The next step in the online booking configuration is to set up your Booking Schedules in Ocean.
The next step in the online booking configuration is to set up your Booking Schedules in Ocean:
- Log in to the Ocean Portal, open the 'Menu', and select 'Online Booking'.
- Click the 'Settings' button.
- Next to the 'Booking Schedules' heading, click 'Configure'.
- Click 'Add Schedule'.
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Select the EMR schedule that you would like to create a Booking Schedule for in Ocean.
Note: Only EMR Schedules which have been activated for use in Ocean Online Booking under a 'Patient Engagement Licence (Plus)' are available for selection.
- Consult the EMR-Specific Settings/Configuration Options section below for details on each setting and configuration option available within the Booking Schedule.
- Click the'Save' button at the bottom of the Booking Schedule.
EMR-Specific Settings/Configuration Options
Schedule Settings
- EMR Schedule Name
-
This field displays the name of the EMR Schedule that you are configuring for use with Ocean Online Booking.
- EMR Time Slot Interval
-
This refers to the provider schedule's time slot interval in your EMR. If the value chosen here does not match your EMR schedule, your online booking will not function. For example, the image below shows an EMR time slot interval of 10 minutes. Ensure you select the proper interval for the schedule you are setting up.
Default Configuration
- Patient Facing Schedule Name
-
This is the name that will appear to patients when selecting this Booking Schedule. This will also be the name for this specific configuration of this Booking Schedule in your online booking configuration.
- Appointment Types
-
Click the blue "Add Appointment Type" button to select the Appointment Type(s) that you created earlier. This step allows you to indicate the types of appointments that patients can select when booking into this Provider schedule.
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You can use the up and down arrows on the Appointment Types to customize the order in which they are presented to patients.
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*Note: With EMR Appointment Type mapping enabled, you can take advantage of Appointment Type Testrictions. Read more about appointment type restrictions.
- Who is allowed to book into this schedule?
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All patients- any patient can book into your schedule, regardless of their designated provider(s) in your EMR.
-
Patients with Selected Providers- use this setting to restrict patients who have certain providers to book into this schedule. For example, if Dr. Doug Kavanagh would only like his patients to book into his schedule, he would select Dr. Doug Kavanagh from the drop down list of providers, and specify the proper field(s) to evaluate in the patient's chart.
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For clarity, the "Patient MD/NP" setting in Ocean evaluates the "Patient MD/NP" field in the PS Suite chart.
The "Primary Provider" setting in Ocean evaluates the "Primary Provider" field in the PS Suite chart.
The "Family MD/NP" setting in Ocean evaluates the "Family MD/NP" field in the PS Suite chart.
The "any Care Team Member" setting in Ocean evaluates all of the following fields in the PS Suite chart: Patient MD/NP, Primary Provider, Family MD/NP, Other Provider
The "Not Primary Provider" setting in Ocean forbids patients with the chosen provider from booking an appointment, unless they successfully match on at least one different permitted provider restriction defined above.
- How frequently can the same patient book appointments?
-
This setting allows you to configure the frequency at which a patient can book an appointment of any type. For example:
-
If set to "0" (the default), the restriction is disabled and patients can book appointments at any frequency (unless appointment type-specific restrictions have been configured).
-
If set to "1", patients will not be able to book more than one appointment of any type on a single day.
-
If set to "5", patients will not be able to book more than one appointment of any type every 5 days (e.g., if a patient has an existing appointment booked on June 10, that patient could book an additional appointment on June 5 (or earlier), or on June 15 (or later).
- Booking Window
-
The 'Only allows same day bookings?' setting allows you to configure your Booking Schedule to only accept same-day appointments.
The 'Prevent bookings less than' setting allows you to configure the minimum number of days and/or hours that patients can book in advance ("last minute" bookings).
The 'Prevent bookings more than' setting allows you to configure the maximum number of days and/or hours that patients can book into the future.
The booking window must be open for at least one hour. Otherwise, no appointment availability will be visible to patients.
- Day/Time Restrictions
-
The Day/Time Restrictions allow you to indicate consistent times which are unavailable to be booked online. For example, adding a restriction from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM on each weekday to block off the lunch hour. If this restriction is in place and a patient attempts to book online, no availability will be shown for that time period.
Schedule Settings
- EMR Schedule Name
-
This field displays the name of the EMR Schedule that you are configuring for use with Ocean Online Booking.
- EMR Time Slot Interval
-
This refers to the provider schedule's time slot interval in your EMR.
Default Configuration
- Patient Facing Schedule Name
-
This is the name that will appear to patients when selecting this Booking Schedule. This will also be the name for this specific configuration of this Booking Schedule in your online booking configuration.
- Allow patients to book within these template slots
-
Select the template slots that Ocean may book into. Time slots in your EMR that are not templated will also be bookable by Ocean. Note that additional appointment suggestions/template slots may be bookable based on appointment type restrictions.
