Glossary

This page defines the terms you’ll see throughout Decoda. If something isn’t listed here, reach out to support.

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Accrual Basis

An accounting view that counts revenue when the service or product is delivered, not when payment changes hands. Used for financial statements and anything for your accountant. More about Cash vs. Accrual →

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Banked Item

A pre-purchased service credit on a patient’s account, usually from a package or membership. When the patient comes in, you “redeem” it instead of charging them again. More about Packages →

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Block

A time slot on the calendar marked as unavailable. Use blocks for lunch breaks, meetings, or any time a provider can’t see patients. More about Scheduling →

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Bookable Resource

A room, piece of equipment, or other physical asset that needs to be reserved when an appointment is scheduled. Assigning bookable resources to services prevents double-booking a room or machine. More about Services →

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Booking Fee

A deposit collected when a patient books an appointment online. It secures the slot and can be refunded or applied as a credit toward treatment. More about Payment Management →

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Call Routing

The rules that decide who handles an incoming call on a phone number. The system checks closures first, then scheduled AI assistants, then ring groups, and finally the off-hours handler. More about Call Routing →

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Capacity

The maximum number of patients a provider can see at the same time during a shift. If capacity is set to 1, no overlapping appointments are allowed. More about Scheduling →

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Cart

A draft order you build for a patient before checking them out. Add items, apply discounts, then convert it to a charge when you’re ready to collect payment. More about Billing →

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Cash Basis

An accounting view that counts revenue when money changes hands, not when the service is delivered. Used for day-to-day operations and bank reconciliation. More about Cash vs. Accrual →

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Category

A grouping label for services and products (e.g., “Injectables,” “Skincare,” “Lab Work”). Categories help you organize your offerings and filter reports. More about Categories →

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Charge

A bill on a patient’s account for services, products, or other items. A charge can be outstanding (unpaid), paid, partially paid, on a payment plan, voided, or written off. More about Billing →

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Call Transfer

Moving an active call to someone else — another ring group, a specific staff member, or an external phone number. The caller stays on the line while the transfer connects. More about Answering Calls →

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Check-In

The process of marking a patient as arrived for their appointment. The Check-In Dashboard shows who’s here, who’s in progress, and who’s ready to check out. More about Check-In →

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Commission Structure

Rules that determine how much a provider earns on the services or products they sell. You can set flat fees, percentages, or per-item rates. More about Settings →

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Closure

A temporary override that takes a phone number offline during specific times — holidays, emergencies, or recurring off-days. While a closure is active, calls go straight to the off-hours handler, skipping all scheduled assistants and ring groups. More about Closures →

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Deferred Billing

Delaying the first charge on a membership to a future date. The patient enrolls now but isn’t billed until later. More about Memberships →

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Defined Order

A ring group setting that rings members one at a time in a fixed order you set, always starting from the top of the list. Unlike round-robin, it never rotates — the first member always rings first, and each later member rings only if the one before them doesn’t answer. Use it for a set priority, such as ringing the front desk before escalating to a manager. More about Ring Groups →

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Double Booking

Allowing a provider to have overlapping appointments at the same time. Useful for services where one provider can handle multiple patients simultaneously (e.g., IV drips). More about Scheduling →

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DTMF / Keypad

The touch-tone sounds your phone sends when you press number keys during a call. Staff can use the keypad during an active call to navigate automated phone menus (like an insurance company’s system). More about Answering Calls →

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Externally Settle / External Settlement

Marking a charge as paid outside of Decoda. Use this when a patient pays with cash, check, Venmo, or any method not processed through the system. More about Payment Management →

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Invoice

An automated request for payment sent to a patient via text or email. Invoices include a link where the patient can pay online. More about Billing →

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Location

A physical clinic, office, or facility where your staff sees patients. Each location has its own address, hours, providers, and calendar. More about Locations →

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Membership

A recurring subscription plan patients enroll in. They’re billed automatically (weekly, monthly, etc.) and receive benefits like discounts, credits, or included services. More about Memberships → Common membership statuses:

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Merchant Account

The bank account where Decoda deposits the money you collect from patients. You may have one merchant account or several if you route payments differently by location. More about Payment Management →

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Failover Assistant

The AI assistant that takes over when no one in a ring group answers an incoming call. Set this on the phone number’s detail page so callers aren’t left hanging. More about Ring Groups →

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No Show

When a patient doesn’t show up for their appointment and doesn’t cancel in advance. You can track no-show rates in the Appointment Dashboard. More about Appointment Analytics →

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Off-Hours Handler

The assistant or ring group that answers calls when nothing else is scheduled — nights, weekends, or any time outside your configured hours. Shown as hatched blocks on the weekly timeline. More about Call Routing →

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Note

A clinical record written by a provider about a patient visit. Notes can be created manually or with AI Scribe, and must be signed off before they’re finalized. More about Notes →

