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Booking within a patient's preferred dates

Sometimes you know which dates actually suit a patient before you book them in — they typed it into your website's booking form, or told you over the phone and you noted it down. When that's the case, MedicalSuite keeps the calendar honest to those dates while you book or reschedule them. This page explains what you'll see and — the important part — how to book outside those dates when you need to.

Where the dates come from​

  • The patient filled in "which dates suit you?" on your website's booking form, if your clinic has that question turned on. See Booking widget on your website.
  • You typed a range yourself on the New Enquiry form while talking to the patient on the phone — the Available From / Available To fields.

Either way, you'll see it on the enquiry as "prefers 12–19 Aug" (or a single day, "prefers 14 Aug").

What changes when you book​

On the Convert screen (turning the enquiry into a patient and appointment) and on the Reschedule screen, the calendar limits itself to the dates the patient gave:

  • The date picker won't let you pick a day outside them.
  • Only time slots inside those dates are listed.
  • A note near the picker reminds you which dates that is, so the limit is never a mystery.

Nothing fits? Book outside their dates​

Right beside the date picker (or, when rescheduling, right in the warning) is a button labelled Book outside their dates. Click it and the full calendar opens back up — pick any day, any slot, same as normal. Click it again to go back to their stated dates.

Use this whenever you need to — the patient changed their mind on the phone, nothing inside their window works, or you simply know better. It's not locked down; it's there so a receptionist is never stuck staring at a calendar that refuses every date. Using it is noted in the enquiry's activity log, so there's a record of who booked outside the patient's stated dates and why.

Rescheduling into a new time​

Dragging an appointment to a new time works exactly as before. If you drop it outside the patient's stated dates, a warning appears explaining that, and Confirm reschedule is disabled until you either pick a time back inside their dates or click Book outside their dates in that same warning.

If their dates have already passed​

If the dates the patient gave you are now in the past — they took too long to get back to you, say — the restriction doesn't apply at all. You'll see a note explaining that their stated dates have passed, and every available slot is shown, same as an enquiry with no dates given.

Common questions​

Why won't the calendar let me pick a date? The enquiry has dates the patient (or you) gave, and you're looking outside them. Click Book outside their dates beside the picker to lift the limit.

Does this apply to every booking? Only enquiries that have dates on them. An enquiry with nothing entered books exactly as it always has.

Does using the override get in trouble with anyone? No — it's a normal part of the flow, just recorded so there's a record if a patient later asks why they were booked outside the dates they gave.

I rescheduled by opening the appointment and using the date picker, not drag-and-drop — is it still restricted? Yes, the same limit and the same Book outside their dates button apply wherever you reschedule from.

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