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Receptionist Quick Start: Your First Week

As a receptionist, you are the first point of contact for clients and the person who keeps the daily schedule running smoothly. This guide covers the Praxi features you will use most, organised across three days.

Day 1 -- Calendar and Booking Appointments​

Your core responsibility is managing the practice calendar. Start here.

  • Log in and orient yourself -- complete your profile and learn the navigation sidebar. As a receptionist, you will primarily use the Essentials section (dashboard, calendar, clients) for day-to-day scheduling and client intake. See First Login and Navigation.
  • Understand calendar views -- switch between day, week, and month views to manage multiple practitioners at once. See Calendar Views.
  • Book appointments -- create new appointments, select the right practitioner, and assign appointment types. See Creating Appointments.
  • Use drag-and-drop rescheduling -- move appointments between time slots and practitioners quickly. See Drag and Drop.
  • Set up recurring appointments -- configure repeating sessions for regular clients. See Recurring Appointments.

Day 2 -- Client Intake and Communication​

Learn how to register new clients and handle incoming enquiries.

  • Create client records -- enter contact details, emergency contacts, referral information, and funding sources during intake. See Client Records.
  • Manage consent -- ensure clients complete required consent forms before their first appointment. See Consent Management.
  • Record funding sources -- set up Medicare, DVA, NDIS, or private billing details so invoices generate correctly. See Funding Sources.
  • Use keyboard shortcuts -- speed up your workflow with the command palette for quick client and appointment lookups. See Keyboard Shortcuts and Command Palette.

Day 3 -- Payments, Waitlist, and Attendance​

Handle the financial side of front desk operations and manage your waitlist.

  • Record payments -- process payments at the desk using Stripe or Tyro, or record cash and bank transfer payments manually. See Invoice Management.
  • Manage the waitlist -- add clients to the waitlist when preferred times are unavailable, and fill cancellations quickly. See Waitlist Management.
  • Track attendance and no-shows -- mark appointments as attended, cancelled, or no-show. Late cancellation fees can be applied automatically. See Attendance and No-Shows.
  • Use calendar shortcuts -- learn the quick keys for common calendar actions to save time during busy periods. See Calendar Shortcuts.
Receptionist access

Receptionists can create invoices and view billing information across the practice, but cannot access clinical notes, modify billing settings, or manage staff records. If you need access to additional features, ask your practice owner to review your permissions.

Medicare at check-in​

Your role lets you:

  • View Medicare claim status across the practice (read-only).

  • Submit Medicare and DVA claims on behalf of practitioners -- front desk handles claiming in many practices. Your practice owner can restrict this for individual receptionists if claiming stays with practitioners.

Patient verification (OPVW)​

Verifying the client's Medicare card is the most frequent reception task.

Praxi auto-runs an OPVW verification the day before each appointment, but re-run it manually whenever:

  • The client provides a new or updated card at the front desk
  • The auto-verification failed overnight (red status pill on the appointment)
  • The client's Medicare details have changed (new IRN, name change, expiry)

To re-run, open the appointment, click Medicare in the sidebar, and choose Re-verify.

When verification fails​

OPVW returns a verbatim reason code from Services Australia -- shown in full on the appointment. Common scenarios:

  • Card details mismatch -- ask for the current Medicare card, update the card number / IRN / expiry on the client record, and re-run.
  • Card expired -- the client needs to update their Medicare card via myGov before the session can be bulk-billed.
  • Name mismatch -- check that the given and family names on the card match the Praxi client record exactly. Single-name patients are stored as family=name, given="Onlyname".

For Bulk Bill (BBSW) claims, DB4 consent must be captured before submission. You can capture this on the client's behalf at check-in using any of three methods:

  • Verbal -- you confirm with the client and tick the recorded box
  • Written -- the client signs the DB4 form
  • Digital -- the client signs on screen or via the portal

DB4 v2.1.4 is mandatory from 1 July 2026.

Explaining gaps to clients​

Out-of-pocket (the gap) = charge amount minus the Medicare rebate. For Better Access psychology at typical private fees, the gap is usually $80 -- $120 per session. Show clients the rebate and gap on the invoice before they pay the gap at the desk.

Next Steps​

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