Managing Patient Appointments

Entering an Appointment
Resource Panel Scheduling
Modify an Appointment
Delete an Appointment
Print
Print Superbill
Add to Wait List
Reschedule an Appointment
Rebook an Appointment
Fast Rebook
Letter
Check In/Out
Recall
Details

The Scheduling for Family or Linking Billing Types section describes the differences in this function if your practice uses the Family or Linking Billing Types as set up in CGM webPRACTICE Integration Options.

When you are processing patient appointments within a selected schedule, the following criteria will be automatically checked to make sure the schedules are maintained based on the information you entered when performing the Scheduling Setup Process.

If the schedule has already reached its maximum number of appointments, you will not be permitted to add any new appointments. For detailed information on setting up maximum appointments, see Maximum AM and PM Appointments.
If you select an appointment time slot which already contains the maximum number of appointments, you will receive a warning message that you are overbooking this slot but will allow you to proceed, if the security level for your user code is sufficient for overbooking in the Scheduling System Integration function.
If any Reserve Appointments have been entered into the schedule, the individual time slots will be colored appropriately for the Type of Visit code used for the Reserve. This is to be used as a guide when adding new appointments, to determine when to schedule certain appointment types and how much time to allot for these appointments. The reserve slots can vary from doctor to doctor and are only used as a visual guide. You can override these reserved slots with different appointment types, if needed.
If you schedule an appointment in a time slot that contains multiple Reserves, the appointment will be stored in the correct time slot that matches the Reserve.
If you select a registered patient and the patient's responsible doctor is different than the doctor you are scheduling the appointment with, the scheduling doctor's name in the Patient Appointment Screen will display in red text to warn you that you may be scheduling this patient for the wrong doctor. The Responsible Doctor Alert is stored in the Scheduling System Integration function.
If you try to schedule an appointment and the number of units for that appointment overlaps with a blocked time slot, the message, 'There are not enough continuous time slots to schedule this appointment' will display.

Entering an Appointment

New Patients
To add an appointment for a new patient, click Select Patient in the Action Column or click the time slot you want to schedule the appointment in. When the Enter Patient Appointments patient look-up screen displays, type the patient's last and first name. If you are sure they don't already exist in the database, click New in the Action Column.

If your practice has selected to Quick-Register ('Quick-Reg') patients, the Enter Patient Appointments quick-register screen displays. (You can Quick-Reg patients if you have selected the Register option in the Scheduling System Integration.) You must complete the necessary fields prior to entering the patient's appointment so CGM webPRACTICE can check to see if the Social Security Number (SSN) you entered has already been registered for another patient and prevent duplicate patient accounts from getting registered. (If the SSN exists in the database, a message will display so you can choose whether see a list of the existing accounts with that SSN or you can choose to register the account anyway.) This function requires the minimum amount of patient information to quicky register a new patient. You can choose to Quick-Reg your patients through scheduling so you can take advantage of the full functionality available in the Patient Check In/Out function when processing patients through your office.

