> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.decodahealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Appointments

> Book new appointments, view details, edit, cancel, reschedule, and understand appointment statuses and icons.

<Info>
  **Where to find this:** Open the **Check-In** section in the main navigation to access the calendar, then click **Create Event** to book an appointment.
</Info>

## Book an Appointment

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Event Creator">
    Click **Create Event** in the sidebar, or click any empty time slot on the calendar grid. You'll be asked to choose between **Appointment** and **Block**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Appointment">
    Click **Appointment**. You are taken to the appointment form page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a Patient">
    Search for an existing patient by name, phone number, or email. If the patient is new, you can create their record inline from the search.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Services">
    Select one or more services for the appointment. Each service can have its own provider, start time, and duration. The system respects provider assignments -- only providers qualified for a given service appear in the provider dropdown.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Provider and Location">
    Choose the provider for each service segment. Select the clinic location for the appointment. If the appointment was initiated by clicking a specific provider's column in **Day** view, the provider is pre-filled, and the location is pre-filled to where that provider is scheduled for the column you clicked into — even if you're currently viewing a different location. This is just a starting point; you can change the location before saving. Tick **The patient specifically requested this provider** under the provider field when the patient asked for this provider by name — this is shown on the calendar with the **Provider Requested** icon and tracked in analytics.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick Date and Time">
    Set the start time for the appointment. The end time auto-calculates based on the service duration. If the service has prep time configured, a prep segment is automatically added before the main appointment. Similarly, if the service has cleanup time configured, a cleanup segment is automatically added after the main appointment. If the picked time is in the past, an **Appointment date is in the past** warning appears above the form so you can double-check before saving — the appointment can still be saved (useful for backfilling walk-ins).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Recurrence (Optional)">
    To make this a recurring appointment, use the recurrence dropdown. Quick options include:

    * **Daily**
    * **Weekly** on the same day
    * **Every weekday** (Monday through Friday)
    * **Monthly** on the same relative day (e.g., "second Tuesday")
    * **Annually**
    * **Custom** -- lets you set advanced recurrence rules (interval, specific days, end date or count)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Notes (Optional)">
    Add internal memos or quick notes to the appointment. These appear on the calendar and in the patient sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review and Save">
    Review the appointment details and click **Save**. The system sends notifications to the patient based on the service's notification configuration (confirmation SMS, reminders, etc.).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  **Keyboard shortcut:** Hold **Cmd** (Mac) or **Ctrl** (Windows) and click an appointment on the calendar to jump directly to that patient's chart.
</Info>

## Manage Appointments

### View Appointment Details

Click any appointment on the calendar to open the **Patient Sidebar**. The sidebar displays:

* Patient name and contact information
* Appointment time, duration, and status
* Assigned provider and location
* Services included in the appointment
* Checklist progress
* Quick notes/memos attached to the appointment

### Edit an Appointment

Click the **edit icon** on an appointment (visible on hover) or navigate to the appointment form. From the form you can:

* Change the date, time, or duration
* Reassign to a different provider
* Change the location
* Add or remove services
* Modify recurrence settings
* Add bookable resources (rooms, equipment)

For recurring appointments, editing prompts you to choose the scope of changes:

* **This event only** -- modifies only the selected occurrence.
* **This and following events** -- applies changes from this date forward.
* **All events** -- updates the entire recurring series.

### Appointment Status Workflow

Appointments progress through the following statuses:

| Status          | Meaning                                                                      |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pending**     | The patient has not yet confirmed the appointment.                           |
| **Reserved**    | The patient has reserved the slot but has not paid any required booking fee. |
| **Confirmed**   | The patient has confirmed and the appointment is locked in.                  |
| **Overridable** | The patient has not confirmed and another patient can book over this slot.   |
| **Completed**   | The appointment is finished and the patient has left the clinic.             |
| **No Show**     | The patient did not arrive for their appointment.                            |
| **Cancelled**   | The appointment was cancelled by staff or patient.                           |

### Appointment Icons

Small icons appear on appointments to convey important information at a glance:

* **Booking fee paid** -- the patient paid a deposit when booking.
* **New patient** -- this is the patient's first visit.
* **Scheduled by AI** -- the appointment was booked by an AI assistant.
* **Form completed / not completed** -- indicates whether required intake forms are done.
* **Checked in** -- the patient has arrived.
* **Online booking** -- the appointment was booked through self-scheduling.

Customize icon colors and visibility from **Settings > Calendar Appearance**.