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Package

A one-time bundle of services and/or products sold at a set price. Unlike memberships, packages are purchased once and redeemed over time until all included items are used. More about Packages →

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Patient Credit

A dollar balance on a patient’s account that can be applied toward future charges. Credits are issued by staff and can optionally have an expiration date. More about Patient Credit Accounting →

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Payment Medium / Settlement Type

The different ways your clinic accepts payment. Built-in types include credit card, cash, and patient credit. You can add custom types like Venmo, Zelle, or HSA Card. More about Payment Management →

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Phone Number

A clinic phone line managed in Decoda. Each phone number has its own call handlers (ring groups, AI assistants, closures) and weekly schedule. Find them under Settings → Phone Numbers. More about Phone Numbers →

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Payment Plan

A schedule that breaks a charge into smaller installments charged automatically to the patient’s card on file over time. More about Billing →

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POS Device

A physical card reader (like a Lane 3000 or Link 2500) that patients tap, insert, or swipe their card on during in-person checkout. More about POS Devices →

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Prep Time

An optional block of time added before an appointment for setup or preparation. Prep time appears on the calendar but is separate from the main appointment duration. More about Services →

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Product

A physical item your clinic sells (e.g., skincare products, supplements). Products have inventory tracked through stock levels and purchase orders. More about Products →

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Prorated

Adjusted based on how far into the billing cycle a patient starts. For example, if a patient enrolls in a monthly membership halfway through the month, their first payment is half the usual price. More about Memberships →

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Provider

Any staff member who can see patients and appear on the calendar — doctors, nurses, aestheticians, therapists, etc. Providers have roles that control what they can access in Decoda. More about Users & Roles →

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Quick Note

A short, informal note added to a patient’s chart. Unlike full clinical notes, quick notes don’t require sign-off and are used for things like phone call summaries or follow-up details. More about Notes →

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Quote / Estimate

A formal price estimate sent to a patient for review before you create a charge. The patient can accept or decline the quote. More about Billing →

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Ring Group

A group of staff members who can answer incoming calls on a phone number. During scheduled hours, calls are distributed based on the selected strategy (simultaneous, round-robin, or defined order). More about Ring Groups →

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Reminder

An automated text message sent to a patient before their upcoming appointment. Reminders are set up on each service with a customizable timing (e.g., 24 hours before) and message template. The system sends them automatically — no manual action needed. More about Services →

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Role

A set of permissions assigned to a staff member that controls what they can see and do in Decoda. Common roles include Owner, Provider, and Front Desk. More about Users & Roles →

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Ringtone

The sound that plays in your browser when an incoming call arrives. Each staff member can choose their preferred ringtone (Chime, Pulse, Melody, Ripple, Beacon) or turn it off. More about Answering Calls →

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Round-Robin

A ring group setting that rotates which staff member rings first. Each time a call is routed to the ring group, the system advances to the next person in the list, so calls are distributed evenly. More about Ring Groups →

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Rollover

When unused credits or discounts from one billing cycle carry over to the next. For example, if a membership includes 2 facials per month and the patient only uses 1, the unused one rolls to next month. More about Memberships →

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Rule Set

An automated follow-up sequence for collecting unpaid balances. A rule set defines a series of steps — like sending a text on day 3, an email on day 7, and charging the card on file on day 14 — that run automatically after an invoice is created. More about Billing Rules →

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Scribe (AI Scribe)

An AI tool that listens to or reads a provider’s notes and generates structured clinical documentation. Providers can review and edit the output before signing off. More about Notes →

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Self-Scheduling

The patient-facing booking page where patients can browse available services, pick a provider and time slot, and book their own appointment online. More about Scheduling →

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Service

A treatment or procedure your clinic offers (e.g., “Botox,” “Facial,” “Consultation”). Services have a price, duration, and can be assigned to specific providers and locations. More about Services →

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Shift

A time range when a provider is available to see patients. Shifts appear as highlighted blocks on the calendar and control when appointments can be booked. More about Scheduling →

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Short-Notice Block

A setting that prevents patients from booking a service too close to the appointment time. For example, a 2-hour short-notice block means patients can’t self-schedule less than 2 hours before the slot. More about Scheduling →

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Surcharge

An extra fee added to credit card payments to cover processing costs. Surcharges are calculated automatically and can be disabled for individual patients. More about Credit Card Surcharging →

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Tag

A label you can attach to patients for organizing and filtering (e.g., “VIP,” “Allergy - Latex,” “Referred by Dr. Smith”). Tags are created in Settings and assigned from the patient’s profile. More about Patients →

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Void

Reversing a charge completely. The balance is zeroed out and any associated payments are refunded. Use this when a charge was created by mistake. More about Billing →

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Write-Off

Marking an outstanding charge as uncollectable. The balance is zeroed out and the charge status changes to “Written Off.” Use this when you decide not to pursue payment. More about Billing →