Data Field Information

Prompt	Response	Len
Patient's Last Name	Displays the patient's last name you typed in Patient Look-up. You can edit this field if necessary.	60
Guarantor's Last Name	Guarantor's Last Name - This field is located to the right of the patient's Last Name field. Type the guarantor's last name. If you selected anything other than 'zero' for the Rel to Guarantor field, this field must be completed.	60
Patient's Suffix	The patient's suffix may be up to 10 characters long.	10
Guarantor's First Name	Guarantor's First Name - This field is located to the right of the patient's First Name field. Type the guarantor's first name. If you selected anything other than 'zero' for the Rel to Guarantor field, this field must be completed.	10
Patient's First Name	Displays the patient's last name you typed in Patient Look-up. You can edit this field if necessary.	35
	Guarantor's First Name - This field is located to the right of the patient's First Name field. Type the guarantor's first name. If you selected anything other than 'zero' for the Rel to Guarantor field, this field must be completed.	35
Patient's Middle Name	Type the patient's middle name.	10
	Guarantor's Middle Initial - This field is located to the right of the patient's Middle Initial field. Type the guarantor's middle initial. If you selected anything other than 'zero' for the Rel to Guarantor field, this field must be completed.	10
Address Line One	Type the patient's address.	35
Two	Type any additional address information.	35
Zip Code	Type the five digit zip code or the zip-plus-four zip code.	10
City	Type the city.	15
State Code	In the State Code list, click the state you want.	3
Telephone/Cell Phone	Type the patient's home telephone number in the first text box and their cell phone in the second text box. You can enter a phone number with or without the area code. If you do not enter an area code, CGM webPRACTICE will automatically use the default area code of the practice. You can also enter the phone number with or without dashes to separate the prefix and suffix of the telephone number.	20
/		20
E-Mail Address	Type the patient's e-mail address.	50
Responsible Doctor	In the Responsible Doctor text box, type the doctor you want or select from the Responsible Doctor list.	3
Default Diagnosis	In the Default Diagnosis box, type the code you want or click the magnifying glass to search the table.	10
Birth Date	In the Birth Date box, type the date you want or click the calendar icon to select a date.	10
BD:	Type the guarantor's birth date in a MM-DD-CCYY format or click the calendar icon to select a date.	10
Patient's Sex	For the Patient's Sex options, select the option you want.	1
Language	Type the patient's nine-digit social security number with or without dashes. If the social security number has already been stored in another patient's account, CGM webPRACTICE will provide a warning message when you click Save.	3
Social Security #	Type the patient's nine-digit social security number with or without dashes. If the social security number has already been stored in another patient's account, CGM webPRACTICE will provide a warning message when you click Save.	11
SS #	Guarantor's SS Number - This field is located to the right of the patient's SS Number field. Type the guarantor's nine-digit social security number with or without dashes. If you selected anything other than 'zero' for the Rel to Guarantor field, this field must be completed.	11
Referral Source	In the Referral Source box, type the code you want or click the magnifying glass to search the table.	6
Insurance Carrier	In the Insurance Carrier box, type the patient's primary insurance code you want or click the magnifying glass to search the table.	5
Policy Number	Type the patient's primary insurance policy number. If the Policy # Format field is completed in the Insurance Carrier table for this carrier, then the policy number entered here must match that format, otherwise an alert message displays. For more information, see Maintain Insurance Carriers.	20
Group Number	Type the patient's primary insurance group number.	50
Billing Group	In the Billing Group box, type the billing group code you want or click the magnifying glass to search the table.	3
Internal Comment	Type any comments needed for this patient. This is a free-text field that will be displayed throughout CGM webPRACTICE whenever the patient's account is accessed using the Patient Look-up function. This comment does not print on any report.	45
Rel to Guarantor	In the Rel to Guarantor list, click the relationship status of the patient to the guarantor. If you select anything other than 'zero' the Guarantor fields located to the right of the Patient fields must be completed.	1

If the New Patient E-mail check box has been selected in the E-mail Integration function along with completing the other new patient e-mail fields, CGM webPRACTICE will automatically send the patient an e-mail after you have saved their account information. For additional information on sending new patient e-mails, see Patient Registration and E-mail Integration.

If your practice has selected to Pre-Register patients in the Scheduling System Integration, the Enter Patient Appointments main scheduling screen displays and you can proceed with selecting the time slot and entering the patient's appointment information. After you have saved the patient's appointment information, the Pre-Registration screen will display for you to complete the necessary patient demographic information. For detailed information on pre-registering patients, see Add a Patient Referral.

After you have selected a patient using the Select Patient function or clicking on a time slot and then selecting a patient, if no restrictions were encountered, the Patient Appointment Screen will be displayed. Complete the fields to enter the information required to schedule the appointment.

