12 Scheduling
Written by Andrew Maldonado
Updated at September 5th, 2025
| Clark | Smith | Holmes |
| Scheduling | Schedule sequentially. Do not offer an afternoon appointment if the morning is not full. If the patient requests afternoon, let them know we can schedule morning and, closer to time, an afternoon appointment may open up and we can accommodate that time request. The patient will need to reach out closer to appointment date to see if an afternoon appt has opened up. Add a note that the patient would like a later appointment if available. Procedures- when scheduling for the next day or the next couple of days, fill holes before adding on to the end of the day. This includes scheduling procedures in consult/post op slots if necessary. Fill holes regardless of post-op/ consult spot. |
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| TMJ | These patients should be triaged by the lead assistants. Please do not refer to another practice. The assistants can discuss with our doctors first and then make a decision. | |
| OGS | Dr. Clark does not see jaw surgeries anymore. // Dr. Holmes and Smith do see OGS | Patient must have referral from an orthodontist. Consult is scheduled by the front desk and the actual jaw surgery is scheduled by Cheryl Milam. |
| Splint Removal/ TADS | Patients having splint removal/TADS must have their appts coordinated with the orthodontist. These appts are typically scheduled by the assistants. If a patient calls and wants to r/s an appt for splint removal, these should be directed to the assistants to r/s to coordinate with the orthodontist. | |
| Scheduling TADS | When scheduling a TAD appointment, we must ask patient these 2 questions: 1. Are braces on? 2. Are you scheduled to see the orthodontist the same day after the procedure? These 2 things are a requirement for the procedure to be done. |
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| Hospital Surgeries | Hospital surgeries are scheduled by Cheryl Milam. | |
| Sleep Apnea / Oral Appliances | Sleep Apnea consults can be scheduled with Dr. Holmes or Dr. Smith. Oral appliances are not given. Let Cheryl or Amanda triage these appt | |
| Trauma | Trauma patients should be directed to an assistant (normally Cheryl Milam & Amanda Ballew) who will schedule the patient once getting the needed information. | |
| Oral Medical Consults vs. Scheduling for a Biopsy | The only time to schedule a biopsy is when the patient or dentist specifically names what it is (fibroma, mucocele, etc). If they do not know what it is, it needs to be scheduled as an oral med consult. Many lesions the dentists refer don't need a biopsy, and it takes up a working spot. If it does turn out to need a biopsy, we can usually go ahead and do it even if it is in a consult space. Oral med consults can come prepared for sedation and to remove but we will not know what the procedure will be until the doctor evaluates. If a referral gives you problems about urgency, have them send the records and the office will contact the patient. 1 oral med consult per day for Dr. Holmes and Dr. Smith |
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| Age Requirement | Only patients 10 years old and older. Please re-direct any patients under 10 to Drs Holmes or Smith. *Children only in the morning. *Age must be placed at the beginning of appt notes. |
Patients under 5 years old cannot be scheduled without approval from the doctor. No more than 2 children 10 and under within a 1 hour period without approval. *Children only in the morning. *Age must be placed at the beginning of appointment notes. |
| Referrals |
Dr Smith requires approval to schedule without a referral. Patients should have their referral & xray(s) sent to info@clarkholmessmith.com |
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| Appointment Notes | (INS type)chk tm?,tooth #,num of tooth, area, med dx, area, GA1, ref by Dr ?, (Email) ref/xrays, whos sch appt, or Dr. ?, Med Cn:, Allergies:,ex blood thinners, pt req specific day or first available, , initials | |
| Appointment Confirmation | Appointments are confirmed via email or text by Intiveo | |
| Cancellations/ Reschedules | If an appointment needs to be rescheduled, change the appointment to r/s. Copy and paste the appointment notes into the new appointment. An active cancellation list is not utlized. There is no cancellation policy. |
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| Holiday Breaks | See scheduling template. | |
| Patients with Special Needs | Children with special needs 4 and younger are referred to Dr. Kathlyn (Katy) Powell 205-987-1173. Patients who are special needs should be triaged by the assistants to make certain they meet certain requirements. These calls should be directed to the office. When scheduling a patient with austism, we need to find out how cooperative they are at the dentist, pediatrician, etc. Are they verbal? If there is any doubt these calls should be sent to an assistant. These appointments are best booked first thing in the morning. |
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| Sign Language Interpreter | If needed, patient will need to bring their own. | |
| Same Day Surgery | Patients can be scheduled for same day surgery if they are healthy meaning they are not on alot of medications, have controlled blood pressure, not actively seeking cancer treatment, or have controlled diabetes. Most procedures are done as consult/same day procedures. Only the doctor will make ethe decisions on anesthesia. All patients who are appointed for same day consult/procedures should come to the appt prepared for sedation/GA. Only patients seen for a consult first and documented "local only" can come prepared for local anesthesia (not NPO). Some procedures such as a splint removal, don't require any anesthesia, but these are established patients whom this has already been discussed. If a dental office calls to schedule an appt and insists that it can be done under local, please get the patient's cell number and just call them after they leave the dental office. | |
| Same Day Appointments | Same day appointments can be added for working patients. Make sure they do not eat or drink anything and have a driver. If in doubt contact Front Desk Coordinator or Clinical Supervisor (Amanda or Cheryl). Priority for the following emergency cases: 1. Patient is currently in the dentist chair in pain, or something has taken place causing the patient to need to be seen ASAP. 2. Patient is calling becauseof a same day accident (broken tooth, trauma of some sort. DO NOT PUT REFERRAL OFFICES ON HOLD. Take their number and we will call them right back, if there is a question contact the office. If within 24 hours, working patients can be added to open appointment spots. |
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| Openings in the surgery schedule 24 hours prior- can anything be scheduled? | If within 24 hours anything can be scheduled in an open spot. | |
| Appointments that need to be coordinated with the referring doctor | Implant appointments that need coordinated will be handled by the surgical assistants and the referring doctor's office. Extractions appointments that need coordinated for a flipper/partial will be scheduled by the front staff and coordinated with the referring doctor's office. |
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| Procedures not performed | Connective tissue graft and sleep apnea/oral appliances | |
| How is the need for a medical clearance notated? | If a medical clearance is needed it will be noted in the appt notes/chart notes and alerts. | |
| How long is a consult good for? | Consults are good for 1yr. Consults and procedures are typically done the same day. | |
| Work-ins/ Stand-by's | Do not use the words "work-in" for patients that are needing to be seen the same day and are coming from a dentist office. If a dentist office, especially an A referral call and need to send a patient over, the preference is always get the patient's number, so we can call and speak with them directly to arrange the best time, gather their insurance, etc. If the dentist office insists that they come over immediately, use the phrase "stand-by" and have them proceed to the office. Work-ins should be sent to the appropiate insurance coordinator | |
| Emergency Calls | These calls must be relayed to an assistant immediately. Please don't email or leave a voicemail for the assistant. ( If a pt states that their bleeding, transfer to front desk) | |
| Fridays | Fridays are for working patients only. No consults or routine post ops unless the doctor has made an exception. Emergency post ops are triaged and scheduled by the assistants. No surgery patients who are on blood thinners (exception is aspirin) on Fridays. |
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| Cardiac Clearance | We have patients who are on blood thinners or who have had major heart surgeries. Patients who take the major blood thinner Warfarin/Coumadin must have an INR (blood levels checked) prior to their appointment. Also, any patients who are under the care of a cardiologist or just had recent heart surgery must have a clearance letter stating that it is okay to sedate. No surgery patients who are on blood thinners (exception is aspirin) on Fridays. |
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