Scheduling
Scheduling is a common workflow and correct use of the FHIR spec supports many complex scheduling workflows.
Key Resources
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
Slot | Defines a unit of availability for a provider. It can be assigned different appointment and service types. |
Schedule | A grouping resource to collect a set of Slots. Schedules can be assigned to Practitioner, Location (facilities or rooms), and Patient resources. |
Appointment | A tracking resources to define a booked Slot that may result in one or more Encounters. |
Managing Availability
To manage provider availability, workflows include a Schedule resource, which has one or more Slots of availability.
The Schedule usage documentation provides a great overview on how FHIR Schedules can be used to manage availability for different types of actors, including:
PractitionersHealthcareServices- specific practice
Locations
Tracking Appointments
Appointments represent the booked visit between patient and provider.
The Appointment usage documentation provides a great starting point for understanding the full appointment booking lifecycle.
More advanced workflows can implement the Appointment request/response model. In this model, participants confirm their availability using AppointmentResponse resources. Appointments can also be linked to specific Location, and Bots can be used to enforce other business logic.
See Also
- Scheduling API and Workflow Video on YouTube
- Scheduling Features and Fixes on Github, with sample data included.
- Schedules on the Medplum App
- Scheduling React Component