Appointments

Please use the index below to select a help topic. Alternatively, you can find these topics linked directly from the areas they cover in Vet-One.

Booking Appointments

Booking directly into the Appointment Diary

1. Access the appointment diary either by clicking "Appointments today" in the left hand menu:
   
   
   
2. Or by accessing the appropriate appointment book via the Appointments module:
   
   
   
3. Select an open slot by clicking on it (Available slots will change colour when you hover the cursor over them.  If no slots appear available, you may need to ask an administrator to override the available consultants or apply a work pattern):
   
   
   
4. Once you have clicked on an available slot and "secured" it (see above), you can then either find the client and select the appropriate animal their list or find the animal, if you choose the latter the client will info will automatically be added.  In the example below, the client has been found:
   
   
   
5. Once a client is selected, Vet-One will return to the appointment diary and you should now click on Find Animal ...
   
   
   
6. And then select the correct animal from the list of animals belonging to that client:
   
   
   
7. Comments can be added to appointments or the appointment type changed by clicking on Create remarks and the duration can be increased by clicking on the time displayed, e.g. 10 mins.

Finding New Appointments

Using Vet-One's "Find new appointment feature", it is possible to see a list of all available appointment slots on or after a specific date and time.  This helps to save users time because they do not need to manually search through the appointment diary, page by page.

The branch and user (in that order) preferences for whether the appointment book is displayed by Consultant or Surgery will determine on what basis appointments are searched for.  Either:

General Appointment Search

Please note: This example pictures a search based on Vet / Consultant but the process remains the same if searching by Surgery.

1. Execute a general appointment search by clicking on "Find new appointment", available from the left-hand, Appointments "quick" menu:
   
   
   
2. This will take you to the Find New Appointment screen:
   
   1. Select the Vet or Consultant (or Surgery if appropriate) you wish to find available appointment slots with or, as in this example, leave as "Any Vet/Consultant" (Any Surgery) if you wish to see all available slots
   2. Input the date that the system should search for slots on or after
   3. Input the time that the system should search for slots on or after
   4. Choose the branch at which appointments should be found (this will default to your "home" branch - the branch that Vet-One defaults to when you log in)
   5. Input any remarks you would like to appear in the appointment remarks when the slot is selected
   6. Click "Search"
      
      
3. Vet-One will now display all of the available appointments based on your search criteria.  In this example we will select the 15:00 appointment slot for 26th July 2016 to see Consultation Vet by clicking on it:
   
   
   
4. Vet-One will now display the appointment in the Appointment Book for the day on which it has been made:
   
   
   
5. Continue to allocate a client and then an animal by clicking on "Find Client...", adding the appropriate client and then clicking "Find Animal..." in order to select from their animals.
   or
   Allocate an animal by clicking "Find Animal..." and the owner's details will automatically be populated.
   
   

Client Appointment Search

Please note: This example pictures a search based on Vet / Consultant but the process remains the same if searching by Surgery.

1. Execute a client appointment search by clicking on "Book appointment", available from the menu bar at the top of the Client Overview screen:
   
   
   
2. This will take you to the Find New Appointment screen (note the title: "Find an appointment for Mr Sam Huckin":
   
   
   1. Select the Vet or Consultant (or Surgery if appropriate) you wish to find available appointment slots with or, as in this example, leave as "Any Vet/Consultant" (Any Surgery) if you wish to see all available slots
   2. Input the date that the system should search for slots on or after
   3. Input the time that the system should search for slots on or after
   4. Choose the branch at which appointments should be found (this will default to your "home" branch - the branch that Vet-One defaults to when you log in)
   5. Input any remarks you would like to appear in the appointment remarks when the slot is selected
   6. Click "Search"
      
      
3. Vet-One will now display all of the available appointments based on your search criteria.  In this example we will select the 15:00 appointment slot for 26th July 2016 to see Consultation Vet by clicking on it:
   
   
   
4. Vet-One will now display the appointment in the Appointment Book for the day on which it has been made:
   
   
   
5. Continue to allocate an animal by clicking "Find Animal...", a list of the client's living and undeleted animals will be available to choose from.
   
   

Animal Appointment Search

Please note: This example pictures a search based on Vet / Consultant but the process remains the same if searching by Surgery.

