Setting Up Scheduling & Calendar Settings

A step-by-step configuration guide for organization admins

This guide walks organization admins through every advanced scheduling and calendar setting in Healthie — from booking windows to telehealth preferences, reminder timing, and cancellation policies. Work through each section in order or jump to the one you need.


Where to find these settings: Log in as an Admin > click your avatar (top right) > Settings > Calendar Appointments


💡 Tip: Provider-level overrides: Individual providers can also have their own appointment settings that differ from the org defaults.

In this article

To utilize this as a checklist, a box has been added to the header of each section to use as a check-box in a printable version.  

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STEP 1

 Set General Availability

For all settings, be sure to click Save 

For more help, visit help.gethealthie.com or contact Healthie Support.

Step 1: Set General Availability


Availability rules define when providers show as bookable. You can set a single weekly schedule, or layer rules by appointment type, contact type, or location. Providers can over-ride availability and schedule an appointment at any time, regardless of availability set.


Basic weekly availability

  • Go to Availability on the Calendar page
  • Click + Add button to add weekly recurring or one-time availability

Advanced availability options

Enable the following toggles in Appointment Settings > General Availability to unlock granular availability. You will only be able to see one at a time (switching between views on the Calendar), and setting any of these will delete the previous Availability set. 

Setting What It Does Why Turn It On
Times by Appointment Type Set different available hours for each appointment type (e.g., Initial visits only on Mon/Wed). Ideal if you want to take intro calls on Monday mornings only, or limit follow-ups to certain days, without manually blocking time.
Times by Contact Type Set separate hours for In-Person vs. Telehealth vs. Phone Useful if you hold in-person sessions at a specific location on set days, and offer telehealth on others.
Times by Location Set different hours for each office location. Essential for multi-state practices with state licensure requirements, or multi-office orgs with different schedules per site.

Note: If you enable "Times by Appointment Type," you must set hours for EACH appointment type - otherwise that type will show no availability. Any previous global availability will be deleted. 

Step 2: Configure Contact Types and Locations


Appointments > Contact Types:

  • Select where your appointments will take place: Video, Phone, or In-Person.
  • For Phone calls, select if the provider or client will initiate the call. 

In-person locations and rooms can be set in the Appointments > Appt Locations > + Add Appointment Location

Setting What It Does Why Turn It On
Location Name Use the street address, as this is the “location” the client will see. Client-facing. Using the physical address ensures clients know exactly where to go, reducing wrong-location confusion and late arrivals.
Can be Booked by Clients When ON, clients can self-schedule in-person appointments at this location from their portal or public booking link. Enable for any location where you want clients to be able to self-book in-person visits. Disable for locations reserved for provider-scheduled sessions only. 
Location has Rooms > Add Room Adds individual rooms within this location (e.g., Room A, Room B, or specific equipment bays) that can be assigned during scheduling.  Essential for clinics with shared or limited space — assigning rooms during booking prevents two providers from inadvertently scheduling in the same room at the same time. 
Limit capacity to 1 When ON, restricts each room to one client booking at a time, preventing double-booking of the same space. Use to block a room from being booked by multiple clients simultaneously — especially important for practices with a limited number of exam rooms or shared equipment.

Step 3: Enable Appointment Requests Outside of Availability


Appointment requests let clients request a session time that is outside of your set availability without it being immediately confirmed.

Appointment requests

  • In Appointments > Appointment Requests.
  • Toggle Enable Appointment Requests to ON.
  • When a client requests an appointment, it will appear as a pending request in Clients (left-hand menu) > Appointment Requests. From here you can approve or decline the request.

Step 4: Configure Appointment Timing 


Booking windows determine how far in advance clients can schedule and how close to the appointment time they can still book.

