Smart Scheduling - Existing Patient Walkthrough
This article shows an existing patient's point of view when using Smart Scheduling to book an appointment online. Screens may differ from article images depending on the device a patient is using.
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Existing Patient Verification
Welcome Screen
When Smart Scheduling is enabled for existing patients, the screen below displays when a patient selects the online scheduling link on your practice's website or in an email from you.
Request a Link to Make an Appointment
When a patient selects I'm a Returning Patient, they're asked to enter their email address or mobile number so the system can send them an appointment request link. This helps to verify that they're an existing patient at your practice.
Invitation Sent
Once the patient successfully verifies their phone number or email address, they'll receive a scheduling link in their email (if they provided an email address) or on their phone (if they provided a mobile number). They'll see a message that this invitation was sent and should check their email or phone for their personalized scheduling link.
Scheduling Link (By Email or Text)
The patient can now use the link from the email or text to schedule an appointment.
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Email Example
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Text Example
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Scheduling an Appointment
Welcome Back Screen
Once a patient clicks on the link sent to them by email or text, they'll see a Welcome Back message. If the email or mobile number they entered to get the appointment link is attached to multiple family members, patients are shown a list of all family members and need to select the family member the appointment is for. Once they select a family member, they'll see a welcome for the individual patient. If no family members share this contact information, patients skip to the individual welcome screen. This screen then asks them to enter their date of birth to verify their identity:
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Welcome Screen for Families
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Welcome Screen for Individual Patients
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Note: The patient has 3 attempts to enter the correct birthdate. If they aren't able to do this after 3 tries, they'll see a message to contact your office.
Select a Reason for the Visit
Next, the patient is asked What brings you to our practice? to determine what treatment they need to schedule. This lists all the treatments you've set up for existing patients in your Smart Scheduling settings.
Insurance Information
If a patient already has insurance information on file, the screen below displays. This gives them an opportunity to confirm whether or not their insurance has changed since their last visit. If a patient selects No Changes to Insurance, they're taken straight to selecting an appointment date, time, and provider.
Thanks for Telling Us
If a patient clicks My Insurance Has Changed, they'll be directed to contact your office to provide the new insurance information. Your office can then schedule their appointment at that time.
No Insurance On File
If an existing patient has no insurance information on file, the screen below displays. If they click I Would Like to Update My Record, they'll be directed to contact your office to provide the new insurance information (see the Thanks for Telling Us screen above). Your office can then schedule their appointment at that time.
If the patient clicks Continue Without Insurance, what happens next depends on your Smart Scheduling General Settings in POP.
- If you've made insurance information required to book an appointment: The patient won't be able to continue with booking the appointment and will need to contact your office.
- If you've made insurance information optional: The patient can continue booking an appointment without providing insurance information.
Set Appointment Details
On the Set Appointment Details page, patients can select a date and time for their appointment and, if they want, a provider they want to see. If a patient chooses a specific provider, they'll see available appointments for that provider only. If you've added bios for your providers in Smart Scheduling, patients can click View Bio next to each provider name to read a short summary about them.
Confirm Appointment Selection
To officially book their appointment, patients must review the appointment details they've selected and click Confirm Selection a the bottom of the screen. When reviewing the appointment details, patients can also leave a message for your office by typing into the Anything you'd like us to know? field. This message then shows in the Appointment Note in Dentrix, Open Dental, or Eaglesoft and will display in POP under the Activity tab for Smart Scheduling.
Before confirming their selection, the patient can also select Notify me if an earlier appointment time becomes available. This automatically adds the appointment to your ASAP list in YAPI and sets the appointment as ASAP in Dentrix or Open Dental, or Sooner if Possible in Eaglesoft. If they select this, they can also set preferences for the days and times they have available so you know if you can offer them a spot that opens:
When the patient clicks Confirm Selection, the system will attempt to book the appointment. If the booking is successful, the patient is taken to the Appointment Booked page.
Note: If the patient’s selected time and date have been booked before they were able to complete their booking, the system will display an error and send them back to the appointment selection screen to select a new date and time.
Appointment Booked
Once an appointment has been successfully booked in Dentrix, Open Dental, or Eaglesoft, the patient will see a "You're All Set" message along with their appointment details.
Email Confirmation
If you've set up an email confirmation in your Smart Scheduling settings, patients are automatically sent an email that has their appointment information:
Add to Calendar
If the patient selects the add to calendar button, the screen below displays.
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