to your regular schedule, follow the instructions in Changing Provider Schedules on the Dentrix website.

 

Editing Individual Days

1. In the Provider Setup window, select a provider that you want to be able to take online-scheduled appointments, then click Schedule.

2. Double-click the  day you want to change.

3. In the Set Time Limits window, adjust the Start and End Times.  Then click OK.

   Warning! DO NOT set an End Time to the same as another Start Time.  This can keep patients from seeing your full availability when using Smart Scheduling.

Tip: For details on making changes to your regular schedule, follow the instructions in Changing Provider Schedules on the Dentrix website.

 

Reviewing Available Continuing Care (Recall) Types

Smart Scheduling uses your active Continuing Care Types to help existing patients schedule their hygiene appointments, so you'll want to know what which ones you have set up in Dentrix before activating Smart Scheduling.  To easily view your set Continuing Care Types from YAPI: 

1. From the YAPI Dashboard, click Recall Manager  and select Recall Manager Setup.
2. Note the continuing care types that display in the Recalls to Manage box.  The selected continuing care types should reflect the continuing care appointment types you want your returning patients to be able schedule online. If a continuing care type is missing, proceed to Setting Up & Editing Continuing Care Types below.

Setting Up & Editing Continuing Care Types

1. In the Dentrix Office Manager , click Maintenance and select Practice Setup.

2. Then select Continuing Care and Continuing Care Setup.

   

3. Review the list of available Continuing Care types.  

   

   • To Add a Continuing Care Type: Click New.  

     • Type: Enter an abbreviated name for the continuing care type.
     • Description: Enter a description for the continuing care type.
     • Initial Status: If you want to, set a status that the continuing care appointment will have once scheduled (like Appointment Scheduled, Continuing Care Set).  This is often left alone.
     • Interval:  Enter how munch time should pass before a this continuing care type is due
     • Provider: Select Prov1 for the continuing care appointment to automatically default to the patient's primary provider, select Prov2 to default to the secondary provider, or select Spec to specify a provider.
     • Default Appointment Time: Check the Time? box, then click Set Time... to set the time pattern for the continuing care appointment.
     • Click OK.
       
       

   • To Edit a Recall Type: Double-click the existing Recall Type and make your edits in the Edit Recall Type window.  Then click OK.

   Tip: For detailed instructions, see Adding Continuing Care Types on the Dentrix website.

4. Click Close.

 

Optional: Reviewing & Adding Multi-Codes

Multi-Codes are codes within Dentrix that group procedures together.  If your practice uses Multi-Codes and wants to use them for online appointment booking, you need to note which ones you want to use for Smart Scheduling:

1. In the Dentrix Office Manager , click Maintenance and select Practice Setup, then Multi-Code Setup.

   

2. Review your available Multi-Codes in the list and write down the ones you want to use for SmartScheduling (the most commonly used ones are whichever codes you use for new patient and hygiene appointments).

   

3. Optional: Add any new Multi-Codes by clicking New.  In the New Multi-Code window, add a Description and an Abbreviated Description for the Multi-Code, give it a 3-character short code in the Multi-Code box, and select an Appointment Type.  Enter a Procedure Time, then click Add to add each ADA procedure code you want grouped under this Multi-Code.  Then click OK.

   Tip: For detailed instructions on adding and editing exploding codes, see Adding a Multi-Code on the Dentrix website.

 

Next Steps

Once you've checked and made any desired edits to the settings above, you're ready to activate Smart Scheduling! When you're ready to get started, just reach out to your Customer Success Manager to schedule your Smart Scheduling Feature Activation session.

Related Articles

• Smart Scheduling - Dentrix Audit Trail Report
• Smart Scheduling Article Directory