Setting What It Does Why Turn It On
Prevent Same-Day Appointments When ON, clients are blocked from booking any slot on today's date. Use when same-day bookings create operational issues, such as insufficient prep time or charting backlogs.
Appointment Buffer Minimum time between appointments to prevent back-to-back bookings Automatically creates a gap between sessions without requiring manual calendar blocking. Gives providers time to write notes, prepare for the next session, or reset between appointments.
Only Allow Appointments at Specific Intervals Restricts self-scheduling to appointments starting at none, 20, 30, or 60-minute intervals. Keeps your calendar tidy and predictable - especially useful for multi-provider orgs where coordination matters.
Max Days in Advance Clients cannot book beyond this many days into the future. Prevents clients from filling your calendar too far out, giving you control over long-range scheduling and capacity.
Min Days in Advance Clients must book at least this many days ahead. Adds near-term predictability to your schedule, ensuring you have adequate prep time before each session.
Min Advance Schedule Time Minimum notice required before a slot  Prevents last-minute surprise bookings. Essential for practices that need prep time or chart review before a session.
Calendar Display Default View Select the hours to display when setting weekly availability and where the calendar should start by default Reduces your calendar view to your actual working hours, reducing visual clutter. This setting only affects what you see — it does not restrict when appointments can actually be booked.

Note: If you leave Min Days in Advance and Same-Day both off, clients can book right up to the current minute — only limited by Minimum Advance Schedule Time.

Step 5: Configure Reminders 


Healthie can send automated emails to clients before appointments. Configure which reminders fire and when.


To set reminders, scroll to the Appointment Alerts section

Setting What It Does Why Turn It On
Appointment Confirmation Email  Send an email to the client when a provider schedules an appointment or confirms a client-scheduled appointment. Gives new clients booking via your website immediate confirmation, reducing uncertainty and support inquiries.
Appointment Booked by Client Send an email to the client when the client initially books an appointment. Provides immediate confirmation when a client books without provider involvement — reassures the client and creates a record for both parties from the moment of booking.
Appointment Update Email Send an email to the client when a provider updates an appointment. Prevents client confusion when times or locations change - essential for maintaining trust and reducing no-shows.
Appointment Cancellation Email Clients receive an email when an appointment is cancelled. Confirms the cancellation for the client and prompts them to reschedule, reducing lost revenue from cancelled sessions.
Reminder Emails / Texts* Select when you would like clients to receive reminders for upcoming appointments. Reduces no-shows by keeping the appointment top-of-mind. Multiple reminders across days and hours significantly improve attendance, especially for clients with busy schedules.
Intake Forms Reminder Send email reminder to complete intake forms two days before appointment Ensures forms are completed before the session — preserving clinical time for care rather than paperwork, and giving the provider time to review information in advance.

Tip: To customize the content of confirmation or reminder emails, go to Settings > Email Templates. 

Note: *To customize the SMS body, you must have an API white-lable Healthie account set up with Twilio.

Step 6: Appointment Statuses & Confirmation


Updating the status of an appointment keeps your calendar accurate and triggers downstream workflows like billing, charting, and reminders. Available statuses:

Status What It Means When To Use
Checked-In The client has arrived and checked in for their appointment. Use when the client physically arrives at your office or joins a video session.
Occured The session took place as scheduled.  Setting this status can trigger automatic charges if auto-charge for occurred appointments is enabled.
Late Cancellation The client cancelled within your defined cancellation window.  Use this status to trigger late cancellation fees if that setting is enabled.
Cancelled The appointment was cancelled outside the cancellation window by the client or provider. If the credit system is on and return credits is enabled the client's credit will be restored.
No-Show The client did not attend and did not cancel.

Can trigger automatic no-show fees if that setting is enabled.
Re-Scheduled The appointment was moved to a new date/time. The original slot is marked Rescheduled, and a new appointment is created.

Step 7: Manage Cancellation & Rescheduling Policies


These settings govern whether clients can cancel or reschedule on their own, and what happens when they do.


Cancellation settings

  • Scroll to the Cancellation section of Appointment Settings.
  • Toggle Allow Clients to Cancel to ON if clients should be able to cancel themselves.
  • Set Minimum Advance Cancel Time. 
  • If cancellation requires a reason, enable Client Cancel Reason Required. Optionally, enable the same for Organization Members. This helps track trends in cancellations.

