Creating group visit templates (appointment types) allows you to schedule a group visit much quicker.
If additional providers are required, or you want to see multiple patients as part of the same appointment (for example a pain management clinic or diabetes education session), it is best to book these as a group visit. The appointment will appear on the schedule of each provider involved. For information on how to book group visits, see Booking group visits.
For each group visit type, you can configure general properties (such as the duration of the appointment and the number of slots available) as well as online booking settings. You can also add Qnaires to be sent to patients when they book this type of group visits.
💡 Tip: If you no longer use a group visit type, you can archive it. See Archiving appointment types for more information.
Steps
1. From the main menu, click Settings.
2. Click Scheduling and then, click Appointment Type. A list of your clinic's active appointment types and group visit templates displays. You may need to scroll down to see the Group Visits Templates section.
3. To create a group visit type, click Add. Or, to modify a group visit template, click it. The New Group Visit Type or Edit Group Visit Template window opens.
4. Using the following table, in the General tab, set the group visit type properties.
Field | Description |
Icon | Select an icon to represent the group visit type.
This icon displays beside the appointment type when adding a group visit in the schedule, and in your clinic's online booking site. See Customizing appointment type icons. |
Group name | Enter the group visit name.
📌 Note: If you are using CHR Connect and the name has phone or virtual in it, the location address is hidden and a virtual or phone icon displays beside the appointment in the Appointments section of CHR Connect.
💡 Tip: If this appointment type is available for eBooking, make sure the name is understandable for patients. |
Length | Select the default visit length (in minutes).
📌 Note: When booking or approving these group visits, you can change the length if necessary. |
Slots | Number of patients who can book for this group visit.
💡 Tip: The number of slots is particularly important for eBooking. The front-end staff can bypass this rule from the schedule by dismissing a warning message. |
Color | Select the colour these group visits have on the schedule.
💡 Tip: For easy viewing, use different colours for different appointment types or categories. |
Internal default status | Select the default status when these group visits are booked internally by your clinic staff.
The most common selections are Confirmed or Booked. |
Default status from patient | Select the default status that appears in the CHR schedule when patients book this type of appointment online.
📌 Note: If this group visit type is available for eBooking and you want to review online appointments before they're officially booked, choose Requested. |
Group notes | Enter any additional information about the group visit type. The group notes are visible when adding a group visit to the schedule. |
Allow eBooking | Select this checkbox to make this group visit type available for eBooking.
💡 Tip: Before your group visit template appears in your clinic’s eBooking tool, you must add it to your providers' working hours. See Adding standard working hours to schedules. |
Types of patients allowed to book | Select the types of patients (New Patients (unregistered) and/or Existing Patients) who can book these group visits online.
💡 Tip: For this group visit type to be available in your online booking site, you must select the Allow eBooking checkbox and at least one type of patient. |
5. To provide extra information on the group visit, click the Description tab and enter a description. The description is visible when patients are prompted to select a group visit type during online booking.
💡 Tip: You can edit the description when adding the group visit to the schedule.
6. To attach pre-visit Qnaires to the group visit type, click the Pre-Visit Qnaires tab, and then click +Add Qnaire. See Attaching pre-visit Qnaires to appointment types.
📌 Note: This Qnaire is sent together with the group visit confirmation message, i.e. at the time of confirming the appointment.
7. To customise when appointment reminders are sent for this group visit type and to add additional comments to the reminder message(s), click the Reminder tab, and then add or modify the reminders. See Customizing appointment reminders for an appointment type.
📌 Note: If you do not want to send a pre-visit Qnaire with the confirmation message, you can attach pre-visit Qnaires to the reminder. You can also attach a post-visit Qnaire. See Adding post-visit Qnaires to appointment types.
8. When you're finished, click Submit. You need to refresh your browser tab for changes to be visible.
📌 Note: Once at least one template has been created, you will no longer select a Length when adding a group visit. Instead, you will be able to select the Appointment type.
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Updated November 15, 2024