Doctor schedules and availability

A doctor's schedule defines the dates, times, and locations where they are available to see patients. Only appointments in available time slots can be booked. Setting up accurate schedules prevents double-bookings and ensures patients can find open slots when making appointments.

Before you start

• You have administrator or scheduling permissions (ask your supervisor if unsure)
• All doctors must be set up as users in the system first
• You know the department or location where each doctor works
• You have information about each doctor's working days and hours

Steps

1. Go to Settings → Doctor Schedules (or Scheduling → Schedules). Open in Usystems

2. Find the doctor whose schedule you want to create or edit. Click their name.

3. Click Add Schedule or Edit Schedule.

4. Set the start date (when the schedule begins) and end date (when it ends).

5. Select the days of the week the doctor works (e.g., Monday–Friday, excluding weekends).

6. Enter the time slots for each day:

   • Start time: when the doctor begins seeing patients
   • End time: when the doctor stops accepting new appointments
   • Slot duration: how long each appointment lasts (e.g., 15, 30, or 60 minutes)

7. Specify the location (clinic, ward, or department) where the doctor sees patients.

8. (Optional) Add breaks if the doctor has a lunch hour or other breaks when they cannot see patients.

9. Click Save to publish the schedule.

Once saved, the schedule is active and available time slots appear when front-desk staff book appointments.

Accounting impact

Doctor schedules are not accounting transactions and do not affect the chart of accounts or financial records. However, they directly control when appointments can be created, which may affect the timing of patient billing and medical services.

Tips & common mistakes

• Publish schedules well in advance. Front-desk staff and patients can only see appointments in published schedules, so set them up at least one week ahead.
• Update schedules immediately if a doctor is unavailable. Patients may still book appointments if an old schedule is active. Disable or delete the old schedule before the doctor's absence.
• Check slot duration carefully. If slots are too short, doctors will be overbooked; if too long, time slots are wasted. Consult with the doctor about what duration works best.
• Different locations may need different schedules. If a doctor works at multiple clinics, you may need to create separate schedules for each location and time period.