Skip to main content

Online Appointment Booking

Practices can offer online self-booking: a public web page where patients and prospects pick from appointment times the practice has published, without calling the office. The page runs at a practice-specific address (for example .../appt/yourpractice) that you can link from your website; patients with Patient Portal accounts also see a Book an appointment online link there.

What the patient sees​

  1. A list of available times — only slots your practice has published for online booking, shown as far ahead (and with as much lead time) as you configure.
  2. Picking a time holds the slot for five minutes while the patient fills in their details — name, contact information, and any notes — so two people can't book the same slot.
  3. If your practice requires it, the patient enters a credit card, which is either held (authorized) or charged a booking fee/deposit, per your configuration. An explanation you write ("Why do you need my credit card?") is shown right there.
  4. The patient sees a confirmation page and receives a confirmation email with a private link to their appointment page, where they can review the details or cancel the booking. Refunds on self-cancellation are allowed up to a cutoff you choose (for example, 24 hours before the appointment).

Booked appointments flow onto your InSched schedule like any other appointment.

Practice configuration​

The booking page is tailored per practice — and a practice can run several booking pages (for example, one per provider or per visit type), each with its own address and settings:

  • what the appointment is called, and an optional choice list (provider, visit type);
  • the charge or authorization amount, and the refund cutoff;
  • minimum and maximum booking lead times, and how many open slots to show;
  • every piece of on-page wording — introductions, "no appointments available" text, directions, and the confirmation email.

Which appointment slots are offered is controlled from InSched — your practice publishes blocks of bookable times as part of its schedule. Online booking is set up for your practice by IntelliPract support.