Checking in a patient
Mark a patient as arrived, place them on the queue, and notify the dentist.
Overview
When a patient arrives, the front desk checks them in. That moves the appointment from SCHEDULED to CHECKED_IN, places the patient on the live queue for their assigned dentist, and broadcasts a real-time notification so the dentist sees the patient is ready.
Prerequisites
- Front-desk role (Receptionist, Admin, Owner, or any clinical role)
- The patient has a
SCHEDULEDappointment for today - The patient is physically present
Steps
Open the queue. Top nav → Queue. The page shows current waiting patients per dentist column at the active location.
Find the patient's appointment. Either scroll down to the Today's Appointments section at the bottom of the queue page, or open the calendar in another tab and find the appointment.
Click "Check in". A small confirmation dialog appears: patient name, appointment time, dentist. Confirm.
Verify the move. The appointment card moves from "Today's Appointments" into the dentist's queue column with status CHECKED_IN and a check-in timestamp.
(Optional) Note insurance verification or copay. A small Notes for dentist field on the check-in modal. Use for last-minute info: "Insurance verified", "Patient paid copay 5,000 cash".
(Optional) Update insurance/HMO at check-in. If the patient hands over a new insurance card, click Edit profile to update before the dentist starts. Otherwise, billing will deal with it post-visit.
Confirm the dentist is notified. A live connection notification fires; the dentist's queue view updates immediately. They also see a desktop notification if they have notifications enabled.
Direct the patient to the waiting area. No clinical action needed from front desk now until the dentist calls them in or they're ready to leave.
Expected outcome
- The appointment status flips from
SCHEDULEDtoCHECKED_INtimestamp - The patient appears in the dentist's queue column
- A queue update event is broadcast in real time to all clinical staff
- An audit log entry records the check-in by you
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Check-in button missing on the appointment | Status isn't SCHEDULED (already checked in or completed) | Look at the existing status — you may have already checked them in |
| "Patient already checked in" error | Double-click | Refresh; the original check-in succeeded |
| Patient doesn't appear in dentist's column | Wrong dentist assigned | Reschedule the appointment to the correct dentist before check-in |
| Wrong location | Multi-location: queue at wrong location | Switch the location filter at the top of the queue |
| Real-time update missed | Dentist's live connection disconnected | They should refresh; the check-in is recorded regardless |