1. Execute an animal appointment search by clicking on "Book appointment", available from the menu bar at the top of the Animal Overview screen:
   
   
   
2. This will take you to the Find New Appointment screen (note the title: "Find an appointment for Spike [Mr Sam Huckin]":
   
   
   1. Select the Vet or Consultant (or Surgery if appropriate) you wish to find available appointment slots with or, as in this example, leave as "Any Vet/Consultant" (Any Surgery) if you wish to see all available slots
   2. Input the date that the system should search for slots on or after
   3. Input the time that the system should search for slots on or after
   4. Choose the branch at which appointments should be found (this will default to your "home" branch - the branch that Vet-One defaults to when you log in)
   5. Input any remarks you would like to appear in the appointment remarks when the slot is selected
   6. Click "Search"
      
      
3. Vet-One will now display all of the available appointments based on your search criteria.  In this example we will select the 15:00 appointment slot for 26th July 2016 to see Consultation Vet by clicking on it:
   
   
   
4. Vet-One will now display the appointment in the Appointment Book for the day on which it has been made:
   
   
   
5. It is not necessary to search for an allocate either client or animal as both have been populated by Vet-One.

Making an Appointment via the Appointment Book

From the main page of Vet-One, go to "Appointments" and "Appointment Book (Display by consultant)".

Clicking the date button will display a pop-up calendar, allowing you to quickly navigate to any day of the year. You can also skip backward and forward using the "Yesterday" and "Tomorrow" links. The drop down list will allow you to flick between practice branches.

It is possible, using the "Override Consultants" link, to add and remove appointment slots from the selected day. Please check with the vet on duty before extending their period of consultations.

Open slots will be shown as highlighted, and holding the mouse over one will display the name of the appointment's consultant. Click to bring up a blank appointment in that slot.

Search by Client name and then select an Animal, or search by Animal and select them from a list of pets and owners. Select the link "create remarks" to enter notes about the consultation, or choose an appointment type. If you choose an appointment type from the drop down list it will automatically enter any remarks associated with the appointment type. Add further remarks if required and then Create the Appointment.  If need be, and time allowing, the appointment length can be extended by further slots by clicking the current length. The icon with the red "X" will delete the appointment, freeing up the slot. The icon with the orange arrow will allow you to reschedule the appointment to another available slot. The icon with the two blue arrows will duplicate the appointment, and allow you to move the copy to another available slot.

Adding Daily Notes

You can add daily notes to the top of the "Appointments Today" page.  This is a useful feature if there is a piece of general information regarding the running of the day that you wish all staff to see.

Navigate to the "Appointments Today" page and click on "Edit" (located by the "Daily notes" title bar):

Enter your message.  Text can be formatted to emphasise important points or make it more eye-catching.

When you're finished, click the  button to close the Daily Notes editor and return to the "Appointments Today" view:

Appointment Reminders

Vet-One allows appointment reminders to be sent to customers via email or SMS and most users choose to send such reminders the working day before their appointment is due. To send out appointment reminders:

1. Navigate to Appointment Reminders in the Appointments module:
   
   
   
2. Select the date for which you wish to send appointment reminders for (this option will automatically default to the next calendar day), the branch at which the appointments will take place and finally, the message style that should be used (Tip: "Default" will generally be the message style required). Click "Generate Report":
   
   
   
3. Vet-One will now display a list of customer to receive appointment reminders.
   Important: For a customer to appear in this list a consultant must have been assigned to the appointment and in order for the reminder to be sent an animal must have been chosen
    
   Select to send by:
   1. Both SMS and email
   2. SMS only
   3. Email only
   4. Click "Send selected reminders"
      If a mobile number or email address does not exist for a customer, the option will not be present to select.
4. Vet-One will return to the Main Menu, the appointment reminders have been sent

Waiting Room

Due appointments will be listed in chronological order, with those set to "Waiting" and "Consulting" bumped to the top of the screen.

Click  to set the appointment status to "waiting" when the client has arrived at the practice.

Click  to set the appointment status to "consulting" when the client is with the vet.

Click  to set the appointment status to one of two when the appointment is finished: "to pay" if there are invoices waiting to be settled, or "no invoice raised" if all invoices are paid. Once a payment has been made, the status will change to "completed".

