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Managing Provider Availability

CareLaunch builds provider availability in layers: a stable Recurring Hours baseline, one-time slots drawn on the calendar for specific dates, and Out of Office blocks for time off. Out of Office overrides one-time slots, which override Recurring Hours.

Role required. A provider must have at least one role assigned before their schedule can be configured. If no roles appear in the Manage Recurring Hours dialog, assign a role to the provider first.

How Availability Works​

Recurring Hours (standard weekly pattern, per role)
  ↓ overridden by
One-time slots (drawn on the calendar for a specific date)
  ↓ blocked by
Out of Office (date-specific unavailability)
  • Recurring Hours defines the default weekly pattern. Set it once per role.
  • One-time slots add or block availability on a single date without touching the recurring pattern. Draw them on the calendar in the Schedule view.
  • Out of Office takes a day or longer off — vacations, conferences, holidays.

The Availability Dashboard​

Navigate to Availability in the sidebar to see a read-only overview of all providers and their available slots. Select a provider to view their monthly calendar, then click a date to see the time slots for that day.

This view is for monitoring — schedule editing happens from the Schedule view. The schedule manager also includes a Patient Preview option in the Manage menu, which opens a Patient Schedule Preview showing availability exactly as patients see it when booking — a quick way to confirm a change looks right before patients rely on it.

Recurring Hours​

Recurring Hours sets a provider's recurring weekly schedule for a given role — the hours that repeat every week. It applies to this provider's role specifically; it is not a shared role template, so editing it changes only this provider. Each role has its own schedule — if a provider has multiple roles, configure each separately.

When to Change It​

Only edit Recurring Hours when the permanent weekly pattern changes:

  • Provider shifts from Mon–Wed–Fri to Tue–Thu
  • Hours change from 9 AM–5 PM to 8 AM–6 PM
  • A recurring lunch break is added or removed
  • A provider permanently drops a weekday

Changes apply to every future week until changed again.

When NOT to Change It​

You want to…Use this instead
Block a day off, vacation, or holidayOut of Office
Change a single day's availabilityClick that block on the calendar
Cancel one appointmentOpen the appointment and cancel it

Unchecking a weekday in Recurring Hours removes it permanently — not just for one week.

How to Set Recurring Hours​

  1. Navigate to Schedule in the sidebar.
  2. Click MANAGE (top-right) > Manage Recurring Hours.
  3. Select the Provider Role from the dropdown.
  4. Optionally apply a Quick Template: 9–5, 9–5 + Lunch, 8–6, Morning, or Afternoon.
  5. Set the Times in timezone.
  6. For each working day in the Weekly schedule:
    • Check the day to mark it active.
    • Set the start time and end time.
    • Add breaks with + add break.
  7. Set Apply from date. Set Until only if the schedule ends on a specific date.
  8. Click SAVE CHANGES.

One-Time Slots​

One-time slots add availability — or block it — on a single date, without changing the recurring schedule. They're drawn directly on the calendar.

Adding a One-Time Slot​

  1. Open the Schedule view.
  2. Click and drag on the calendar at the day and time you want.
  3. The new block appears as Unsaved Availability. Use its toggle to set it to:
    • One-time — available for this date only.
    • Recurring — fold it into the weekly pattern instead.
    • Not Available — block this time on this date.
  4. Drag the block, or its top or bottom edge, to adjust the time.
  5. Click Save.

A one-time slot applies only to its date and overrides the recurring pattern there. To remove one, click it on the calendar and delete it — the recurring schedule resumes automatically.

Out of Office​

Out of Office marks a provider as unavailable for scheduling during a specific period without changing the recurring schedule.

Setting Out of Office​

  1. Click MANAGE (top-right) > Out of Office.
    (Or use the Out of Office link inside the Manage Recurring Hours dialog.)
  2. Set Start Date and End Date.
  3. Optionally add a Reason (e.g., "Vacation", "Conference").
  4. Click Set Out of Office.

The recurring schedule stays intact. When the period ends, the regular schedule resumes automatically.

Out of Office Features​

  • Currently Out badge appears when the provider is actively out of office
  • Cancel ends an out-of-office period early
  • Multiple future periods can be scheduled in advance

How Out of Office Affects Scheduling​

  • No appointment slots are generated for the blocked dates
  • Existing appointments remain and may need manual rescheduling
  • Patients cannot book during the blocked period

How These Layer Together​

When availability is calculated, the layers combine in priority order: Out of Office wins, then one-time slots, then Recurring Hours underneath.

Extra Saturday hours

  • Recurring Hours: Mon–Fri, 9 AM–5 PM
  • One-time slot: Saturday 10 AM–2 PM (Available)
  • Result: available Saturday 10 AM–2 PM in addition to the usual weekdays.

Conference week

  • Recurring Hours: Mon–Fri, 9 AM–5 PM
  • Out of Office: Mon–Wed
  • Result: available only Thu–Fri that week.

Late start one morning

  • Recurring Hours: Mon–Fri, 9 AM–5 PM
  • One-time slot: Monday 9–11 AM (Not Available)
  • Result: that Monday's appointments start at 11 AM.

Provider Roles and Multiple Schedules​

Each role assigned to a provider can have its own Recurring Hours configuration:

  • Select the role in the Provider Role dropdown when opening Manage Recurring Hours
  • Availability is tracked separately per role
  • A provider with no roles assigned cannot have their schedule configured

Appointment Conflict Handling​

  • Real-time validation: conflicts are checked when appointments are created
  • No slot holding: availability is checked at booking time, not reserved in advance
  • Conflicts are caused by overlapping appointments, breaks, out-of-office periods, or appointments outside working hours

Best Practices​

  • Set Recurring Hours once and leave it. Use Out of Office for everything date-specific.
  • Create Out of Office periods early — as soon as you know about a block.
  • Check existing appointments before setting Out of Office — existing bookings aren't automatically cancelled.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: What happens to existing appointments when I set Out of Office?
A: They stay on the calendar. You'll need to manually reschedule or cancel them.

Q: Can I set different hours for different days?
A: Yes. Each day in the Weekly schedule has its own start time, end time, and breaks.

Q: A provider has two roles. Do I need to configure both?
A: Yes. Each role has its own schedule. Switch the Provider Role dropdown to configure each one.

Q: I accidentally unchecked a weekday. Now every week is missing that day. How do I fix it?
A: Re-check the day in Recurring Hours and save. Then set Out of Office for the specific date you wanted to block.

Q: How do I add availability for just one day?
A: Don't edit Recurring Hours. In the Schedule view, drag on the calendar for that day to draw a one-time slot, leave its toggle on One-time, and Save.

Q: How far in advance can I set Out of Office?
A: There's no limit. You can create blocks months in advance.

Last updated: May 2026