Video consultations are 1:1 video calls built into Atlacare. The call opens full screen in your browser, and your patient joins from a link in their email, so nobody installs an app. Calls are private, run on UK servers in London (through our provider Daily.co) and are never recorded.
Video is included on the Solo, Clinic and Practice plans. It isn't available on the Free plan.
Offer video on a service
Go to Settings → Services, edit a service and switch on Offer as video consultation. Do this for each service you want to run by video.
Your online booking page then asks patients who pick that service whether they want In clinic or Video call. A video booking has no location, so your clinic's opening hours apply.
Group services (classes) can't be offered by video.
Book a video appointment
On the calendar, click Book appointment and choose Video call as the type. You don't need to pick a location. Everything else works like any other appointment.
When the appointment is booked, by you or by the patient online, the patient's confirmation email includes their secure join link and a short checklist for before the call. The reminder email carries the same link. They can also join from the patient portal.
What your patient sees
- They open the link from their email. No login is needed.
- The first time they have a video call with your clinic, they're asked to agree to be seen by video. You see the date they agreed on their patient profile and on the appointment.
- They check their camera and microphone.
- From 10 minutes before the start they can enter the waiting room. They can't see or hear you until you let them in.
The link only works for that appointment. If it's cancelled or moved, the old link stops working and the patient gets a new one.
Join the call
Open the appointment. The Video consultation card shows when you can join, and the Join video call button turns on 15 minutes before the start.
When your patient is waiting, the appointment page shows that they're in the waiting room. In the call you'll see [name] is in the waiting room. Click Admit to let them in.
During the call you can mute, turn your camera off and share your screen. The top bar shows how long the call has run and how long is left.
Only the treating practitioner, an owner or a manager can join a video call. Receptionists can book video appointments but can't join them.
Write the note during the call
Click Open notes to write the clinical note beside the video, in your usual note format. It autosaves as a draft on this appointment as you type. Only staff can see it.
After the call
Click Leave call. The next screen shows how long the call lasted, and Write the note takes you to the full note to finish and sign. Your draft from the call is already there.
If the patient never joined, you can mark the appointment as a no-show from the same screen.
The room closes 30 minutes after the booked end time. Nobody can join after that.
Included hours
Each paid plan includes video call time every month:
| Plan | Included each month |
|---|---|
| Free | Not available |
| Solo | 5 hours |
| Clinic | 15 hours |
| Practice | 40 hours |
| Enterprise | 100 hours |
Call time is counted per call, from when the call starts to when it ends. The hours reset each month. Beyond your plan's hours, video is 2p a minute.
If the camera or microphone doesn't work
Most problems are browser permissions. Allow your browser to use the camera and microphone, close other apps that might be using them, and refresh the page. A recent version of Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox works best.