The Booking Queue: Completing Requests and Texting Patients
The Booking Queue is where appointment requests land when they can't be created automatically in your practice software -- so your team can finish the booking and decide whether to text the patient a confirmation. You'll find it under Patient Care > Bookings in your dashboard navigation (it opens the Booking Queue tab of the EMR Integration page). For the bigger picture of how appointments get booked in the first place, see Booking Queue and Appointments.
Quick tutorial
- Open Patient Care > Bookings. The Active tab shows every request that still needs attention. (Coming from a call? Click View in Booking Queue on the call page -- the matching request lights up with a blue ring so it's easy to spot.)
- Pick a request. Each card shows the patient's name and phone number, the requested time, the provider, the reason for visit, and a Source line that explains why it's in the queue (for example, "EMR is read-only" or "Time slot was taken").
- Click Start Working and confirm. The request moves to In Progress, so your teammates can see it's being handled.
- Book the appointment in your practice software using the details on the card.
- If the time changed while you were booking, click Edit next to the requested time and save the real time. The confirmation text always uses the time saved here -- fix it before you complete.
- Click Mark Complete. The window shows the exact appointment time the patient will be told -- double-check it. You can also record the appointment ID from your practice software and add notes (both optional).
- Finish one of two ways:
- Complete & text patient -- marks the request done and texts the patient their confirmation.
- Complete (no text) -- marks it done quietly. No message goes out.
The request moves to the Completed tab and counts toward the Completed Today total at the top of the page.
Request shouldn't be booked?
Click Cancel on the request instead -- for example, if the patient called back and changed their mind. You'll be asked to note a reason, and it's saved on the card.
What each button does
| Button | Where you see it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Start Working | Pending requests | Moves the request to In Progress so everyone can see it's being handled. You confirm first, and you can release it later. |
| Cancel | Pending requests | Closes the request without booking. Asks for a reason, which is saved on the card. |
| Mark Complete | In Progress requests | Opens the completion window. It shows the appointment time the patient will be told, plus optional fields for the appointment ID and notes. |
| Release | In Progress requests | Puts the request back in the queue so another team member can pick it up. A short reason is required -- it's kept for your records. |
| Complete (no text) | Completion window | Marks the booking done. The patient is not texted. |
| Complete & text patient | Completion window | Marks the booking done and sends the patient a confirmation text. |
| Edit (next to the requested time) | Active requests | Changes the appointment time. Times are shown in your practice's local time, the appointment length is kept, and past times aren't allowed. The confirmation text uses the new time. |
| View Call | Top of each card | Opens the original call, with the recording and transcript, so you can hear exactly what the caller asked for. |
| Refresh | Top of the queue | Reloads the list right away. |
| List / Calendar | Top of the queue | Switches between the card list and a monthly calendar of requests. Click an entry on the calendar to jump back to its card. |
Statuses you'll see on each card:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | New request waiting for someone to pick it up. |
| Notified | Your team has been alerted about this request. Works just like Pending. |
| In Progress | A team member clicked Start Working and is on it. |
| Completed | Booked in your practice software and marked done. |
| Cancelled | Closed without booking. The reason is saved on the card. |
| Expired | No one acted before the request's time limit ran out. Find these under Closed. |
Good to know
- The list keeps itself current. It refreshes about every 30 seconds, and you can press Refresh anytime. A background refresh never closes a window you have open or erases anything you've typed.
- No text goes out without your say-so. Completing a request never texts the patient automatically. Only Complete & text patient sends a message, and the completion window shows you the exact time the patient will be told before you press it.
- You can't double-text a patient. If a confirmation has already been sent for a request, sending again won't deliver a second message.
- Opt-outs are always respected. If the patient has texted STOP, the confirmation is skipped and the screen tells you why -- same if there's no valid phone number on file. The booking still completes either way.
- What the text says. The confirmed day and time (with the provider's name when there is one), your practice name and address, your phone number for rescheduling, an add-to-calendar link, and opt-out instructions. The reason for the visit is never included.
- Times are always your practice's local time -- on the cards, in the Edit window, and in the patient's text -- even if a team member is working from a different time zone.
- Requests don't wait forever. Each active request shows a countdown badge (like "5h left"), and requests flagged 🔴 Urgent or 🟡 High deserve attention first. Anything left too long expires and moves to Closed.