Patient Self-Scheduling

Overview

Lobbie supports patient self-scheduling through customizable booking links. These links let patients choose a date and time, enter their contact info, and complete their forms if the appointment type has forms associated with it - all in a single, mobile-optimized flow. 

Lobbie's self-scheduling flows are highly customizable: You can either create a single self-scheduling flow for multiple different appointment types, locations and providers (let patients choose), or create multiple different self-scheduling links that are "fixed" to specific appointment type - location - provider combinations - or anything in between.

This guide walks you through how to create and configure self-scheduling links based on appointment availability, provider calendars, and communication preferences.

Before You Start

Make sure provider availability is configured in your Practitioner Scheduling settings. Availability determines what time slots patients can book.

Learn how to set that up here: Configuring Practitioner Schedule and Availability

Step 1: Create a Self-Scheduling Link

1. Go to Settings - Patient Self-Scheduling
2. Click on Add a New Scheduling Flow (the blue button in the top right corner)
3. Enter a name for the self-scheduling flow (e.g. “New Patient Visits - California”). This is for internal use only and will not be visible to patients.

Step 2: Add a Welcome Message

This will be shown to patients when they first land on the self-scheduling link. The main title is mandatory and the subtitle is optional.

Step 3: Set Communication Requirements

Choose how patients verify their identity during booking. You can use either email, phone nr, or both. For each selected method, the patient will be sent a confirmation code to verify their communication details.

• Email only
• SMS only (recommended for the smoothest patient experience)
• Email and SMS

SMS in this selection refers to Phone Number.

We recommend requiring just one method for a smoother patient experience.

Step 4: Configure Date and Time Limits

You can control how soon and how far in advance patients can schedule:

• Minimum notice (e.g. no bookings within 1 hour)
• Maximum advance scheduling (e.g. up to 30 days out)

This helps prevent last-minute bookings and reduces the risk of far-future appointments needing to be rescheduled.

Step 5: Select Schedule(s)

You can connect either a single schedule or multiple different schedules across all your locations to the patient self-scheduling link. The connected Schedule(s) are where the self-scheduled appointments will show up in.

If you connect more than one schedule, the order of the schedules in the list will determine which schedule for the patient-selected time slot will be filled in first. If one schedule already has the time slot filled, the appointment will be added to the second schedule in the list. You can change the order of the schedules by clicking and dragging in the list.

Step 6: Select Appointment Type(s)

This section is for defining which appointment types are used in the self-scheduling flow.

You can configure the flow in two separate ways: 

• Selectable - Patients will see a selection screen where they can select an appointment type between all enabled options
• Fixed - All self-scheduled appointments will use the single selected appointment type, and patients will not see the selection screen. Use this option if you would like your self-scheduling flow to be fixed to a specific appointment type.

Step 7: Select Location(s)

This section is for defining which locations are used in the self-scheduling flow. 

You can configure the flow in two separate ways: 

• Selectable - Patients will see a selection screen where they can select a location between all enabled options
• Fixed - All self-scheduled appointments will be scheduled under the single selected location, and patients will not see the location selection screen. Use this option if you would like your self-scheduling flow to be fixed to a specific location.

Step 8: Select Practitioner(s)

This section is for defining which practitioners the appointments will be assigned to. 

You can configure the flow in two separate ways: 

• Selectable - Patients will see a selection screen where they can select between all enabled practitioners
• Fixed - All self-scheduled appointments will be assigned to the single selected practitioner, and patients will not see the practitioner selection screen. Use this option if you would like your self-scheduling flow to be fixed to a specific practitioner.

Note: If a practitioner in the list has a note saying "cannot self-schedule", it means you will need to enable self-scheduling for their user profile under Settings-Users: Click on Edit for the practitioner, activate the checkbox button called "Practitioner included in patient self-scheduling calendars" and update the practitioner profile.

Step 9: Share the Link

Once saved, each link includes:

• A direct URL to share with patients
• A downloadable QR code for your website, marketing, or printed materials

Patients can access the link from any device.

Warning: If a staff member wants to preview the self-scheduling link, they should open it in a private or incognito browser window. Opening the link in a regular window while logged into Lobbie may redirect to the staff login page or interfere with your current session.

Patient Experience

The self-scheduling links work on all devices: Desktop, Tablet and Mobile. The self-scheduling links will use the branding (logo) of your location.

Patients using the link can:

1. Select a date with availability
2. Pick a time slot
3. If enabled, select between locations, providers and appointment types
4. Enter their contact info (email or SMS) and verify with a code
5. Enter their name and confirm the booking
6. Add the appointment to their calendar
7. Optionally begin filling out any assigned forms (if the scheduled appointment type has intake forms associated with it). Intake forms can be associated with appointment types under Settings-Appointment Types - Edit the appointment type - add the form templates in the Intake Forms field.

As soon as a time slot is booked, it is removed from the available list.