Create an Appointment for a New Patient

This procedure is for patients who are not already in your database.

Before you begin

Permissions:

View Appointments
View All Appointment Books
Create Appointments
Edit Appointments
Delete Appointments
Create Visits and Arrive Appointments

In the following example, the appointment book displays a single schedule for a single healthcare practitioner. If you have configured your appointment book to show multiple schedules simultaneously, see Viewing Multiple Schedules Simultaneously.

Procedure

To create an appointment:

From the main menu, select Appointments.
After you have opened the Appointments book, if there are no schedules visible, click Manage to add one or more appointment schedules.
For more information about configuring schedule views, see View Appointment Schedules.
In the Appointments section, select either Day, Week, or Month view to locate an available time slot.

Tip: The Month view cannot be used to record appointments.
In the Appointments section, select Appointment > Appointment.

Tip: Alternatively, locate and double-click a time slot in the calendar to record the appointment.
In the Select Patient field, enter the patient's name, and then select Add patient name from the list.
You are redirected to the Patient details panel. Record at least the mandatory patient details. For more information, see Create a Visit.
From the HCP list, select the required practitioner.
From the Appointment type list, select an appointment type.

You can create or customise the appointment types and configure (activate) them separately for each practitioner in the Appointment book settings. For more information, see Managing Appointment Types and Configuring a Provider's Appointment Settings.
In the Consult via field, select the required consult option from the list.
For more information about telehealth consultation, see Telehealth Appointments.
In the Date & time field, choose the appointment date from the calendar, and then select From and To times from the list.
Tip:
- The duration of the appointment is displayed to the right side of the time selectors.
- The appointment's end time is limited to 11:59 PM for the selected date. For example, if the start time is 11:45 PM and the default duration for the appointment type is 30 minutes, the appointment's end time is 11:59 PM.
- In the Appointment book settings, set the default duration for each appointment type if required. For more information, see Managing Appointment Types.
To set a recurring appointment, from the Does not repeat list, select an interval at which the appointment recurs.
For more information about recurring appointments, see Recurring Appointments.
In the Billing field, select the required billing type from the list.

Note: The default billing type is the centre's default billing type.
In the Description field, enter further information about the appointment if required.
To notify the administration staff and practitioners about COVID-19 precautions, set Caution.
If the patient needs a referral for this appointment, from the Referral list, select Referral required. Other selections in the Referral menu are reasons that Medicare accepts for not providing a referral.
For the new patient:
1. In the Refer to field, start typing the name of the HCP to whom the patient has been referred. You can select any HCP who:
  - Is in the Helix Address Book.
  - Is in the required specialty.
  - Has a provider number.
2. Select the HCP's name from the list.
3. In the Referred by field, search for the name or specialty of the HCP who referred the patient to your practice. This field searches the Helix Address Book for people or organisations. If the provider is not found, add them to the Helix Address Book, then search again.
4. Optionally, you can search for an HCP with a practice in a specific location. Click Near and start typing the location. Select a specific location from the list.
5. In the Request date field, enter the date when the patient's first appointment was completed.
6. In the Referral period field, select the time period for which the referral is valid. Helix uses this time period and the request date to calculate the date when the referral expires.
7. If the visit is part of a care plan, in the Care Plan field, enter the number of the visit in the care plan, for example, 1/10 for a mental health appointment.
Note: The referral information must be recorded correctly so you can access the correct Medicare billing codes.
To confirm and create an appointment for a patient, click Create appointment.

Results

A new appointment is created, and the Appointment details panel is displayed.

To edit the patient's demographic details, click Edit.

An SMS appointment reminder is automatically sent to the patient 24 or 48 hours before their appointment only if SMS for appointment reminder is enabled. For more information, see Appointment reminders.
SMS reminder details

Note: SMS charges apply for each SMS.

What to do next

To view the status of an SMS reminder, select Message Centre > Comms Log. For more information, see Comms Log.

In the Appointment details panel:

If required, update the appointment visit details, such as billing, appointment type, COVID-19 and so on.
To confirm changes, click Save.

The appointment is saved in the Appointments panel.

The appointment displays the appointment time, the patient's basic details and contact details, and the concession type.
Appointment Details

Update appointments from the

Appointments book:

To edit an appointment's details, click Edit.
To sign a patient in for an appointment, when they arrive, click Arrive.
If a patient does not arrive for an appointment, click Did not attend.
To delete an appointment, click Delete.