After you click Save, if the type of visit selected has a room attached to it in the Type of Visit Table CGM webPRACTICE will check if the room is available for the time slot selected. If another person is currently scheduling the room or if the room is not scheduled for either the database, location, date, or time slot selected, you will receive a message informing you of the status of the room. The room must have a schedule created for it before appointments can be added to the room.

If you click Cancel, you will receive the message, 'This appointment has not been saved. Are you sure you want to cancel?' If you click OK, the appointment will not be saved.

NOTE: For clients with interfaces between CGM webPRACTICE and other software: After these appointment details are sent from CGM webPRACTICE to the other software, depending on the interface, the information in the Case and Authorization fields may not come back across the interface into CGM webPRACTICE from the other software company.

Appointment Status
To review or change a patient's appointment status, click on the patient's name in the schedule in the Main Scheduling Window.

When the Appointment Screen is displayed, the status is displayed to the right of the Doctor's name. You may change a status by clicking on the drop down arrow, choosing another status and clicking Save.

For example: to confirm an appointment, click on the patient's name in the schedule in the Main Scheduling Window. Click the arrow on the Status field. Select Confirmed in the list of available status codes.

If your practice subscribes to CGM CONNECTION, the appointment confirmation status can be automatically updated based on the call results. To take advantage of this feature, complete the Confirmation fields in the CGM CONNECTION Integration function.

Authorization Lookup
The Authorization Lookup function gives you access to a patient's authorization record. From the authorization screen you can add, change, or delete authorization information. The patient selected must be a registered patient to gain access to this function. If you need to change authorization information entered for a pre-registered patient you need to go to Schedule, Patient Referral/Pre-registration.

To access patient authorizations, click on the patient's name in the schedule in the Main Scheduling Window. When the Appointment Screen is displayed, click the Question Mark icon next to the Authorization field. If there are available authorizations on the account the Question Mark icon will be blue; if not, it will be white.

If the patient account does not contain any stored authorizations, the Maintain Authorization screen will immediately display containing blank data fields for entering a new authorization record.

If there are any previously stored authorizations on the patient account, the Authorization Summary screen will list them, starting with the most recent. You can attach the authorization number to the appointment and return to the appointment details screen by selecting it. To select an authorization, click anywhere in the row containing the authorization information. If you select an expired authorization, a message will display to inform you.

The Visits used is based on number of visits (dates of service) posted in CGM webPRACTICE using this authorization number. The Pending visits indicates the number of appointments scheduled in the future linked to this authorization number. If the appointment is scheduled for a Resource, it will not be included in the total.

Resource Panel Scheduling
The Resource Panel Scheduling function eliminates the need to schedule multiple appointments individually. Prior to using this function, Resouce Panel Codes need to be created using the Maintain Resource Panel Codes located in Schedule, Scheduling Table Maintenance, Resource Panel Table.

Modify an Appointment
To change a patient appointment, select the patient in the Main Scheduling Window. Select Modify Existing when the pop-up box appears.

When the Appointment Screen is displayed, the appointment information may be edited by clicking in any field and typing over the existing information.

If there is a room scheduled along with this appointment, CGM webPRACTICE will update the room with the revised information. If the original type of visit did NOT have a room attached to it, and you change the type of visit to one that DOES have a room, CGM webPRACTICE will update the room with the appointment information. CGM webPRACTICE will also delete a room visit if you change the type of visit to one that does not have a room attached to it.

If this appointment is for a registered patient, you will not be allowed to change either the last name or the first name. The patient's name must be changed through the Patient, Change Patient Data function. A change to the name in Change Patient Data will automatically update the name in the schedule for all appointments this patient has.

NOTE: If you change the Type of Visit, the Units field and the Reason fields do not change; they stay the same as the original appointment. You must manually change the number of units and the reason, if necessary.

Delete an Appointment
To delete a patient appointment, click on the patient's name in the schedule in the Main Scheduling Window.

