Mastering Essentials: Patients & Appointments

Welcome to ClinicNode Academy. In this guide, we'll cover the fundamental workflows that you'll use every day: managing your patient database and scheduling appointments.

1. Adding a New Patient

Building your patient database is the first step to an organized practice. ClinicNode makes this simple.

• Navigate to Patients: Click on the "Patients" tab in the sidebar.
• Click "Add Patient": Fill in the essential details like Name, Phone Number, and Gender.
• Referral Details (Optional): If the patient was referred by another doctor, you can select the referring doctor here. This is crucial if you track referral commissions (more on that in our Financial Health guide).

Tip: You can search for existing patients instantly by name or phone number from the top search bar anywhere in the app.

2. Managing Appointments

The Calendar is the heart of your clinic's operations. We've designed it to be intuitive and fast.

Creating an Appointment

You can create an appointment in two ways:

1. Click anywhere on the Calendar: Click on a time slot directly in the Day or Week view.
2. "Add Appointment" Button: Use the global add button for quick access.

Select the patient, confirm the date/time, and choose the appointment type (e.g., Consultation, Follow-up). You can also add notes if needed.

Rescheduling & Deleting

Plans change. ClinicNode adapts.

• Drag-and-Drop: Simply click and hold an appointment block on the calendar, then drag it to a new time slot or even a different day in the Week view.
• Resize: Drag the bottom edge of an appointment to extend or shorten its duration.
• Delete: Click on the appointment to open details, then select "Delete".

3. Controlling Patient Notifications

Reduce no-shows with automated reminders. By default, ClinicNode can send notifications for appointment confirmations and reminders.

You can control these settings globally:

• Go to Settings > Notifications.
• Toggle Appointment Confirmation and Appointment Reminder on or off.
• You can also customize the timing of reminders (e.g., 24 hours before, 1 hour before).