First-time setup: General Preferences is typically one of the first pages to configure when setting up a new organization. Complete this before inviting staff or scheduling appointments.
Configure Branding
Navigate to General Settings
Click the Settings gear icon in the main navigation menu and select General.
Set Your Practice Identity
Fill in the following fields:
- Practice Name: The display name patients see on receipts, emails, and booking pages.
- Introductory Text: A welcome message shown to patients on public-facing pages. A rich text editor is available for formatting.
- Practice Logo: Upload your clinic logo (PNG, JPG, or GIF, max 5 MB). Drag-and-drop is supported. This logo appears on patient-facing pages and communications.
Set Up Contact Information
These fields define your organization’s primary address and timezone defaults.- Address: Your organization’s primary mailing address, including line 1, line 2, city, state, zip code, and country. This appears on invoices and receipts.
- Default Timezone: The timezone applied to new locations by default. Existing locations keep their individually configured timezone.
Configure Communication Templates
Decoda sends automated messages to patients at various points in their journey. Customize each template below to match your clinic’s voice and policies.- Reply-To Email: The email address patients see when they reply to automated emails from your clinic.
- CC Email: An email address that receives a copy of all outgoing patient communications. Useful for compliance or administrative oversight.
- Manual Invoice Text: The message included in manually sent invoices. Supports variables:
{first_name},{tenant_name},{url}. - Receipt Text: Message displayed on payment receipts. Supports the same variables as invoice text.
- Reservation Cancellation SMS: Template for text messages sent when an appointment is cancelled. Variables:
{appointment},{start_time},{first_name},{tenant_name}. - Successful Payment Text: Message shown to patients after a payment is processed.
- Quote SMS Text: Message sent to patients along with price quotes. Variables:
{first_name},{tenant_name},{url}. - Auto-Respond to SMS: Toggle automatic text replies to incoming patient messages. When enabled, patients receive an immediate acknowledgment.
- AI-Generated SMS Responses: Toggle AI-powered response suggestions for incoming patient texts. When enabled, the system drafts suggested replies that staff can review before sending.
Configure Invoicing Rules
Control when and how often invoices are delivered to patients.- Max Invoices Per Day: Limit the total number of invoices sent per day across your organization. This prevents overwhelming patients with multiple invoices in a short period.
- Max Invoices Per Minute: Rate limit for invoice delivery (this prevents the system from sending too many at once). Helps manage system load during bulk invoicing.
- Invoicing Hours: Set the start and end time window for when invoices can be sent (e.g., 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM). Invoices queued outside these hours are held until the next eligible window.
- Allow Invoicing on Weekends: Toggle whether invoices are delivered on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Exclude Holidays: Toggle whether recognized holidays are skipped for invoice delivery.
Customize Receipts
Tailor the look and delivery method of payment receipts.- Receipt Logo: Upload a separate logo specifically for receipts. This can differ from your practice logo if needed.
- Header Gradient Color: Choose a color for the receipt header bar using the color picker. This adds a branded accent to receipt documents.
- Automatically Send Receipts: Toggle whether receipts are sent to patients immediately after a payment is processed.
- Default Receipt Method: Choose SMS or Email as the default delivery method for receipts.
Configure Payment Settings
These options control how payments and billing items are presented to patients and staff.- Pass Fee to Patient: When enabled, the credit card processing fee is added to the patient’s total instead of your clinic absorbing it. For example, a 3% fee on a 3 to the patient’s bill.
- Hide Patient Payment Plans: Toggle to hide the payment plan option from patient-facing pages. Use this if your clinic does not offer payment plans.
- Item Sort Type: Choose how services and products are ordered in billing views. Options include: Category, Usage, Defined Order, Name, or Price.
Configure Patient Settings
Define rules for patient registration and record management.- Required Patient Fields: Select which patient profile fields are mandatory during registration (e.g., phone number, date of birth, address).
- Duplicate Detection Fields: Choose which fields the system uses to identify potential duplicate patient records. Common choices include name, date of birth, and email address.
- Days Until Patient Becomes New: Set how many days of inactivity must pass before a returning patient is classified as “new” again. This affects reporting and intake workflows.
Personal Preferences
The settings below affect only the currently logged-in user’s experience. They do not change anything for other staff members or patients.Theme & Appearance
- Theme: Choose from preset color themes or customize the interface colors to your preference.
- Dark/Light Mode: Toggle between a light and dark interface.
Calendar Display
- Show Weekends: Toggle whether weekend columns appear on the calendar view.
- Show Cancelled Appointments: Toggle visibility of cancelled appointments on the calendar.
- Show Translucent Past Events: When enabled, past appointments appear dimmed on the calendar so you can focus on upcoming ones.
- Show Ghost Events: Display proposed or tentative appointments that have not yet been confirmed.
- Show IDs: Display internal record IDs in the interface. This is primarily useful when working with support.
- Show Messages Box: Toggle the messages panel on the main screen.
- Show Deleted Providers: Include deactivated providers in dropdown lists and filters.
- Adjust Calendar Hours: Automatically fit the calendar view to your location’s operating hours so off-hours are collapsed.
- Calendar Grid Interval: Set the time slot granularity displayed on the calendar (e.g., 15 minutes, 30 minutes).
- Appointment Time Step: Set the smallest time increment for dragging or resizing appointments on the calendar (e.g., 5-minute steps mean you can drag in 5-minute increments).
Clinical Settings
- Auto Sign-Off Notes: When enabled, clinical notes are automatically signed off after creation. Disable this if your workflow requires a manual review step before sign-off.
Notification Sounds
Choose an alert sound for incoming notifications. Available options: None, Pop, Droplet, Gentle, Aurora, Cosmic. Use the preview button next to each option to hear the sound before selecting it.Advanced Configuration
Connecting Google Calendar
Connecting Google Calendar
To sync Decoda appointments with your Google Calendar:
- Scroll to the Google Calendar section in General Settings.
- Click Connect Google Calendar and sign in with your Google account.
- Authorize Decoda to read and write calendar events.
- Once connected, toggle Send Google Calendar Invites to automatically send calendar invitations to patients when appointments are booked.
Session Timeout Configuration
Session Timeout Configuration
The Auth Timeout setting controls how long a user can remain inactive before being automatically logged out. Shorter timeouts improve security for clinics where multiple staff share workstations. Adjust this value under the security section of General Settings.
IP Blocking
IP Blocking
For organizations that require strict network security:
- Enable IP Restrictions in the security section.
- Add allowed IP addresses or CIDR ranges to the whitelist.
- Once enabled, only users connecting from listed IP addresses can access the platform.
Permissions
Permissions
Most General Preferences settings require administrative access:
- Settings Read — Required to view the General Preferences page.
- Settings Write — Required to modify branding, communication templates, invoicing rules, receipt settings, payment settings, and patient settings. Without this permission, the page is read-only.
Template Variables Reference
Template Variables Reference
The following variables can be used in communication templates. The system replaces them with actual values when messages are sent.
| Variable | Description | Available In |
|---|---|---|
{first_name} | Patient’s first name | Invoice text, Receipt text, Cancellation SMS, Quote SMS |
{tenant_name} | Your organization’s name | Invoice text, Receipt text, Cancellation SMS, Quote SMS |
{url} | Payment or quote link | Invoice text, Receipt text, Quote SMS |
{appointment} | Appointment details | Cancellation SMS |
{start_time} | Appointment start time | Cancellation SMS |