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Choosing a Booking Flow: Provider-First or Service-First

When patients book their own appointments, the booking steps can run in one of two orders: choosing a provider first, then a Service, or choosing a Service first, then a provider. The preferred flow can be set at an Organisation level.

📍 Where to Configure the Booking Flow

Go to: Administration → Portal Settings

Then click Edit. In the edit modal, you'll find the Booking Flow Setting field with two options: Provider-first and Service-first.

This is an Organisation-level setting — it applies to all Patient Groups. You'll need the Administration permission to access Portal Settings.

👩‍⚕️ Provider-First (the default)

With the default flow, patients choose who they want to see, then what kind of appointment:

  1. The patient taps Book Now
  2. They see the Bookable Providers configured for their Patient Group
  3. They select a provider
  4. They select one of that provider's Services
  5. They pick a date and time, then confirm the booking

This flow suits organisations where patients tend to book with a specific clinician — for example, ongoing care with a provider they already know.

🧾 Service-First

With the service-first flow, patients choose the type of appointment first, then who delivers it:

  1. The patient taps Book Now
  2. They see the Bookable Services available to their Patient Group
  3. They select a Service
  4. They see the providers who deliver that Service
  5. They pick a date and time, then confirm the booking

This flow suits organisations where patients think in terms of the care they need — an initial consult, a physio session, a review — rather than a particular clinician.

🧩 What Stays the Same

Only the order of the first two choices changes. Under either flow:

  • Patients only see the Bookable Providers and Bookable Services configured for their Patient Group
  • Available time slots are still driven by each provider's availability
  • The final steps — choosing a date and time, then confirming — are identical

⚙️ Changing the Setting

  1. Go to Administration → Portal Settings
  2. Click Edit
  3. Under Booking Flow Setting, select Provider-first or Service-first
  4. Click Save

The change takes effect immediately for all patients booking through the Patient App and Patient Web Portal. No other booking configuration needs to change — your existing Services, providers, and Patient Group settings carry over as they are.

💡 Best Practices

  • Choose Service-first if your Organisation offers a broad menu of Services delivered by multiple interchangeable providers — it helps patients find the right appointment type without needing to know who delivers it.
  • Stay with Provider-first if continuity of care drives most bookings and patients typically return to the same clinician.
  • If you switch flows, let your team know — patients may describe the booking screens differently when contacting your staff for help.

Next step: ➡️ To review which providers and Services each cohort can book, see Configure Patient Groups & Booking Access.