Learn how to create and manage appointment types, staff groups, event calendars, and time slot templates in Instinct to keep your schedule accurate and easy to manage.
The Appointment Calendar Admin allows you to:
Define appointment types and default behaviors
Create staff group calendars for departments or shifts
Track non-patient events (meetings, time off, etc.)
Build and apply time slot templates for scheduling availability at scale
Note: Any user with the admin_calendars permission can manage Appointment Types in Admin.
Appointment types
Appointment Types help standardize scheduling and support day planning based on visit type.
Create a New Appointment Type
Go to Admin > Appointment Types.
Click + New Appointment Type.
Enter:
Label
Abbreviation (max 7 characters)
Default Duration
Color
Default Notes (optional)
Default Notes automatically populate the Appointment Notes field when scheduled.
Edit or Delete Appointment Types
Click the 3-dot menu next to the appointment type.
Select Edit or Delete.
Staff Groups
Staff Groups create Group Calendars for departments or shifts (e.g., Internal Medicine, Overnight ER).
Create a Staff Group
Go to Admin > Staff Groups.
Click + New Staff Group.
Enter:
Label
Unique Abbreviation
Select group Members.
You can drag and drop members to reorder how they appear in the Group Calendar.
Note: Members of a Staff Group will still appear on their individual calendars.
Edit or Delete Staff Groups
Click the 3-dot menu next to the staff group.
Select Edit or Delete.
Event calendars
Event Calendars track non-patient events, such as:
Staff meetings
Time off / vacations
Birthdays or internal reminders
Create an event calendar
Go to Admin > Event Calendars.
Click + New Event Calendar.
Enter:
Calendar Label
Default Duration (editable per event)
Edit or Delete Event Calendars
Click the 3-dot menu next to the calendar.
Select Edit or Delete.
Time slot templates
Time Slot Templates let you apply availability schedules in bulk to individual or group calendars.
Create a Time Slot Template
Go to Admin > Time Slot Templates.
Click + New Time Slot Template.
Enter a Template Name.
Add availability blocks:
Drop-Off Availability
Appointment Availability
Drop-Off Availability
Enter the number of available drop-offs for the day.
Appointment Availability
Enter:
Start Time
Duration
Click + Add to select which Appointment Types are allowed.
You can add multiple availability blocks per template.
Apply a time slot template
Click Apply to Calendar.
Select Individual or Group Calendars.
Choose the days to apply the template.
If applying to a Group Calendar, each member’s individual calendar is updated.
Bulk Select options:
Select all weekdays
Click weekday headers (Mon, Tue, etc.) to apply across the visible month
Note: Templates can be applied up to 365 days in the future.
How templates affect existing availability
Here are the drop-off availability rules
If no drop-offs are scheduled → template overwrites existing drop-off availability
If drop-offs are already scheduled → template does NOT override
Appointment availability rules
Existing appointment availability is not replaced
Overlapping availability blocks are added, not merged
Example:
Existing: 8a–5p
Template: 9a–4p
Both blocks appear on the calendar
Editing or deleting time slot templates
Use the 3-dot menu to Edit or Delete a template.
Editing a template does not update calendars where it was previously applied.
Changes only apply to future applications.
Deleting a template:
Does not remove existing availability from calendars
Only removes the template from Admin
Clear provider’s time slots (Bulk Removal)
Use Clear Provider’s Time Slots to remove availability in bulk.
How It Works
Click Clear Provider’s Time Slots.
Select Users or Staff Groups.
Choose:
Specific dates or
Select all after this date
Click Clear to confirm.
Templates can be cleared beyond 365 days and no bulk undo is available once confirmed.
This removes all availability, including:
Template-based slots
Slots added manually from the calendar UI
Appointments are not removed.