FRONT DESK & RECEPTION | MANAGING THE SCHEDULE | 15-MINUTE READ
After reading this article, you will be able to create new appointments, accurately record cancellations and no-shows, and reschedule existing appointments without losing the original appointment record.
Before You Begin
REQUIREMENTS
You'll need the Access Scheduling and Appointment Provider Selection permissions enabled for your account
Overview
The schedule is the starting point for every patient visit in DrChrono. Managing it well means appointments are created accurately, changes are handled without losing record history, and your providers' time is reflected correctly at all times. This article covers the three most common scheduling scenarios your front desk team will encounter: creating a new appointment, handling cancellations and no-shows, and rescheduling an existing visit.
Scheduling an Appointment
Handling Cancellations and No-Shows
Rescheduling Appointments
Role-Specific Notes
Front Desk: Your primary responsibility in this workflow is scheduling and managing appointments on the calendar. Before you begin scheduling, confirm with your Practice Administrator that your schedule is fully configured — including providers, locations, and appointment types. If anything is missing from a dropdown or behaving unexpectedly, flag it to your admin before proceeding.
Practice Administrator: You are responsible for the configuration that makes scheduling work for your Front Desk team — including providers, locations, and appointment types. Verify all setup is complete before your team begins scheduling, and address any process gaps you observe at the admin level.
What Happens Next
Once an appointment is on the schedule — whether booked in advance or created at the moment a patient arrives — the next step is patient check-in. Accurate appointment details at the scheduling stage ensure check-in runs smoothly regardless of how the visit originated.
Next step: Patient Check-In
Still Need Help?
Chat with Amelia by clicking Help at the bottom of your screen in your DrChrono account — available 24/7.
Scheduling
Q: What do the lock and flag icons on my appointments mean?
A: Lock icons indicate a note has been locked by the provider. Flag icons signal a CDS (Clinical Decision Support) rule has been triggered for that appointment. If you see either and are unsure what to do, flag it to your Practice Administrator. See: What do the lock and flag icons on my appointments mean?
Q: DrChrono is warning me about a duplicate appointment — what does that mean?
A: DrChrono will alert you if a patient already has an appointment scheduled in a close time window. Review the existing appointment before confirming a new one to avoid double-booking. See: Duplicate Appointment Warning
Q: How do I set a default appointment length?
A: This is a Practice Administrator setting under Account Settings. If your default appointment time doesn't match your practice's workflow, ask your admin to adjust it. See: Setting a Default Appointment Time
Patient Check-In
Q: What should I verify at check-in before the patient sees the provider?
A: At minimum, confirm the patient's personal and contact information, verify their insurance is current and accurate, collect any applicable copay, and ensure intake forms have been completed. See: [Patient Check-In → link]
Q: How do I run a real-time eligibility check on a patient's insurance?
A: From the patient's Insurance and Eligibility screen, you can request an eligibility check to verify active coverage before the visit. DrChrono can also be configured to run these automatically. See: Requesting an Eligibility Check
Q: How do I update a patient's insurance information at check-in?
A: Open the patient's chart, navigate to the Insurance and Eligibility screen, and edit or add the insurance details as needed. Archive old insurance rather than overwriting it to preserve history. See: How to Add, Edit, and Archive Patient Insurance
Q: How do I collect a copay using DrChrono Payments?
A: You can process a patient payment directly from the appointment window or from the Patient Payment screen using the connected DrChrono Payments hardware. See: Processing a Patient Payment on the iPad | Processing a Patient Payment on the Web
Q: A patient's card was declined — what do I do?
A: Ask the patient for an alternative payment method. Do not attempt to rerun the same card multiple times. If the issue persists, refer to the decline code displayed and escalate to your Practice Administrator if needed. See: Stripe Common Decline Codes
Q: How do I void or refund a payment I processed by mistake?
A: From the Patient Payment screen, locate the transaction and select the void or refund option. Voids apply to same-day transactions; refunds apply to prior-day transactions. Escalate to your Practice Administrator if you are unsure. See: Voiding or Refunding a Patient Payment
Patient Search & Records
Q: How do I look up a patient in DrChrono?
A: Use the patient search bar at the top of the screen on both web and iPad. You can search by name, date of birth, or chart number. See: How to Search for a Patient
Q: How do I add a billing note to an appointment?
A: Open the appointment window and look for the billing notes field. This is useful for flagging anything the billing team needs to be aware of for that visit. See: How to Add a Billing Note to an Appointment
Account & Access
Q: Why does DrChrono keep logging me out?
A: DrChrono has a session timeout feature for security. Your Practice Administrator can adjust the timeout length under Account Settings if it is interrupting your workflow. See: Why Does My Account Log Me Out Frequently?
Q: I forgot my password — how do I reset it?
A: Use the password reset link on the DrChrono login screen. If you are unable to reset it yourself, your Practice Administrator can reset it for you. See: Reset Your Forgotten DrChrono Password
Q: How do I log in on the iPad?
A: Open the DrChrono app and enter your credentials. If your practice uses a PIN for app access, you'll be prompted after the initial login. See: Logging into DrChrono Web and iPad
Still Need Help?
Chat with Amelia by clicking Help at the bottom of your screen in your DrChrono account — available 24/7.