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Opening Same-Day and Next-Day Availability

Prepared for the PANS Pilot: Primary Care Project

Written by Raven Smith

Table of Contents

  1. Overview

  2. Step 1: Assign Appointment Types to One Calendar

  3. Step 2: Create Two Blocked Times for Each Day

  4. Step 3: Remove Blocked Times to Release Availability

  5. Troubleshooting

  6. Conclusion

Overview

Some pharmacies need to release appointment availability in stages rather than opening the full day at once — for example, holding back a portion of the calendar to guarantee same-day and next-day booking capacity. This is commonly required for programs with defined access-to-care standards.

The example below walks through a pharmacy that is open Monday to Friday and wants to:

  • Hold 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM each day to release as same-day availability

  • Hold 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM each day to release as next-day availability

Step 1: Assign Appointment Types to One Calendar

  1. Go to Settings > Calendars.

  2. Click on the desired calendar.

    • Every pharmacy starts with one default calendar (Shared Calendar).

    • Pharmacies with two or more pharmacists providing services at overlapping times may set up additional calendars using the Multi-Calendar Setup functionality.

  3. On the calendar page, click Assign to assign the applicable Appointment Types to that calendar.

Please Note: All Appointment Types that need to follow the same same-day and next-day availability rules should be assigned to the same calendar. This makes it possible to manage availability using a single set of blocked times.

Step 2: Create Two Blocked Times for Each Day

Two recurring blocked times are needed: one to hold same-day availability, and one to hold next-day availability.

  1. Go to the Calendar section.

  2. Click Add.

  3. In the pop-up, select the Blocked Time option.

  4. Customize the blocked time with the following details:

    • Name of the block

    • Start date

    • Start and end time

    • Whether the block repeats, and an optional end date

Please Note: Blocked time can also be created from Settings > Calendars > General. At the bottom of the page, click Add next to the Blocked Times section, then enter the start date, start time, end time, and repeat settings before clicking Submit. For more detail on this pathway, see How to Create Blocked Times in MedMe

For the example scenario, two blocked times should be created:

  • A blocked time from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, repeating Monday through Friday

  • A blocked time from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM, repeating Monday through Friday

Warning: Adding a blocked time to a calendar blocks availability for all Appointment Types assigned to that calendar, not just a single Appointment Type.

Reminder: Blocked times must be set up on the same calendar that the relevant Appointment Types are assigned to in Step 1, or they will not affect the intended availability.

Step 3: Remove Blocked Times to Release Availability

Each day, the blocked times must be edited to release that day's same-day and next-day availability.

  1. Click directly on the calendar where the blocked time appears.

  2. In the pop-up that appears, click Edit.

To release same-day availability:

  • Edit the same-day availability block.

  • Change the start date from today's date to tomorrow's date.

  • Example: On January 23rd, change the block's start date from January 23rd to January 24th.

To release next-day availability:

  • Edit the next-day availability block.

  • Change the start date from tomorrow's date to the day after tomorrow's date.

  • Example: On January 23rd, change the block's start date from January 24th to January 25th.

For Instance: On any given morning, a pharmacist would push both blocks forward by one day — this opens that day's held-back time slots for same-day and next-day patient booking.

Troubleshooting

  • Same-day or next-day slots aren't showing as available:
    Confirm the correct blocked time was edited and that its start date was moved forward, not its end date.

  • Blocking one Appointment Type also blocked others unexpectedly:
    This happens when multiple Appointment Types are assigned to the same calendar. Review calendar assignments in Settings > Calendars to confirm which Appointment Types share the blocked calendar.

  • Blocked times aren't repeating as expected:
    Check the repeat settings on the blocked time to confirm the correct days were selected and that no end date was set unintentionally.

Conclusion

Using two recurring blocked times on a shared calendar allows a pharmacy to reliably release same-day and next-day availability each morning, while keeping all other long-term availability intact. This approach works whether a pharmacy uses its default Shared Calendar or an additional calendar set up under Multi-Calendar Setup.

Need further help? Contact care@medmehealth.com or reach out via live chat within the Platform.

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