Rescheduling settings

  • Toggle Allow Clients to Reschedule to control whether clients can self-reschedule.
  • Set Minimum Advance Reschedule Time.
Setting What It Does Why Turn It On
Allow Clients to Cancel Clients can cancel from their portal/app when enabled. Reduces admin overhead by letting clients self-serve, while your cancellation time limit still enforces your policy.
Min Advance Cancel Time The latest a client can cancel (minutes before the appointment). Protects your schedule and revenue. Clients who try to cancel within the window are directed to contact you instead.
Client Cancel Reason Required Client must select a reason when cancelling. Captures data on why clients are cancelling — useful for identifying patterns (e.g., scheduling conflicts vs. cost concerns).
Allow Clients to Reschedule Clients can reschedule appointments from their portal. Empowers clients to self-manage without calling in, while your reschedule limit still prevents last-minute changes.
Min Advance Reschedule Time The latest a client can reschedule (minutes before the appointment). Prevents last-minute schedule disruptions. Clients outside the window are prompted to contact you directly.

Step 8: Review Appointment Payment Settings


These settings are found at Appointments > Payments and Credits. Review them to ensure appointments feed cleanly into your revenue cycle.

Setting What It Does Why Turn It On
Pricing Per Appointment Type Assigns a self-pay rate or CPT code to each appointment type, enabling automated billing workflows.  Required before any automatic charging, invoicing, or late cancel/no-show fees can function. Without a price assigned per appointment type, Healthie cannot initiate automated billing.
Auto Charge for Occurred Appointments Automatically charges the client's saved card when an appointment status is set to "Occurred." Eliminates post-session billing lag. Clients are charged at the moment the visit is marked complete - reducing accounts receivable and improving cash flow.
Auto Invoicing Automatically creates a payment request when an appointment is booked. Removes a manual billing step for every appointment - ensures no session goes uninvoiced and keeps your revenue cycle running without admin intervention.
Situational Pricing Applies a custom rate per provider or per client for a given appointment type, overriding the default price. Supports sliding scale, tiered, or provider-specific pricing without creating duplicate appointment types — useful for practices with varying rates by insurance coverage, income level, or provider seniority.
Auto-Schedule Charges for Late Cancel / No-Show Automatically queues a charge when these statuses are applied. Removes the manual step of initiating a fee -  ensures your policy is enforced consistently every time, without relying on staff to remember to charge.
Use Client Credit System Enables Healthie's session credit system, where one credit equals one bookable session for a specific appointment type. Credits are earned by purchasing packages and deducted automatically when an appointment is booked. Ideal for package-based practices. Automates session tracking and reduces manual reconciliation. Clients and providers can view the remaining credit balance at any time.
Allow Booking without Credits When ON, clients can book even if their credit balance is zero (creating negative credits). When OFF, clients must have available credits to self-schedule. Turn OFF to enforce pre-payment for session-based practices. Turn ON if you prefer to let established clients book and settle payment afterward.
Return Credits for Cancelled Appointments When ON, cancelling an appointment automatically restores the credit to the client's account. Prevents clients from losing purchased sessions when they cancel — reduces disputes and keeps credit balances accurate without manual adjustments.

Note: Billing-related scheduling settings interact with your payment processor and insurance integrations. Test with a single client before enabling auto-charge features organization-wide.

Step 9: Configure Telehealth & Video Settings


Healthie supports its own built-in video platform, Zoom (for Practice Plus and above plans), and external video URLs (e.g., Doxy.me, VSee). Set your organization's default video experience here.


