Introducing Standard Online Booking and Advanced Clinic Booking
What is Online Booking?
Online Booking allows patients to book appointments online directly into your clinic’s EMR based on the booking rules and availability set up by your clinic. Online Booking is currently supported for PS Suite, Med Access, Accuro and OscarPRO EMRs.
Ocean supports two primary booking workflows:
- Standard Online Booking: Patient selects the provider first and then selects an appointment type they would like to book. Standard Online Booking workflows are a good fit for clinics where the patient is seen by a specific provider (such as a Family Physician) and use separate schedules for individual providers and services.
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Advanced Clinic Booking: Expands on standard Online Booking and provides clinics the flexibility to configure advanced booking workflows using the following features:
- First Available: Shows the earliest available appointment time across multiple booking schedules that offer a selected appointment type, helping patients quickly identify the earliest appointment time.
- Grouped Schedule: Groups multiple providers into a shared schedule so patients can book an appointment without selecting a specific provider. This feature is suitable for urgent care, walk-in and flu shot booking workflows.
- One Time Booking: Patients can be invited to book an appointment using a secure, single-use link. Clinics control when booking is available, which appointment can be booked, and how long the booking link stays active. This feature is suitable for appointments that should only be booked by invitation, where the booking link expires after the appointment is booked.
Common Online Booking Workflows
Many clinics may use more than one Online Booking workflow. The following examples illustrate which Online Booking feature can support common booking workflows.
| Online Booking Feature | Commonly Used Booking Workflows |
|---|---|
| Standard Online Booking | Patients book routine appointments with their own Family Physician/provider |
| Advanced Clinic Booking - First Available Feature | Patients need the earliest appointment for urgent care or after-hours clinic (often combined with Grouped Schedule feature) |
| Advanced Clinic Booking – Grouped Schedule | Patients book flu shots, vaccinations, injections, tests, or other high-volume services |
| Advanced Clinic Booking – One Time Booking Link | Patient is sent an email with a secure booking link to book a single appointment such as initial consultations or specialist appointments |
Enabling Online Booking
To enable Standard Online Booking, continue to the next article in this set up guide: Your EMR and Ocean Online Booking: What you need to know.
To enable Advanced Clinic Booking, please contact the OceanMD Support team.