### Appointment Prices

Staff see prices based on each service's item price in three places: on the appointment form (labeled **Estimated Price**), in the calendar hover popup, and on the appointment in the patient sidebar. The popup and sidebar label the combined item prices as **Appointment Total**.

### Cancel or Delete an Appointment

Open the appointment for editing and click **More actions** (the three-dot menu) at the top of the form. Two options appear:

* **Cancel Appointment** keeps the appointment on the calendar with a **Cancelled** status, so it stays in the patient's history. You're prompted to add an optional cancellation reason, choose whether to text the patient, and edit the cancellation message. If the service has a cancellation fee configured and the appointment is within the fee window, a **Charge cancellation fee** checkbox appears — leave it checked to bill the fee, or uncheck it to waive the fee for this cancellation.
* **Delete Appointment** removes the appointment from the system entirely. This is only available to staff whose role permits deleting appointments, and the confirmation prompt reminds you that deleting is different from cancelling -- it offers a **Cancel Appointment Instead** button if you'd rather keep the record.

### Mark a No-Show

When a patient doesn't arrive, mark the appointment as a no-show from the patient sidebar. Decoda asks you to confirm with **Mark No-Show** first, and warns that if a no-show SMS template is configured, the patient is texted automatically.

### Reschedule an Appointment

You can reschedule two ways: open the appointment form and change the date or time, or move the appointment right on the calendar by dragging it. Either way, Decoda can text the patient an update with the new time.

#### Drag to a new time

Dragging is on by default. You can turn it off (or back on) under **Settings > Preferences > Drag to Reschedule**. This setting is saved only on the device you set it on, so your computer and tablet can be different — and because it's on by default, clearing your browser data or signing in from another browser turns it back on.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pick up the appointment">
    In **Day** or **Week** view, press and hold an appointment, then drag it. A preview follows your cursor and the slot you're aiming at is highlighted as you move.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Drop it on the new time">
    Release on the time you want — it snaps to the nearest 5 minutes, so you don't have to be exact. In **Day** view you can also drop the appointment in another provider's column to move it to that provider. To reach a different day or week, drag to the left or right edge of the calendar and it pages for you.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the change">
    A window shows what changed — the new time, and the new provider if you switched columns. Choose whether to text the patient, edit the message if you like, then confirm to save. Close the window to cancel and leave the appointment where it was.
  </Step>
</Steps>

For a repeating appointment, the confirmation window also asks how far the change should reach:

* **This visit** — only the appointment you moved; the rest of the series stays put.
* **This and future visits** — this visit and every later one shift to the new time.
* **All visits** — the whole series adopts the new time.

<Info>
  Some appointments can't be dragged: cancelled, completed, no-show, and reserved appointments, all-day events, and — in Day view — appointments that span more than one provider. These stay editable from the appointment form.
</Info>

Dragging works on iPad too: press and hold the appointment until it lifts, then drag with your finger to the new slot.

### Resend the Confirmation SMS

If a patient says they never got the confirmation text, or you changed the services on the appointment after it was booked, you can resend the confirmation. Open the appointment form and click **Resend confirmation** in the actions row at the top. The patient gets a fresh SMS with the appointment details and the forms link.

The button is hidden for cancelled and reserved appointments. If you change the services on an existing appointment and save, Decoda also shows a **Service changed** notice with a **Resend** action -- patients usually need a new confirmation so the forms link points at the right intake.

## Event History

Every appointment keeps a timeline of changes. To view it, click on an appointment to open the sidebar and expand **View History**. For cancelled appointments, the history is expanded by default.

The history records the following actions:

| Entry                | What it means                                                                                                        |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Created**          | The appointment was first booked, including the service and location.                                                |
| **Rescheduled**      | The start or end time was changed. Shows the old and new start and end times, with the value that moved highlighted. |
| **Status Changed**   | The appointment moved to a different status (e.g., Pending to Confirmed). Shows the old and new statuses.            |
| **Checked In**       | The patient was marked as arrived.                                                                                   |
| **Completed**        | The appointment was marked as finished. Shows the previous status.                                                   |
| **No Show**          | The patient was marked as a no-show. Shows the previous status.                                                      |
| **Cancelled**        | The appointment was cancelled. Includes the cancellation reason if one was provided.                                 |
| **Patient Changed**  | The patient assigned to the appointment was swapped. Records which patient was removed and which was added.          |
| **Provider Changed** | One or more providers were added to or removed from the appointment. Records which providers were affected.          |
| **Service Added**    | A service was added to the appointment. Shows the service name.                                                      |
| **Service Removed**  | A service was removed from the appointment. Shows the service name.                                                  |

Each entry shows who made the change and when.