When the Appointment Screen is displayed, you may delete the appointment by clicking on Delete. CGM webPRACTICE will prompt you to enter a reason for the deletion. Once the reason is entered, click Save. The appointment is now deleted.

If this appointment also has a room appointment, CGM webPRACTICE will automatically delete the room appointment as well. If this patient was a new patient, and pre-registering new patients was chosen, the referral will also be deleted.

Print
You can print a reminder for the patient's next scheduled appointment using the Print function in the Action Column. It prints all appointments if there are multiple appointments scheduled the same day. The reminder also prints a Future Appointments section listing any additional appointments the patient may have scheduled in the future.

Print Superbill
To print a patient's superbill, click on the patient's name in the schedule in the Main Scheduling Window.

When the Appointment Screen is displayed, click Print Superbill in the Action Column. Select the superbill document you want to print. If numbered superbills are used, this function will reprint the superbill. If this superbill is for a walk-in patient that didn't have a superbill printed and your office uses numbered superbills, CGM webPRACTICE will automatically assign the next available superbill number.

Add to Wait List
You can quickly add the currently selected patient appointment to the Wait List manually by clicking Add to Wait List in the Action Column. CGM webPRACTICE will immediately store the patient's appointment information in the Wait List.

If an appointment is added to the Wait List that was originally scheduled using a Resource Panel, all the appointments for the different Resources will also be added to the Wait List too.

Reschedule an Appointment
You can reschedule the currently selected patient appointment by clicking Reschedule in the Action Column. You will be required to enter the reason for the reschedule.

CGM webPRACTICE will store the appointment information in a temporary file and transfer you back to the Main Scheduling Window in 'Rescheduling' mode. The word 'Rescheduling' will appear in red in the Patient Information Section as a reminder that you are in the process of transferring appointment information to another date and/or time in the schedule. This message will remain on the screen until the appointment has been rescheduled.

You will need to navigate to the schedule date you want and then click on the appropriate time slot. When the appointment information screen displays, click Save to store the appointment in the schedule and complete the reschedule process. If you click Cancel in the appointment information screen, the message 'This appointment has not been saved. Are you sure you want to cancel?' will appear. If you click OK, you will be returned to the Main Scheduling Window to select a different date and/or time in the schedule. You will remain in rescheduling mode until you successfully save the appointment or click Cancel in the Main Scheduling Window to terminate the reschedule process and return the appointment information to its original time slot.

If you reschedule ane appointment that has a room attached to it, the room will automatically be rescheduled as well.

If a superbill has already been printed for this patient and the patient is re-scheduled for another day, CGM webPRACTICE will void the superbill number. If the patient is re-scheduled to another time slot on the same day, CGM webPRACTICE will keep the same superbill number.

If you are rescheduling a referral patient that has already been pre-registered, CGM webPRACTICE will update the referral file with the new appointment information.

Rebook an Appointment
There are two main differences between the reschedule and rebook functions. While the reschedule function removes the original appointment, the rebook function does not. The rebook function also allows you to repeatedly rebook the appointment (i.e. the patient needs to be scheduled once a month for the next three months). The rebook function will never retain a superbill number.

To rebook a patient appointment, click on the patient's name in the schedule in the Main Scheduling Window. When the Appointment Screen is displayed, click Rebook in the Action Column.

The Main Scheduling Window will now be displayed. Select the desired time slot for the new appointment by clicking in it.

The Appointment Screen for the rebook will be displayed. At this time you may modify the appointment details if desired and click Save to save the appointment.

The word 'Rebooking' will appear in red in the Patient Information Section as a reminder that you are in the process of rebooking and will remain on the screen until you are finished rebooking this appointment.

Once you have saved the appointment, you may again click Rebook in the Action Column to continue rebooking this same appointment.

If the original appointment was not a registered patient, and you have since registered this patient, CGM webPRACTICE will give you the opportunity to select the patient number, prior to rebooking the appointment.

