NextGen Knowledge Center

Use Appointment Search Ahead for Wait List

The Wait List button on the Appointment Search Ahead window enables you to determine if:

  • A patient is on a wait list
  • A patient needs to be entered on a wait list.
Based the search results, the system displays either the:
  • Patient Wait List for that patient, or
  • Window used to enter a patient on a wait list.

To determine if a patient is on a waiting list, do the following:

  1. Access the Appointment Search Ahead window by doing one of the following:
    • Select the Tasks menu and select Appt Search.
    • Select the Appointment Search button on the appointment toolbar.
    The Appointment Search Ahead window opens.

  2. Select the event in the Event field.
  3. Select the length of time for the event in the Duration box or leave the default value.
  4. Select the location in the Service Location field, if applicable.
  5. Select the resource in the Resource field.
  6. Enter the date in MM/DD/YYYY format in the Start Date field for the beginning of the date range for the desired appointment or select on the calendar icon to enter the date. The Start Date must be the current date or a future date. The default setting is the current date.
  7. Enter the date in MM/DD/YYYY format in the End Date field for the ending of the date range for the desired appointment or select on the calendar icon to enter the date. The End Date can be the current date but should be a future date. The default setting is one week from the current date.
    The starting and ending time ranges populate from the settings in Practice Preferences.
  8. In the Day of Week section of the window, change the default setting of Mon through Fri by clearing the boxes for the days of the week that are not applicable for the desired appointment.
  9. In the Patient section, select the Open Menu button and select Lookup to search for a patient.
  10. In the Search Nearest Location section, in the Zip Code field enter the Zip code to use in searching for the nearest location.
  11. Select the Search within X miles of the pat zip code option and enter the number of miles within which the location should fall.
  12. If the patient wants an appointment at a location near his or her employer, select the User employer zip code option.
  13. Select the Find button to search for an appointment.
  14. If you find an appointment that matches the search criteria, select the appointment and the Add Appointment window opens for scheduling the appointment.
    • Or, select the Wait List button to determine if a patient has been put on a Wait List.
    • If you selected the Wait List button, the People Lookup window opens.
  15. Enter the patient name and select the Find button.
    A list of Matching Records displays.
  16. Double-click on the appropriate patient.
    The Update Patient Information window opens. Then, if any appointment-related System Alerts exist for that patient, they display at this time, along with Chart and Account Alerts. This includes alerts for Active Wait List Items. This is the only time an alert for a Wait List Item displays.
  17. If an Alerts message displays select Close.
    The Update Patient Information window is still open.
  18. Select OK.
    At this point, NextGen® Enterprise PM searches for a wait list Item for the patient you specified. This enables you to determine if the patient is currently on a wait list and if the wait list meets the patient scheduling needs.
    • If NextGen® Enterprise PM finds a wait list item, it displays the Patient Wait List window.
    • If a wait list Item is not found, the Patient Wait List Item window displays, so that you can begin entering this patient on a wait list.