Topics Covered

• Appointment Types
  • Manage Appointment Statuses
  • Manage Appointment Types
  • Entity Appointment Types  
  • Use Recurring Appointments for Schedules
• Availabilities and Schedules
  • Availabilities
  • Schedules
    • Add a Non-Client
    • Use Recurring Appointments feature for Scheduling

Appointment Types

Manage Appointment Statuses

Using Appointment Statuses gives a quick view of workflow on the List View by colour and description. In the Calendar View, the Appointment Status description ONLY will show if selected in Layout Options

• An appointment status has a description and can be allocated a colour
• You may choose to allocate an Icon/Symbol that will show in the Calendar View. Here are some icons for your consideration ... /sites/default/files/file_attach/DCIcons.zip
• The status of an appointment can be changed manually or triggered by an event/action
• Of course, the action must be associated with the appointment. On creating an invoice in Client Transactions and not from the appointment, you will be prompted to associated this invoice with an appointment if there is one

• Go to the Calendar View and select Manage Appointment Statuses on the left hand side
• Edit a status by selecting it and changing detail in the Edit Appointment Status section
• Delete a status by selecting Delete on the sidebar. Uses Statuses cannot be deleted
• Add a new status by selecting Add on the sidebar

Manage Appointment Types

• An Appointment Type consists of:
  • Description
  • Default Duration
  • Associate Item Codes (optional). Enter multiple item codes separated by a comma if required (eg: 23,31255)
  • Colour. Selecting a dark colour results in the description font being white
  • Flag if a Theatre Booking and the Appointment Form will change to include fields for Hospital, Assistant, Anaesthetist, Principal Procedure and Principal Diagnosis
  • Display Order. On first adding Appointment Types they are listed in the order entered. To override this order, enter the numbers from 1 to whatever for them to be listed in that order. Ensure you enter a number against each Appointment Type
• Edit an Appointment Type by selecting it and changing detail in either the section above or overtype directly in the grid
• Delete an Appointment Type by selecting Delete on the sidebar. Uses Appointment Types cannot be deleted
• Add a new Appointment Type by selecting Add on the sidebar

Entity Appointment Types

• Each Entity can have their own Appointment Types set up
• Leave Entity: (All) and all Appointment Types will be available to all Entities
• Copy Appointments to an Entity or select and set up Appointments for an Entity and only those Appointment Types will be available for that Entity

Use Recurring Appointments for Schedules

• If using Recurring Appointments to setup Schedules in the Calendar, suggest you add an Appointment Type called Schedule and allocate the colour Black resulting in the description being a white font

Availabilities and Schedules

In 2023, there will be a new Calendar Control in DCM. You will still have access to the old.

DCM allows for the setting up of both Availabilities and Schedules. You can use Recurring Appointments to setup schedules (recommended) or use Manage Availabilities (best for setting up public holidays but many also use this to highlight appointment blocks for various appointment types)

Availabilities

Availabilities colour (your choice of colour) the background of the calendar and can be one-off or recurring (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly). They can be flagged as Working Hours and Restrictions can be applied to:

• Allow all Appointments (Default and the recommended setting)
• Allow all Appointments (With Prompt). This can be annoying
• Only allow in Working Hours. This needs to be maintained and is restrictive in use

The Availability description does not show, so you are reliant on knowing what the colour means. This is ideal if using for Holidays (Public or Private) or Consulting In Rooms or In Theatre or Do Not Book or Lunch or Meeting Times.

You can always add a Schedule/Recurring Appointment to label an Availability if you need.

Note: Availabilities do not synchronise with Outlook

• In the Calendar View select Manage Availabilities on the left-hand side
• Select the Entity
• Select Add on the sidebar
• Overtype <New> with a Description
• Choose a Colour. Recommend pastel colours if highlighting for appointment types and darker colours if using to block out times (e.g.: Public Holidays)
• Select the Recurrence Pattern
• Click the drop down for the Start Time and select the Start Date or overtype
• The time will change to 9:00:00 AM. Overtype this if you need
• Click the drop down for the End Time and select the Start Date or overtype
• The time will change to 5:00:00 PM. Overtype this if you need
• Save
• To Edit an Availability, locate it and change Availability Details
• To Delete an Availability, highlight it and select Delete on the sidebar
• Below is an example of a calendar with 26 January 2019 being Australia Day greyed out.
  • Setup a Non-Client called Public Holiday with Client Status Archived to use with the Appointment Type Schedule as an All Day Event
  • This Non-Client can then be used for all Public Holidays and you just add in the Comment Field the name of the Public Holiday

Schedules

• Note the Calendar above has Schedules setup
• Schedules can be a one-off or recurring event
• Have an Appointment Type called Schedule (or other name if you prefer). We suggest you allocate the colour black (or another of your choosing)
• Then create 'Non-Clients'. Think about this before rushing ahead. A 'Non-Client' could be:
  • Just called Schedule where you can use Appointment comments to fill in the detail being Lunch, Meeting, Consulting in Rooms or In Theatre, or
  • Add a Non-Client for each
• Ensure you select Client Status - Archived so this Non-Client does not appear in Active Client Lists. In a future release, select Client Status - Non-Client

Add a Non-Client

• Search first to ensure one does not already exist
• Regular Tasks- Clients
• Select Archived and search first to ensure one does not already exist ... have requested that Columns be added for Client Status, Client Category and Client Group and use Client Status Non-Client ... future release
• Select Add on the sidebar
• Change Title to blank
• Select Is a Company
• Key-in the Non-Client name
• Change the Client Status to Archived ... change to Non-Client in a future release

However, if you prefer, you can create a number of 'Non-Clients'

• Do Not Book
• Lunch
• Surgeons
• Week One
• Week Two
• Week Three
• Week Four
• Some Direct CONTROL users (Anaesthetists, Assistants in Surgery, Hospitals) add Surgeons as Non-Clients to setup their rosters

Use Recurring Appointments feature for Scheduling

• The Recurring Appointment feature can be used to setup schedules
• These can synchronise with Outlook if you have the Outlook Addin installed, however, they need to be managed in the DCM Calendar as deleting them in Outlook will not delete them in DCM

To delete them in Outlook, select them in Outlook and press 'Delete' on the keyboard or select the Delete button in Outlook

Set up Weeks One to Four Roster 

• Add four non-clients called Week One, Week Two, Week Three and Week Four
• In the Calendar View go to the first Monday of Week One
• Double click in a time slot at the top
• Select Appointment Type Schedule
• Select All Day Event
• Select Recurrence
• Select Recurrence Pattern Weekly
• Recur every 4 week(s) on
• All days
• Range of Recurrence is No end date
• Select OK
• Select Close
• This will result in this Schedule showing in the calendar on the time slot you selected
• Point to the first appointment and drag to the grey area at the top
• The Change Recurring Item form will appear
• Select Change the series
• Select OK
• This results in all Week One Schedules appearing at the top of this list
• You can hide the Appointment Time by deselecting this in Layout Options
• Setup Weeks Two to Four by repeating the steps above for the following weeks