The "Invoices" icon () to the right of the appointment will open the client's invoices directly.

An appointment's status can also be set manually by clicking the current status (here "Due") in the lower left hand corner of the appointment. An example of when this should be done might be when an animal is admitted for surgery and their appointment status should be set to "admitted".

Further statuses can be set in the "Appointment module setup" section of "Appointments", which you will need permissions to view and edit; please contact your practice's administrator to arrange this.

Unscheduled Appointments

Vet-One's Waiting Room has the functionality to incorporate unscheduled, emergency or walk-in appointments when a client attends the branch at short (or without) notice.

1. When a client calls to say they would like / need to attend the branch (or at the point an emergency arrives), click on the  button:
   
   
   
2. Create the unscheduled appointment, selecting: a consultant from the drop-down list; a level of urgency; the appointment type; record any relevant remarks and click "Create Appointment". (You can read about setting unscheduled appointment defaults here):
   
   
   
3. The unscheduled appointment will now appear at the top of the waiting room view and a client / animal will need to be selected:
   
   
   
4. Once an animal has been selected the appointment can be progressed through the waiting room like any other and WILL NOT APPEAR in the appointment diary:
    

Selecting a Consultant

The unscheduled appointment consultant can be changed by clicking on the consultant name and selecting an alternative consultant (if available):

Appointment Urgency

The urgency of an unscheduled appointment can be changed by clicking on the descriptor (in the above example, "EMERGENCY") and selecting an alternative:

Creating a Work Pattern

Working Patterns are used to set the appointment slots in the practice's appointments book. You can set a pattern for any combination of consultants, and keep it to apply to any day in the future.

To start, go from the Vet-One main page to "Appointments" and "Working Patterns", then click the "Create Work Pattern" button. Name your pattern, choose a site for it to be implemented at, and enter any notes you'd like to be displayed beside its name before clicking the "Create New Pattern" button.

Click the pattern's name to begin adding consultants and surgeries. For this example, we're going to work on the premise that this pattern is for one particular consultant (Jane Doe) for that day.

It is possible to add a consultant to each appointment individually by clicking on the "Add Consultant" link in that slot. However, it is much quicker to add the consultant to a block of appointments. To do so, click one of the "AM", "PM" or "All day" links.

Select a start time and a finish time for the block of appointments, making sure to set the finish for AFTER your last desired appointment - for instance, if you want your last morning appointment to start at 11am, set your finishing time for the end of its slot, eg 11:15am. Choose the consultant you would like scheduled for those appointments, and click "Add consultant".

It is also possible to remove a consultant's appointments between a start and date time, by selecting "This consultant IS NOT available between the specified times" from the drop down list.

You can now continue to add additional consultants and edit appointment slots until you're satisfied. When you are, click the "Apply work pattern" button.

Applying Work Patterns

Use the check boxes to select the working patterns you would like to apply to the calendar. If there is already a pattern in use that you would like to remove, check "Clear patterns from day". This will not remove any appointments already booked into that day, and we will cover moving appointments between consultants below.

Here is an example month on the calendar. The day with the red border is today. Click an individual day to apply the work pattern(s) to that day only. Click the day name at the top of a column to apply the work pattern(s) to all of those days in that month.  Click the asterisk (*) at the end of a week row will apply the work pattern(s) to every day of that week. By using these options, you can quickly apply working patterns to the entire working year.

Moving Appointments Between Consultants

Sometimes it is necessary to move an appointment from one Consultant's slots to another's - when a change has been made to the rota for that day, for instance - and this can be done quickly and easily from the "Appointments Today" page.

From the main page of Vet-One, go to "Appointments" and "Appointment Book" (Display by consultant).

To change an appointment locate the appointment that is to be changed. To change the appointment to another consultant or time or date Select the icon with the red arrow on the right hand side of the appointment. This will allow you to re-select the date/time and/or consultant and remove the existing appointment.

To copy the appointment to another date/time then use the icon with the blue arrow. This will put the appointment in a new date and time but will leave the original appointment in place.

Appointment Module Setup

Appointment Status

Vet-One includes a variety of appointment statuses:

• Waiting
• Consulting
• Raising Invoice
• To Pay
• Due
• No Invoice Raised
• Admitted
• Failed to keep Appt.
• Completed
• Missed

The order in which these appear in the Waiting Room drop-down menu can be edited in the Status Options screen by moving them up or down the list using the "Up" and "Down" options.