- Appointment Types
-
Click the blue "Add Appointment Type" button to select the Appointment Type(s) that you created earlier. This step allows you to indicate the types of appointments that patients can select when booking into this Provider schedule.
-
You can use the up and down arrows on the Appointment Types to customize the order in which they are presented to patients.
-
*Note: If EMR appointment type mapping is on, you can enable appointment type restrictions here. Read more about appointment type restrictions.
- Who is allowed to book into this schedule?
-
All patients- any patient can book into your schedule.
-
Patients with Selected Providers- use this setting to restrict patients who have certain providers to book into this schedule. For example, if Dr. Doug Kavanagh would only like his patients to book into his schedule, he would select Dr. Doug Kavanagh from the drop down list of providers, and specify the proper field(s) to evaluate in the patient's chart.
-
For clarity, the "Primary Provider" setting in Ocean evaluates the "Primary Provider" field in the Med Access chart.
The "Family Doctor" setting in Ocean evaluates the "Family Provider" field in the Med Access chart.
The "any Care Team Member" setting in Ocean evaluates all of the following fields in the Med Access chart: Primary Provider, Family Provider, Secondary Provider
- How frequently can the same patient book appointments?
-
This setting allows you to configure the frequency at which a patient can book an appointment of any type. For example:
-
If set to "0" (the default), the restriction is disabled and patients can book appointments at any frequency (unless appointment type-specific restrictions have been configured).
-
If set to "1", patients will not be able to book more than one appointment of any type on a single day.
-
If set to "5", patients will not be able to book more than one appointment of any type every 5 days (e.g., if a patient has an existing appointment booked on June 10, that patient could book an additional appointment on June 5 (or earlier), or on June 15 (or later).
- Booking Window
-
The 'Only allows same day bookings?' setting allows you to configure your Booking Schedule to only accept same-day appointments.
The 'Prevent bookings less than' setting allows you to configure the minimum number of days and/or hours that patients can book in advance ("last minute" bookings).
The 'Prevent bookings more than' setting allows you to configure the maximum number of days and/or hours that patients can book into the future.
The booking window must be open for at least one hour. Otherwise, no appointment availability will be visible to patients.
- Day/Time Restrictions
-
Set recurring times in the provider's schedule that aren't available for online booking. For example, you can select all days of the week, from 12pm - 1pm to ensure Ocean doesn't display appointment time slots over the lunch hour to be booked online.
Schedule Settings
- EMR Schedule Name
-
This field displays the name of the EMR Schedule that you are configuring for use with Ocean Online Booking.
- EMR Time Slot Interval
-
This refers to the provider schedule's time slot interval in your EMR.
Default Configuration
- Patient Facing Schedule Name
-
This is the name that will appear to patients when selecting this Booking Schedule. This will also be the name for this specific configuration of this Booking Schedule in your online booking configuration.
- Allow patients to book within these appointment suggestion slots
-
Select the appointment suggestion slots that Ocean may book into. Note that additional appointment suggestions/template slots may be bookable based on appointment type restrictions.
- Appointment Types
-
Click the blue "Add Appointment Type" button to select the Appointment Type(s) that you created earlier. This step allows you to indicate the types of appointments that patients can select when booking into this Provider schedule.
-
You can use the up and down arrows on the Appointment Types to customize the order in which they are presented to patients.
-
*Note: If EMR appointment type mapping is on, you can enable appointment type restrictions here. Read more about appointment type restrictions.
- Who is allowed to book into this schedule?
-
All patients- any patient can book into your schedule.
-
Patients with Selected Primary Providers- use this setting to restrict patients who have certain providers as their primary provider to book into this schedule. For example, if Dr. Doug Kavanagh would only like his patients to book into his schedule, he would select Dr. Doug Kavanagh from the drop down list of providers.
- How frequently can the same patient book appointments?
-
This setting allows you to configure the frequency at which a patient can book an appointment of any type. For example:
-
If set to "0" (the default), the restriction is disabled and patients can book appointments at any frequency (unless appointment type-specific restrictions have been configured).
-
If set to "1", patients will not be able to book more than one appointment of any type on a single day.
-
If set to "5", patients will not be able to book more than one appointment of any type every 5 days (e.g., if a patient has an existing appointment booked on June 10, that patient could book an additional appointment on June 5 (or earlier), or on June 15 (or later).
- Booking Window
-
The 'Only allows same day bookings?' setting allows you to configure your Booking Schedule to only accept same-day appointments.
The 'Prevent bookings less than' setting allows you to configure the minimum number of days and/or hours that patients can book in advance ("last minute" bookings).
The 'Prevent bookings more than' setting allows you to configure the maximum number of days and/or hours that patients can book into the future.