Choose your default video service

  • In Video Call Settings
  • Select your Default Video Service:
  • Healthie Video Call — uses Healthie's built-in telehealth.
  • Zoom — all telehealth appointments use the integrated HIPAA-compliant Zoom account (no Zoom sign-up required).
  • External Link — providers enter a custom URL (Doxy, VSee, etc.) per appointment.
Setting What It Does Why Turn It On
Default Video Service Organization-wide default: Healthie, Zoom, or External URL. Healthie’s Internal video is simplest for 1:1 sessions — no extra accounts or downloads needed. Choose Zoom if you need group video, webinars, or session recording.
Default to Zoom Shortcut to enable Zoom for all telehealth calls. Use if your entire org has standardized on Zoom for Healthcare and you want all sessions to launch via Zoom automatically.
Allow External Video Call Link Providers can enter a custom video URL per appointment. Accommodates providers already using Doxy.me, VSee, or other HIPAA-compliant platforms they prefer to continue using.
Set Default Video Call Link Providers can save one external URL used across all their video sessions. Saves providers from re-entering their video link every time - reduces errors and speeds up appointment creation.
Use Zoom Waiting Room Clients wait in a Zoom lobby until the provider admits them. Gives providers control over session start time and prevents clients from joining before the provider is ready.

Use Embedded Zoom

(coming soon in 2026)

 Opens Zoom directly within the Healthie interface (i-frame). Keeps providers in one window during a session - enabling simultaneous charting and video without switching tabs.

Step 10: Define Appointment Types & Per-Type Overrides


Appointment types (e.g., "Initial Nutrition Consult," "Follow-Up," "Group Class") each have their own settings. Some of these override the organization defaults.


Create or edit an appointment type

  • Go to Settings > Calendar > Appointment Types 
  • Click Add New Type, or select an existing one to edit [...].
  • Set the appointment details:
Setting What It Does Why Turn It On
Name Internal name for the appointment type — visible to providers and admins in Healthie, but not shown to clients in the booking flow. Use a clear, consistent naming convention for internal reference (e.g., "IC-60" or "FU-45"). Set a separate client-facing name for what clients see.
After booking, change client's group to Automatically assigns the client to a specified user group when they book this appointment type. Automates intake and onboarding workflows — for example, moving a new client into an "Onboarding" group that has specific intake forms, programs, or documents shared with it immediately upon booking.
Group Appointment Designates this appointment as a group session where multiple clients can be booked into the same time slot.  Required for classes, webinars, or group therapy sessions. When enabled, clients book into specific group appointment instances you add to the calendar — not individual open time slots.
Waitlist Enabled Clients can join a waitlist when a group session is full. Maximizes group session fill rates. When a spot opens, the next client is notified automatically - no manual follow-up needed.
Clients Can Book Allow clients to self-schedule this appointment type. Reduces admin scheduling burden and gives clients 24/7 booking access. Turn OFF for appointment types that require clinical vetting before scheduling.
Length Duration of the appointment Set accurately so clients know what to expect and your calendar blocks the right amount of time - prevents overlap and rushed sessions.
Contact Types Specifies which modalities are available for this appointment type: Video, Phone, or In-Person (select all that apply). Restricts self-scheduling to only the modalities appropriate for each service — for example, limit a group webinar to video only, or an intake visit to video and phone.
Requires Specific Providers When ON, clients can only book this appointment type when a specific named provider has availability. Ensures certain services are only bookable with designated providers — useful for appointment types tied to specific credentials, specialties, or established provider-client relationships.
Require Reason  Disabling this hides the "reason for visit" field during booking. Streamlines the booking flow for appointment types where the reason is already implied (e.g., a recurring follow-up), reducing friction for established clients.
Require Credit Card Requires clients to add a card to book. Reduces no-shows from new clients who have no prior commitment. Enables automatic late cancellation or no-show fees without a separate billing step.
Require Clients to Reside in the State in which the Provider is Licensed Enforces provider state license vs. client location when booking. Essential for multi-state practices to stay compliant with telehealth licensure laws. Prevents clients from booking with providers not licensed in their state.
Has Specific Appointment Settings Overrides org/provider reminder and availability settings for this type only. Use when one appointment type needs different reminders, a different booking window, or different availability hours than your org defaults.

Client View

Client Display Name Name shown to clients in the scheduler (can differ from the internal name). Use plain, patient-friendly language (e.g., "Initial Consultation" instead of "IC-60") to reduce booking confusion and abandoned scheduling flows. 
Client Display Description Optional description visible to clients when booking. Sets expectations before the appointment - ideal for explaining what to bring, what to expect, or how to prepare, reducing cancellations from uncertainty.
No Availability Message Custom message shown when no slots are available on a given day. Replaces a blank or confusing calendar with a helpful prompt - direct clients to contact you, join a waitlist, or check back later.

