The Appointment Requests Inbox is available to clinics who have the Appointment Requests or Appointment Booking feature enabled in Mikata.
List of requests submitted by patients through appointment booking/request chat
You can change the status of the request by clicking on the status on the requests page or at the top of the request details page.
These statuses are only meant to be used to keep track of bookings - switching this status to "Booked" will not book the appointment. Once the appointment has been switched from "Ready" to any of the booked statuses, other than 'Waiting on input', it will move to the Archived section (this can be reversed by going into Archived and switching the status back to "Ready").
Separates requests by status
Filter the Requests inbox by assignee(s). Simply click the dropdown to display a list of users to filter by, and click the individual users to select them.
Once happy with the selection, clicking ‘Apply’ will cause the table to refresh with the filters applied.
If you need to refresh the Appointment Requests table click the refresh button 🔄 . This will trigger an instant refresh of the appointment requests table with the current filters still applied. Although the table already refreshes every 30 seconds, this button was added for those who prefer a more immediate response.
If your clinic has this enabled, direct messages to patients are able to be sent with a link to book an appointment or to upload images and forms.
There are two main use cases for this:
A patient is on the phone trying to book their appointment and you need them to upload a form (e.g. requisition) or image (e.g. photos of areas of concern). Solution: You can use the ‘Send Request’ button to send the patient a link to upload the info you need.
You have a busy reception and a patient was unable to book their next appointment (in-person or over the phone). Solution: When you have a moment, you can use the ‘Send Request’ button to send the patient a link to an appointment request chat, where they can book their appointment.
How it works:
Select the template you want to send, fill in the patient's phone number and/or email address, and assign the task to yourself or someone on your team.
Click ‘Send Appointment Request Link’. The patient will receive the message instantly and can begin filling in their appointment request.
If you want to add or change an appointment request template, submit a request here.
| Tab | Statuses |
|---|---|
| 📝 | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
Created at
Date and time that patient submitted the request
Patient
Displays patient name, phone number, and PHN (if available)
Location
Displays patient’s appointment location/ preferred appointment location
Reason
New appointment request: Displays patient’s appointment reason(s)
Reschedule/cancel: Displays that this is a reschedule/cancel request
Time
Displays patient’s preferred appointment days/times
Booked status
Displays the request’s status
Req.
Displays files uploaded by patient (if available)
Assigned to
Displays clinic user assigned to work on request (if anyone)
Click the link to assign/unassign the request to yourself or another Mikata user
Request details link
Click the link to open the request details page for that request
Requests
Ready, Waiting on input
Archived
Booked, Auto Booked, Unable to book, Insufficient info, Not a request
All
Combination of all request statuses
A
Chat Summary
Summary of information submitted by the patient in appointment request/ booking chat
B
Uploads
Files uploaded by the patient (if available)
Files can be downloaded to your computer as PDFs
NOTE: files expire after 30 days
C
Chat report
A condensed version of the information submitted by the patient in the appointment request/ booking chat (e.g., Answers to follow-up questions)
D
Chat transcript
Exhaustive transcript of messages sent between Mikata and the patient
E
Timeline
Timeline of changes made to a patient's appointments, online requests or demographics
Scroll to see all changes, use the Oldest to Newest or Newest to Oldest to sort the timeline or use 'Command + F' to search.
F
Assigned & Booked status
Displays clinic user assigned to work on request (if anyone) and the request’s status
Click to change
Enable patients to book appointments in your EMR schedule without needing to review or approve their requests.
When a patient selects an autobooking appointment type during the chat, they are prompted to enter their personal healthcare number. Mikata checks to see if there is an existing chart in your EMR for that patient. If a chart is found, the patient sees available appointment times from your EMR. Once they select and confirm their desired appointment time, Mikata will book the appointment in your EMR. Upon successful completion of this process, the patient sees a booking summary.
If a patients personal healthcare number does not exist in your EMR, they will be bumped into a basic appointment request chat flow after 3 attempts.
If you have booking notifications on for autobooking, the patient will receive a confirmation message via SMS or email (including any prep instructions and/or forms you've attached to that touchpoint). After that, the patient will receive any other automated messages (e.g., reminders, check-ins, follow-ups) that are a part of their appointment journey.
Just like our advanced appointment request, if none of the available appointment times work, the patient can tap "No times work" in the upper righthand corner, and they will be redirected to a basic appointment request.
Yes, a patient can only autobook one appointment per day. For parents and/or caregivers trying to book appointments for more than one patient, they must complete the chat using the personal healthcare number for the first patient, and then restart the chat and complete it using the personal healthcare number for the second patient, and so on.
To begin, decide which appointment types should be autobooked and whether you want to further restrict autobooking to patients who have a designated primary care provider. Then, schedule a session with our Customer Success team to design your appointment booking chat and connect it with your EMR schedule.
This sections shows you how to find and book basic and advanced appointment requests.
Patient appointment booking submissions are found on the 'Appointment Requests' page. Click the inbox icon from the menu bar on the left.
On the 'Appointment Requests' page you will see the list of patients who have submitted a booking request.
You can also subscribe to email notifications at any time to keep up to date with any appointment requests that require review.
Go to appointment request details page
On the Appointment Request page, find the patient you want to book and click the document icon on the right. This brings you to the Appointment Request Details page, where you can see all information needed to book a patient for their appointment.
Using the summary information, book an appointment in your EMR
The appointment request details page has a chat summary and transcript.
To see a transcript of the chat, click the expand arrow, shown below.
Or scroll down to see a summary of responses.
You can click the 'Copy' button to copy the summary to your EMR.
Use the information collected to book an appointment for the patient in your EMR.