Appointment Types

Appointment types allow administrators to create appointments of a specific duration, with pre-populated remarks and represented by a specific colour in the diary view, e.g. Major operations might be 90 minutes long, appear in red and include remarks advising that all emergencies should be sent to another branch.

1. To create an appointment type, click on 
   
   
2. Give the appointment type a name, select how many slots you wish to be allocated to it and include any helpful remarks or prompts:
   
   
   
3. To allocate a colour to the appointment type the appropriate colour code must be used.  Click on  to navigate to the colour-picker (which will open in a new window).
   
   
4. Pick the colour you wish to use from the hexagon and then the shade from the far right column.  It is recommended to use pastel colours where possible to ease visual stress for other users and in this example a light shade of yellow will be used.  Consideration should also be given to the fact that that the majority of text appearing on this coloured background will be BLUE.
   
   
   
5. Copy the colour code, minus the hash (#) symbol and paste it into the "colour" field for the appointment type:
    
   
   
6. Click "Create Appointment Type" and you appointment type will be saved.  If all of the information has been entered correctly then your colour choice will appear in the table too:
    

An existing appointment type can be edited by clicking on its name in the Appointment Types table.

Consultants

The "Consultant Options" screen lists all users and shows whether they are set as a consultant or not (those set as consultants will be available to choose when creating work patterns or overriding available consultants).

1. If you wish to change a user's consultant status, click on their username and change the drop-down menu from "Yes" to "No" or vice versa:
   
   
   
2. When finished, click "Save Changes".

Surgeries

Surgeries are work locations within (or associated with) a site (branch), e.g. Consult Room 1, Consult Room 2, Outcalls etc.  Their use is non-mandatory but can be useful if there is a need to allocate resources.  They are available for selection when creating work patterns or when manually overriding consultants (or surgeries).

1. To create a new surgery, click 
   
   
2. Input a surgery name, select its associated location from the "Site" drop-down menu and click "Create Surgery":
   
   
   
3. The new surgery will now appear on the "Surgery Options" screen:
   

To edit an existing surgery click on it's name in the Surgeries table.  Alternatively, surgeries can be deleted by selected the radio button to the left of their name and clicking "Delete Surgery" (deleted surgeries will remain visible and can be restored by users with appropriate permissions).

Unscheduled Defaults

Unscheduled defaults allow you to define set attributes for an unscheduled appointment.

1. Start by creating a default:
    
   
   
2. Input the following before clicking "Save Changes":
   1. A consulting vet that will typically handle this kind of unscheduled appointment by default
   2. An appointment urgency level
   3. A surgery (where applicable)
   4. Arrived by default (this will set the waiting room status to arrived, immediately)
   5. Started by default (this will set the consult status to started, immediately)
   6. Any relevant notes
   
   
   
3. The unscheduled defaults for the site (branch) will now be set and can be edited by clicking the "Edit Defaults" button:
    

Online Appointment Booking

Vet-One supports online appointment booking in partnership with Vetstoria.  The use of online booking allows your customers to select an appointment at their convenience and reduces pressure on telephone systems, freeing staff to serve customers in the practice and treat animals.  If you would like to implement online booking then you should first contact Vetstoria to discuss the various options they offer and the associated costs before proceeding to set up an account with them.

The Vetstoria system ensures that control remains in the hands of the practice when deciding how many slots are available to book online (so that the implementation of such a system is not detrimental to those customers who prefer to book appointments in-branch or over the phone) and in addition to these controls Vet-One offers another layer of customisation when making appointments available for online booking.

Making Appointments Online Bookable Using Work Patterns

  

 Appointments that are available for online booking will be marked with  and those not available will be marked with .  Clicking on either icon when editing a work pattern will switch the appointment slot's status:

Slots that have been previously made available (or unavailable) through the work pattern editor can be changed in the appointment view by using the "Override Consultants" function.  In the diary view, appointment slots available for online booking carry a small globe icon ().  Those that are unavailable for online booking display no icon.

The diary view will now be updated to reflect that the appointment slots between 8am and 9am are no longer available for online booking.  Note the absence of globe icons ():