Step 11: Set Calendar Color Preferences


Customize how the calendar looks for your team and what text appears to clients above their scheduling widget.


Appointment color schemes

  • In Appointment Settings, scroll to Calendar Color Schemes.
  • Click Add Color Scheme.
  • Choose the trigger (e.g., appointment status = "Occurred" or appointment type = "Initial Consult").
  • Select a background color and text color (you can use custom hex codes).

To toggle between saved calendar color schemes, on the Calendar, Look to the left panel, Filter Appointments > Color Schemes

Step 12: Sync External Calendar


Healthie's calendar can be synced with Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple/iCal to prevent double-booking and keep your schedule aligned across tools.


How calendar sync works

  • Healthie offers two-way syncing with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook, and one-way (read) sync with Apple/iCal.
  • A two-way sync pushes Healthie appointments onto your external calendar (as a secondary "Healthie" calendar) and pulls your external events into Healthie to block availability — preventing clients from booking you during those times.
  • Your external events are not visible to clients. Clients will simply see those times as unavailable.
  • Healthie pulls in events up to 90 days in advance from synced calendars.
  • All-day events on external calendars are NOT pulled into Healthie. If you want an event to block your Healthie availability, make sure it is not marked as "All Day."
  • For HIPAA compliance, client first and last names will not be pushed to your external calendar unless you have a BAA in place with that calendar provider. Contact hello@gethealthie.com to enable name sharing with Google Calendar after signing a BAA.

How to connect your external calendar

Navigate to: Settings > Calendar > External Sync


  • Google Calendar: Click "Connect Your Google Calendar" and authorize Healthie access. Pop-up blockers must be disabled. Allow up to one hour for events to sync after connecting.
  • Outlook: Follow the Outlook authorization flow from the External Sync settings panel.
  • Apple/iCal: Copy the iCal link from Calendar > More > Sync Calendar and paste it into your Apple Calendar or iPhone Calendar settings.

Notes: 

  • Synced calendar events override your weekly availability. If an event exists in your external calendar during a time you've set as available in Healthie, that time will show as unavailable to clients.
  • If your calendar shows as "synced" but no events appear, check that the "Synced Appointments" box is checked in the Calendar view left panel, and that your appointment type filter is set to "All."
  • To prevent clients from booking when you're out of office, add a time block directly on your Healthie calendar in addition to your external calendar event.

Step 13: Configure Self-Scheduling Settings


In the Appointments > Self-Scheduling you will see the appointment types you previously created. 

By clicking on the pencil icon, you can edit what clients will see when booking appointments.

Setting What It Does Why Turn It On
Name Internal name for the appointment type — visible to providers and admins only, not shown to clients in the booking flow. For reference only. This is the same internal name set in Appointment Types. Changing it here changes it everywhere.
Client-Facing Name The name clients see when viewing your booking page, separate from the internal appointment type name. Use plain, accessible language that matches how your clients think about the service (e.g., "Initial Consultation" rather than "IC-60"). This can be updated without affecting the internal name.
Client-Facing Description Optional text shown to clients in the booking flow, displayed below the appointment type name.  Sets expectations before booking — explain what to expect in the session, how long it runs, or what to bring. Reduces pre-booking questions and post-booking cancellations from uncertainty.

Step 14: Configure Priority Booking 


Priority Booking allows organization admins to assign a scheduling priority number to each provider. When two providers share an available time slot, the provider with the higher priority number will be scheduled first in the self-scheduling widget.

  • Go to Settings > Organization
  • From the top menu bar, select Members
  • Click [...] Edit for a provider
  • In the Account Information section, locate the Scheduling Priority field

Note: Higher numbers = higher priority. A provider with priority 5 will be scheduled before a provider with priority 4. A provider with priority 1 has the lowest scheduling priority. Providers without a priority number assigned are treated equally in the booking queue.

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