Can patients reschedule appointments themselves?

Yes, when you enable 'Allow Cancellation' on the appointment type, patients receive a link in their confirmation email to cancel or reschedule. You can set a deadline after which changes aren't permitted.

How do I handle multiple doctors with different schedules?

Each doctor can have independent availability schedules. When you set 'Availability On: Users' and 'Assignment Method: Pick User, then Time,' patients first select their preferred doctor, then see only that doctor's available time slots.

Can I set up telemedicine appointments?

Yes. In the Options tab, add a Videoconference Link field with your video platform URL. You can create separate appointment types for in-person and video consultations with different settings.

Does the appointment sync with doctors' calendars?

Yes, appointments automatically appear in Odoo Calendar for the assigned doctor. They can also sync with external calendars like Google Calendar or Outlook through Odoo's calendar integration.

What if a doctor needs to block off time for emergencies?

Doctors can create busy events in their Odoo Calendar to block specific times. The appointment system respects these blocks and won't show those slots as available.

Managing Doctor Appointments in Odoo 18

Managing appointments through phone calls and paper calendars creates chaos in busy healthcare practices. Patients call, get put on hold, staff scramble to find available slots, and double-bookings happen weekly. At Wellness First Medical Center, a multi-specialty clinic with 8 physicians, reception staff spent over 3 hours daily just coordinating schedules—until they discovered Odoo 18's Appointment module.

This guide walks through setting up a complete appointment booking system for medical consultations using Odoo 18. We'll configure appointment types for different doctors, set up availability schedules, enable online booking with payments, and automate patient reminders—transforming a chaotic scheduling process into a streamlined self-service experience.

Required Modules:

Appointment - Core scheduling functionality
Website - Online booking interface
Calendar - Schedule visualization
Contacts - Patient management

Why Healthcare Practices Need Online Scheduling

Manual appointment scheduling creates friction for both patients and staff:

Phone Tag

Patients call during work hours, wait on hold, miss callbacks—frustrating everyone involved

Double Bookings

Paper calendars and spreadsheets lead to scheduling conflicts and wasted time

No-Shows

Without automated reminders, patients forget appointments—lost revenue and empty slots

Payment Delays

Collecting consultation fees at reception adds administrative overhead

Step 1: Create an Appointment Type

Appointment types define the services patients can book. For a medical clinic, you might create separate types for General Consultation, Specialist Referral, Follow-up Visit, or Vaccination.

Setting Up Doctor Consultation

Access Appointment Module: Navigate to Appointment from the main menu
Create New Type: Click New to start configuration
Basic Information:
- Appointment Title: "General Physician Consultation"
- Duration: 30 minutes (standard consultation length)
- Pre-Booking Time: 2 hours (minimum notice before appointment)
- Schedule Window: 30 days (how far ahead patients can book)
Enable Cancellation: Check Allow Cancellation and set cancellation deadline (e.g., 24 hours before)

Key Configuration Fields

Field	Purpose	Example Value
Duration	Length of each appointment slot	30 minutes
Pre-Booking Time	Minimum notice required before booking	2 hours
Schedule Window	How far in advance patients can book	30 days
Availability On	Whether appointment uses users or resources	Users (Doctors)
Assignment Method	How patients select doctor and time	Pick User, then Time

Tip: Set "Availability On" to "Users" when doctors are registered as Odoo users. This lets patients see and select specific physicians.

Step 2: Configure Doctor Schedules

The Schedule tab defines when each doctor is available for appointments. This prevents overbooking and ensures patients only see available time slots.

Setting Working Hours

Navigate to the Schedule tab and configure availability:

# Dr. Sarah Mitchell - General Physician Schedule
# Wellness First Medical Center

Monday:     09:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 17:00
Tuesday:    09:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 17:00
Wednesday:  09:00 - 13:00 (Half Day)
Thursday:   09:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 17:00
Friday:     09:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 16:00
Saturday:   10:00 - 14:00 (Weekend Clinic)
Sunday:     OFF

# Buffer Time: 10 minutes between appointments
# Consultation Duration: 30 minutes
# Available Slots per Day: ~12-14 patients

Schedule Configuration Tips:

Break Times: Add gaps for lunch and administrative work
Buffer Between Appointments: Allow 5-10 minute buffers for overruns
Different Days: Configure unique hours for each weekday
Multiple Doctors: Each physician can have independent schedules

Step 3: Configure Display Options

The Options tab controls how appointments appear on your website and what information patients see during booking.