Change the status to 'Booked'
Once the patient is booked into the EMR, go ahead and change the booked status to 'Booked'. This will move the request into the Archived folder.
Go to appointment request details page
On the Appointment Request page, find the patient you want to book and click the document icon on the right. This brings you to the Appointment Request Details page, where you can see all information needed to book a patient for their appointment.
Selecting the patient
Once you are on the Appointment Request Details page, start by selecting the correct patient from the clinic's patient records (make sure to click patient's name in the grey box).
Checking for a Mobile Phone Number
In order for the patient to receive booked messages and reminders they must have an active email or mobile phone to receive reminder messages. Mobile numbers will appear with a green checkmark next to them (as shown below).
When phone numbers are not for mobile phones, a red exclamation mark will appear (as shown below).
Appointment reason
In the Appointment Request Details page, you can see the appointment reason that the patient selected in their booking chat. The clinic has the ability to modify the appointment reason, if necessary.
Appointment date and time
For an advanced booking request, you can then select from the list of 5 preferred appointment times that the patient selected when they completed the chat. By having the patient select at up to 5 open time slots that work for them, the clinic user will have options when they book the patient's appointment time.
Review
A summary of the appointment details is then created to ensure that everything is 100% correct. If all of the details are correct, the appointment can be booked right in the Mikata app. Doing so will create the appointment directly in the EMR. At this point a booking confirmation message is sent to the patient informing them of their scheduled appointment time.
Reminder: if there is a red exclamation mark next to the phone number, the number input is a landline or not a real phone number.
Mikata automatically changes the status to 'Booked'
Once the patient is booked into your EMR, Mikata will automatically update the status of your appointment to 'Booked'. This will move the request to the Archived folder.
Once the patient has been booked into your EMR, they will receive an automated booking confirmation (through SMS or email). The patient will then continue to receive any other automated messages regarding their appointment along with any prep instructions or forms.
Follow these steps to get your clinic set up with our Appointment Booking feature.
Click here to create a help request.
Brainstorm the patient information you would like to collect and the follow up questions you would like to ask patients regarding the appointment type they are booking for. Some examples of patient information and follow up questions that could be useful to include are featured below:
Patient name
Patient phone number
Patient healthcare number
Patient email
Patient referral form
Patient date of birth
Patient home address
Patient health history for booked appointment reason
Explanation of the problem/appointment reason the patient is booking for
During this meeting you will work together to come up with the flow of your booking chat. This design will determine the flow of questions you want patients to answer before booking their appointment.
After discussing the design of your booking chat, your Customer Success Specialist will begin developing it. Once they have finished building the chat, you will have the opportunity to test and review.
This is designed to be a 3-week process. If you require more than 3 weeks for this project there may be an additional onboarding fee.
When your appointment booking chat is finished and ready for patients to use, you will be given a number of different methods to distribute it to patients.
These methods include:
A QR code that patients can scan to access the chat.
A widget that can be attached to your website for patients to click on and access the chat.
A link to the booking chat, which patients can request by texting your clinic's designated Mikata number.
When completing the appointment booking chat, patients will be prompted to answer a number of questions about themselves before selecting their appointment reason, provider, and the time(s) that work for them.
For basic appointment requests, patients will select a day of the week, and time of day that works best for them (e.g., Friday morning).
For advanced appointment requests, patients will select up to 5 available appointment times that work for them.
For autobooking, patients will select and book an appointment in an available appointment time that works for them.
If the patient is unable to find available appointment times, they will be prompted to select their preferred time and days for an appointment and will submit a basic appointment request to the clinic.
Enable patients to book appointments at your clinic through an online chatbot that shows them real-time appointment availability from your EMR.
Mikata offers the ability for patients to request/book their appointments online. There are a few ways to give patients access to the booking chatbot:
A QR code that patients can scan to access the chat.
A widget that can be attached to your website for patients to click on and access the chat.
A link to the booking chat, which patients can request by texting your clinic's designated Mikata number.
The patient can access the chat and enter the information that you need to book their appointment.
Chats are customizable, so you can get the information you need.
There are 3 different types of booking chatbots available in Mikata:
Basic Appointment Requests
The patient selects a general day of the week and time of day that works best for them. Your team then reviews the request and books the patient into the EMR based on their preferences (if possible).
Mikata's basic appointment requests are a default in the booking chatbot. If a patient is completing an advanced request or autobooking and they are unable to find a time that works for them, they will be bumped into a basic appointment chat.
Booking notifications are required with this booking request.
Advanced Appointment Requests
The patient selects specific days and times for their appointment. Your team then reviews the request and books the patient into the EMR based on their selections (if possible).
Booking notifications are required with this booking request.
Autobooking
Autobooking enables patients to select an appointment time from available times in your EMR schedule, and then book their appointment directly into your EMR schedule without requiring review or approval from your team.
IMPORTANT: At this time, autobooking only works for patients who have an existing chart in your EMR. You can further restrict this to patients who have a primary provider designated in their chart. Patients who do not have a chart (or a primary provider, if you've added that restriction) will be redirected from autobooking to a basic appointment request.
Booking notifications are not required with this booking request, but they are recommended.
You can mix-and-match booking options, giving you the ultimate flexibility over how patients book appointments!
E.g., you can use basic appointment requests for some appointments, while enabling autobooking or advanced booking for others.
Your customizable Mikata chatbot integrates with your EMR to pull all of your clinics scheduled appointments. Patients can then click through the chat and select the available appointment times they prefer to book in for.
Appointment booking chats can also be used to collect patient information related to their appointment to give the clinic access to this information ahead of time. These questions can help guide what times will be available based on the type of appointment the patient needs.