The booking window must be open for at least one hour. Otherwise, no appointment availability will be visible to patients.
- Day/Time Restrictions
-
Set recurring times in the provider's schedule that aren't available for online booking. For example, you can select all days of the week, from 12pm - 1pm to ensure Ocean doesn't display appointment time slots over the lunch hour to be booked online.
Schedule Settings
- EMR Schedule Name
-
This field displays the name of the EMR Schedule that you are configuring for use with Ocean Online Booking.
- EMR Time Slot Interval
-
This refers to the provider schedule's time slot interval in your EMR.
Default Configuration
- Patient Facing Schedule Name
-
This is the name that will appear to patients when selecting this Booking Schedule. This will also be the name for this specific configuration of this Booking Schedule in your online booking configuration.
- Allow patients to book into
-
Select whether you would like Ocean to present EMR time slots without template codes, time slots with template codes, or both, to patients booking online. Note that additional template codes may be bookable based on appointment type restrictions.
Note: If you do not use Template Codes in your OSCAR Pro EMR schedule, please note that Ocean is unable recognize your EMR schedule start/end hours. Accordingly, it is important that you use Day/Time Restrictions (described below) to denote the times of the day that patients should be unable to book through Ocean.
- Appointment Types
-
Click the blue "Add Appointment Type" button to select the Appointment Type(s) that you created earlier. This step allows you to indicate the types of appointments that patients can select when booking into this Provider schedule.
-
You can use the up and down arrows on the Appointment Types to customize the order in which they are presented to patients.
-
*Note: If EMR appointment type mapping is on, you can enable appointment type restrictions here. Read more about appointment type restrictions.
- Who is allowed to book into this schedule?
-
All patients- any patient can book into your schedule.
-
Patients with Selected Providers- use this setting to restrict patients who have certain providers to book into this schedule. For example, if Dr. Doug Kavanagh would only like his patients to book into his schedule, he would select Dr. Doug Kavanagh from the drop down list of providers, and specify the proper field(s) to evaluate in the patient's chart.
-
For clarity, the "Primary Provider" setting in Ocean evaluates the "Physician/MRP" field in the OSCAR Pro chart.
The "Family Doctor" setting in Ocean evaluates "Family Doctor" field in the OSCAR Pro chart, as well as the "Other Contacts" area of the OSCAR Pro chart by checking for contacts who have their "Role/Relationship" set to "Family Doctor".
The "any Care Team Member" setting in Ocean evaluates all of the following fields in the OSCAR Pro chart: "Physician/MRP", "Family Doctor", "Resident", and any providers listed as part of the "Health Care Team" or under the "Other Contacts" area in the OSCAR Pro chart.
- How frequently can the same patient book appointments?
-
This setting allows you to configure the frequency at which a patient can book an appointment of any type. For example:
-
If set to "0" (the default), the restriction is disabled and patients can book appointments at any frequency (unless appointment type-specific restrictions have been configured).
-
If set to "1", patients will not be able to book more than one appointment of any type on a single day.
-
If set to "5", patients will not be able to book more than one appointment of any type every 5 days (e.g., if a patient has an existing appointment booked on June 10, that patient could book an additional appointment on June 5 (or earlier), or on June 15 (or later).
- Booking Window
-
The 'Only allows same day bookings?' setting allows you to configure your Booking Schedule to only accept same-day appointments.
The 'Prevent bookings less than' setting allows you to configure the minimum number of days and/or hours that patients can book in advance ("last minute" bookings).
The 'Prevent bookings more than' setting allows you to configure the maximum number of days and/or hours that patients can book into the future.
The booking window must be open for at least one hour. Otherwise, no appointment availability will be visible to patients.
- Day/Time Restrictions
-
Set recurring times in the provider's schedule that aren't available for online booking. Align this with the schedule’s preferences for “Start Hour” and “End Hour” in OSCAR Pro. For example, you can select all days of the week, from 12pm - 1pm to ensure Ocean doesn't display appointment time slots over the lunch hour to be booked online.
Advanced Settings
The advanced settings area contains your Booking Forms. Advanced Ocean users can customize these Booking Forms to additionally screen patients, or gather more information during their booking process.
Pre-Booking Form (Standard)
The 'Pre-Booking Form (Standard)' is completed by patients at the time of selecting their desired Appointment Type (i.e., after choosing a Booking Schedule).
Note: The 'appointmentType' item reference in this booking form is used to display the appointment types that are available for a patient to select. Editing this form item may cause unexpected behaviour or errors.
Post-Booking Form
The 'Post-Booking Form' is completed by patients after they have successfully booked their appointment (i.e., when the booking confirmation page is displayed).
Note: Patient responses to the Post-Booking Form will only be collected if a patient clicks the “Finish” button after completing the entirety of the Post-Booking Form.