For use with NexHealth Scheduling.
Note on terminology: Operatories are sometimes called "columns," "chairs," or "rooms" depending on your practice and EHR. This article uses operatory; the same instructions apply to chairs and columns.
This article explains how to configure providers in NexHealth so patients can book appointments online — including setting up availability hours, appointment types, display names, and more.
Before you begin
NexHealth syncs providers automatically from your EHR. To add a new provider, first add them in your health record system — NexHealth will sync them from there. Once synced, you must still mark the provider as Active in NexHealth and assign appointment types before they appear in online booking. If you don't see the right providers, contact support at [email protected].
Important: A new appointment type will not appear in online booking until it is mapped to at least one provider. After creating an appointment type, go to Scheduling → Online booking → Availability, find the provider, and click Edit next to Default appointment types to assign it.
Configure provider details
Setting up provider details configures which appointment types patients can book with each provider.
1. Navigate to provider availability.
Go to Scheduling → Online booking, then click Availability in the top-right.
2. Search for the provider.
Use the search bar or scroll to find the provider.
You can toggle Set availability by operatory to set availability by operatory rather than by provider. Changing this will change your online booking format and will require you to set up online booking again.
3. Edit the provider's role, appointment types, and insurances.
Within each provider card, you can edit:
Role — select from the dropdown (e.g., Dentist, Hygienist)
Default appointment types — click Edit to choose which appointment types this provider accepts; check each type to enable it
Custom insurances — click Edit to add individual insurances or upload a CSV
Profile photo — click the profile picture to upload an image
Provider-level appointment duration overrides
When editing appointment types, click Customize appointment durations to set a duration specific to this provider. If a provider's custom duration is shorter than the global appointment type duration, only the shorter slots will appear to patients for that provider — the global setting does not apply. Use this when a provider consistently runs faster or slower than the practice default.
Returning vs. new patient booking per provider
Within each provider's appointment type settings, you can control whether that provider accepts new patients, returning patients, or both for each appointment type. This lets you route different patient types to different providers without creating separate appointment types.
Configure provider availability
Setting up provider availability configures the times patients can book appointments.
Two types of availability
NexHealth supports two ways to define when a provider is available:
Recurring weekly schedule — a day-of-week template that repeats automatically (e.g., Monday 9 AM–5 PM every week). This is the most common setup and requires the least ongoing maintenance.
Custom dates — one-off availability slots for specific dates. Use these for exceptions: a provider working a Saturday, a modified schedule during a holiday week, or a temporary change.
You can use both types together. A provider might have a recurring weekly schedule plus a custom date override for a specific week.
Important: If no availability is configured for a provider at a location, that provider will not appear in online booking or in the Waitlist feature. Patients will see a message prompting them to call the office instead of any booking slots. Providers must have at least one active availability slot to appear in either place.
1. Navigate to provider availability.
Go to Scheduling → Online booking, then click Availability.
2. Edit existing availability slots.
Click the pencil icon next to any existing slot to edit it.
3. Add new availability slots.
Click + Add Time on the provider's schedule to create a new slot. Fill in:
Date — the start date for the slot
Start time and End time — be sure to specify AM or PM
Custom repeat — set the recurrence pattern (e.g., weekly, every Monday)
Operatory — assign the slot to a specific operatory if applicable
Appointment types — choose which types are available during this slot
NexHealth can also sync availability slots directly from your EHR for a limited number of systems. This is supported for eClinicalWorks, Open Dental, Orthotrac, Dentrix Enterprise, and Eaglesoft. For synced slots, edit times in your EHR — changes will sync to NexHealth automatically.
4. Set the provider status to Active.
Toggle each provider to Active (green) so patients can book them. A provider set to Inactive will not appear in online booking or the Waitlist, even if availability slots exist.
Understanding the display buttons (10, 25, 50, 100)
The buttons labeled 10, 25, 50, and 100 on the availability screen control how many hours of availability are shown at one time. They are pagination controls — use them to expand the view when a provider has many availability slots, or to page through a long schedule. They do not affect the actual availability configured.
Edit a provider or operatory display name
Display names control how providers and operatories appear to patients in online booking. As of a recent platform update, display names also appear to staff in the Waitlist and Availability views. You can edit the display name independently of what syncs from your EHR.
Important: If an operatory's display name is blank or not set, it may appear as an empty label in patient-facing booking flows. Set a clear, meaningful name for every operatory patients could see.
1. Go to Scheduling → Online booking → Availability.
2. Click the pencil icon next to the provider or operatory name.
The pencil icon appears next to the name in the Availability list. Click it to enter edit mode.
If your office uses Set availability by operatory, you'll also see a display name field for the assigned operatory.
3. Enter the new display name and click Save.
Type the name you want patients to see, then click Save. This only changes how the name appears in online booking and the Waitlist — it does not update the record in your EHR.
Onboard a new provider
When a new provider joins the practice, follow these steps to make them available for online booking:
Add the provider in your EHR. NexHealth will sync them automatically.
Go to Scheduling → Online booking → Availability and find the new provider.
Mark the provider as Active.
Click Edit next to Default appointment types and assign the appointment types they accept.
Add availability slots with the dates and times the provider is accepting bookings. Use a Custom dates slot if they are starting on a specific future date, or a Recurring weekly schedule if their regular hours are known.
Optionally, configure returning vs. new patient booking options per appointment type.
Optionally, set a provider-level appointment duration override if their slot length differs from the global default.
The provider will appear in online booking only after steps 3–5 are complete.
Duplicate availability within a provider
To quickly create a new availability slot, clone an existing one and edit it.
1. Click Clone for the slot you want to copy.
Click the doubled-sheet icon to clone the slot.
2. Edit the cloned slot.
Change the day, time, appointment types, or operatory as needed.
3. Click Save.
How to close an operatory (chair or column)
If you need to take an operatory out of service for online booking — for example, when a chair is being repaired or a room is temporarily unavailable — use the Availability settings.
Warning: Close operatories through NexHealth's Availability settings. NexHealth does not read operatory hour changes from the EHR.
Prerequisite: set availability by operatory
Closing a specific operatory requires Set availability by operatory to be toggled on. If your availability is set by provider, you'll need to switch first — note that switching requires you to set up online booking again.
Close an operatory (ongoing)
Go to Online booking → Availability.
Find the operatory you want to close.
Toggle it off within the availability settings.
The operatory will not be bookable until you toggle it back on.
Close an operatory for a specific date or period
Update the availability slot for that operatory on the Online booking → Availability page to adjust the time range so it's unavailable for the period in question.
FAQ
What do patients see if no availability is configured?
If a provider has no active availability hours, they will not appear as a booking option. Patients will see a prompt to call the office instead of any booking slots.
How do I close a chair or column?
"Chair" and "column" are other names for operatory in NexHealth. See How to close an operatory above.
How do I block off a chair for a specific day?
Update the availability slot for that operatory on the Online booking → Availability page to make it unavailable for the date in question.
Can I temporarily close an operatory without permanently removing it?
Yes. Toggle it off to close it on an ongoing basis, or update its availability slots for a specific period. It will not be deleted and can be re-enabled at any time.
Why don't I see a way to close a specific operatory?
You need Set availability by operatory toggled on. If availability is configured by provider, you won't see operatory-level toggles.
See also