Planned Appointments

[savvy]

Forgive me if this has already been covered......

What is the advantage by treatment planning a patient, then adding that treatment planned procedures to "Planned Appointments"?

Isn't a treatment plan, by definition, planned appointments?

[jordansparks]

It identifies which procedures are grouped for the next appointment, how long that appointment is to be, and any notes about the appointment. It is how the clinical staff communicates with the front desk without ever having to walk up to the front desk and explain orally what comes next. It is especially useful if the patient wants to wait and schedule their appointment later. One other way that the front desk could know what to schedule might be the TP priorities. But that doesn't tell anything about time adjustments or notes. Also, the suggested usage of planned appointments is to only have one of them at a time. You should not be setting up a series of planned appointments (although some offices insist on it).

We have some planned improvements. As you suggested, I think Planned appointments are eventually going to be moved over to the TP module and integrated a little differently. I think we'll somehow introduce more terms like phases, alternates, declined, and so on. There is also an existing feature request #1040 to move to an interactive treatment finder.

[B.Thomas]

If you move planned appointments to the TP module will you still keep a tab showing the planned appointments in the chart module? That is very useful since in the clinic we mostly use the chart module and clicking back and forth would just be an extra step.

[jordansparks]

I think it would be no more of an extra step than clicking on the current tab. Unless your complaint is that you would want to look at the graphical tooth chart while you set the planned appointments. There seems to be an odd psychological barrier to moving to another module.

[B.Thomas]

In the clinic we only use the apt module and chart module. The routine is;

Click on the patient in the apt module
Switch to chart module
Fill in the notes
Set the planned apt

We are an ortho office so we move pretty quickly and do this 40-50 times a day. We leave the planned appointment tab open all the time to remind us every patient should not leave without a planned appointment. I am concerned if the tab is not in the chart module, the planned appointment will not always be set by the assistant.

It kind of relates to the topic of business processes and trying to have the check in check out process flow as smoothly as possible.

[drtech]

Please keep the planned appt in the chart module as it currently is please...we do like to reference the graphical chart and all the progress notes when making the planned appt.