If the appointment being rebooked has a room attached to it, CGM webPRACTICE will automatically rebook the room as well.

Fast Rebook
With the Fast Rebook function you can rebook a single patient appointment for multiple dates at one time. You cannot use this function to rebook a series of appointments that were originally scheduled using a resource panel. Fast Rebook differs from the rebook function in that you are not allowed to make any modifications to the appointment you are rebooking. Fast Rebook schedules an exact duplicate of the original appointment you select.

To fast rebook a patient appointment, select the appointment you want from the Main Scheduling Window by clicking on it. When the Appointment Screen is displayed, click Fast Rebook in the Action Column.

The Fast Rebook Calendar Screen will display. Each day within the calendar schedule is color-coded allowing you to easily identify its status.

	- The same appointment time is available for this day.
	- The same appointment time is not available for this day but other appointment times are available.
	- No appointment times are available for this day.

If the same appointment time is available for a day, the appointment time will display. If that time is not available, only Other ? will display. You can click either the appointment time to immediately rebook the appointment or click 'Other ?'. If you click Other for a day, a dialog box will display showing the other available time slots for that day. Click the time slot you want and the appointment will be saved.

You will be returned to the Fast Rebook Calendar Screen and you can continue to click future days/times to rebook again as needed.

Letter
You can quickly access the Print a Document function located on the Scheduling Printing Menu by clicking Letter in the Action Column. Using this function you can print directly within the schedule. You can print a letter for a patient even if the doctor code assigned to their appointment is set to Suppress Superbills in the Maintain Doctor Integration Codes function. This function is only available for registered patients. If your practice has 'Legacy' printers setup in Printer Maintenance, you will not be able to select them when printing a DMS Rich Text document. For additional information on printing letters for patients, see Print a Document.

Check In/Out
You can quickly access the Detailed Patient Check In/Out Screen for the selected patient by clicking Check In/Out in the Action Column. For information on the various functions available in Patient Check In/Out, see Detailed Patient Check In/Out Screen.

Recall
You can enter a recall for the selected patient by clicking Recall in the Action Column. For information on patient recalls, see Maintain Patient Recalls.

Details
You can view additional detailed information for the selected patient appointment by clicking Details in the Action Column. You can see which User originally entered the appointment along with the date and time the appointment was entered.

You can print the Appointment Details Screen, by clicking Print in the Action Column. You can edit the appointment information using the Modify function in the Action Column as long as the appointment has not been deleted.

Scheduling for Family or Linking Billing Types

Scheduling Appointments for New Patients
To add an appointment for a new patient, click Select Patient in the Action Column or click the time slot you want to schedule the appointment in. When the Enter Patient Appointments patient look-up screen displays, type the patient's last and first name. If you are sure they don't already exist in the database, click New in the Action Column. The Patient Registration - Guarantor Lookup screen displays. You can search for the existing 'Master Account' to attach the new patient to. To do this, click anywhere in the row containing the existing patient's information. If you do not want to attach the new patient to an existing account, click Cancel. For additional information on Family Billing, see Billing Type Conventions for Database Setup, Patient Registration for Family or Linking Billing Type and Change Patient Data.

If your practice has selected to Quick-Register ('Quick-Reg') patients, the Enter Patient Appointments quick-register screen displays. (You can Quick-Reg patients if you have selected the Register option in the Scheduling System Integration.) If you have chosen to add this account to an existing family, the Quick-Reg screen populates with the master account's/guarantor's information. The Rel to Guarantor is a required field so if you are adding a new patient to an existing master account, make sure you select the appropriate relationship so the account will be added correctly.

If the Pre-Register option is set in the Scheduling System Integration, you can schedule the appointment and complete the Patient Name and Address Information screen. You can then access the pre-registered account through Patient Registration. For additional information, see Patient Registration for Family or Linking Billing Type.