Front-End Display Settings

Doctor Photos

Show profile pictures of physicians on the booking page for personal connection

Location Details

Display clinic address, room numbers, and directions for in-person visits

Video Conferencing

Add telemedicine links for virtual consultations (Zoom, Google Meet, etc.)

Timezone Display

Show timezone for international patients booking across time zones

Step 4: Set Up Patient Intake Questions

The Questions tab lets you gather essential information from patients before their appointment. This prepares doctors and streamlines check-in.

Adding Custom Questions

Navigate to the Question tab
Click Add a line to create new questions
Configure question type (text, selection, checkbox)
Set whether the question is required or optional

Step 5: Configure Automated Reminders

No-shows cost healthcare practices significant revenue. Automated reminders via email and SMS dramatically reduce missed appointments.

Setting Up Reminders

Timing	Channel	Purpose
Immediately	Email	Booking confirmation with details
24 hours before	Email + SMS	Reminder with reschedule option
2 hours before	SMS	Final reminder with location/link

Step 6: Enable Online Payments

Collecting consultation fees upfront reduces no-shows and eliminates front-desk payment processing. Configure up-front payment in the Options tab.

Payment Configuration

Enable Up-front Payment option
Set the consultation fee amount (e.g., $75 for general consultation)
Configure payment provider (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
Customize payment confirmation message

Payment Options: You can set different fees for different appointment types—higher for specialists, lower for follow-ups, or free for vaccination clinics.

Step 7: Configure Confirmation Messages

The Messages tab lets you customize what patients see after booking or cancelling appointments.

Sample Confirmation Message

Thank you for booking your appointment at Wellness First Medical Center!

Your Appointment Details:
- Doctor: Dr. Sarah Mitchell
- Date: [APPOINTMENT_DATE]
- Time: [APPOINTMENT_TIME]
- Location: 123 Health Avenue, Suite 201

Please arrive 15 minutes early for check-in.
Bring your insurance card and photo ID.

Need to reschedule? Click here: [RESCHEDULE_LINK]

Questions? Call us at (555) 123-4567

We look forward to seeing you!

Step 8: Publish and Test

Publishing the Appointment Type

Click Go to Website icon on the appointment form
Toggle Published to make it live
Test the booking flow as a patient would
Verify calendar sync and reminder delivery

Adding to Website Navigation

Go to Website module
Click the + button to add content
Select Appointment from the list
Choose "General Physician Consultation" from available appointment types
The booking interface appears on your website page

Patient Booking Experience

From the patient's perspective, the booking flow is straightforward:

Select Doctor

View available physicians with photos, specialties, and ratings

Choose Date & Time

Calendar shows only available slots based on doctor's schedule

Answer Questions

Complete intake form with reason for visit and medical info

Complete Payment

Pay consultation fee securely online

Confirmation

Receive confirmation email with appointment details and calendar invite

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Odoo 18's Appointment module transforms chaotic medical scheduling into a streamlined, self-service experience. Patients book at their convenience—no phone calls, no hold times, no back-and-forth. Doctors see consolidated schedules with patient intake information pre-filled. Staff focus on patient care instead of calendar management.

The combination of configurable appointment types, flexible scheduling, automated reminders, online payments, and website integration creates a complete booking ecosystem. Whether you're running a single-physician practice or a multi-specialty clinic, this system scales to match your operational complexity while reducing administrative overhead.

Need Help Setting Up Healthcare Appointments?

Our Odoo consultants specialize in healthcare implementations. We can configure appointment types for your practice, integrate with your existing patient management system, set up payment processing, and train your staff on the complete workflow.

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