Blocking Availability

Blocking Availability

Overview

Use Block Availability to prevent appointments from being scheduled during specific dates and times. This option is useful when a clinician is unavailable due to vacations, meetings, training, holidays, or any other planned time off.

Block availability removes time slots from availability, preventing appointments from being scheduled during the blocked period through internal scheduling, self-scheduling links, or the client portal.

Notes
Currently, block availability supports only single-day entries. Select the same date for both the Start Date and End Date fields. Support for recurring and multi-day blocks is planned for a future release.

When to Use Block Availability

Use block availability when a clinician:

  • Is on vacation or out of office

  • Has meetings, training, or administrative time

  • Is unavailable for part of a day or multiple days

  • Needs to temporarily prevent booking during specific hours or dates

Assign Permission to Manage Availability

Only authorized users can manage availability. To grant this permission, go to Settings > Practice Settings > Roles & Permissions, edit the appropriate role, expand the Practice Settings section, and select the required checkbox:

  • Manage Availability and Block Availability at Practice Level – Allows users to manage practice availability from Settings in the left navigation pane.
  • Manage Availability and Block Availability at Provider Level – Allows providers to manage their own availability from Personal Preferences.



Access Block Availability Settings

Staff users can configure blocked time for all clinicians from:

  1. Settings > Calendar Settings > Availability Management > Block Availability

Clinicians can configure their own blocked time from:

  1. Personal Preferences > Calendar Settings > Availability Management > Block Availability

Notes
Availability configured in Personal Preferences overrides availability configured in Settings.

Steps to Block Availability

To configure blocked time for all clinicians:

  1. Go to Settings > Calendar Settings.

  2. Select Availability Management.

  3. Open the Block Availability tab.

  4. Click Block Availability.

Notes
Clinicians can configure blocked time from Personal Preferences if their availability differs from the practice-wide configuration.


The Block Availability Management screen appears as shown below:



Provide the following information:

  • Block Availability Name: Enter a clear, descriptive name (for example, Dr. Smith Vacation or Team Meeting).

  • Location: Select one or more locations where this block should apply.

  • Clinician: Based on the selected locations, associated clinicians appear. Select one or more clinicians, or select All Clinicians to apply the block to everyone.

  • Start Date / End Date: Select the date for the blocked time.

    Notes
    Currently, block availability supports only single-day entries. Select the same date for both the Start Date and End Date fields.
    Support for recurring and multi-day blocks is planned for a future release.

  • Start Time / End Time: Select the time range that should be blocked on the selected dates.

  • Notes: (Optional) Enter any additional details about the blocked time for internal reference.

Once done, click Save Block Availability.


Edit or Remove Block Availability

You can update or delete an existing block availability entry as needed.

To edit or remove a block availability:

  1. Navigate to the Block Availability tab.
  2. Locate the block availability entry you want to modify.
  3. Select Edit or Remove.
    • Edit opens the Block Availability Management screen, where you can update the existing settings and save your changes.
    • Remove displays a confirmation message. Confirm the action to permanently delete the block availability entry.




View Blocked Time on the Calendar

Blocked time is displayed on the calendar for reference and appears on the clinician’s schedule to indicate periods when appointments cannot be scheduled.

Day View
In Day View, blocked time slots appear in gray, making it clear that appointments cannot be scheduled during those times. Hover over a blocked time slot to view the name of the blocked availability.





Week and Month Views: 
In Week and Month Views, blocked time is also visible on the clinician’s schedule. If you attempt to schedule an appointment during a blocked period, a message appears next to the Time dropdown indicating that the selected time slot is unavailable for the clinician.


How Blocked Time Affects Self-Scheduling and Client Portal Booking

When you share a self-scheduling link with clients, any time slots that fall within blocked availability are automatically excluded from the available appointment options. Blocked time takes precedence over scheduling availability, ensuring that clients cannot request appointments during those periods.

The following screenshots demonstrate how blocked time slots are removed from the list of available appointments when clients use the self-scheduling link to request an appointment.





Block Availability from the Calendar

You can block clinician availability directly from the calendar.

  1. Click Add Appointment.
  2. Select the Block Availability tab.
  3. Enter the block name, location, clinician, and date/time details.
  4. Save the block to prevent appointments from being scheduled during the selected time period.

Blocked time slots are displayed with a gray background on the calendar, as shown below.

You can also create availability blocks for multiple clinicians at the same time.




FAQs 

Does block availability override other availability settings?
Yes. Block availability takes priority over both one-time and recurring availability.

Can clinicians block their own availability?
Yes. Clinicians can configure blocked time in Personal Preferences.

Can clients view blocked time when using self-scheduling or the client portal?
No. Time slots that fall within blocked availability are removed from the list of available appointment options.

Do changes to block availability affect existing appointments?
No. Changes affect future scheduling only and do not modify existing appointments.

Can I modify or remove blocked availability after it has been created?
Yes. Open the Block Availability record, make the necessary changes, and save the record, or delete it if it is no longer needed.

Need Help?

For further assistance, contact:
📞 Phone: 443-203-5857
📱 Text: 866-301-0085
📧 Email: ticket@icanotes.com
💬 Chat: https://app.icanotes.com

Proprietary Notice Information: This article is provided for informational purposes only, and the information herein is subject to change without notice. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained within this article is accurate, ICANotes cannot and does not accept any type of liability for errors in, or omissions arising from the use of this information.




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