Glossary of terms

Plain-English definitions for the terms and labels you’ll see across FrontDesk. Terms are grouped by where they appear.

Across the app

• Elva — your practice’s AI. In FrontDesk she drafts replies, flags what needs attention, prepares notes, and follows the rules you set.
• Provider — a dentist or hygienist who sees patients. Each provider has their own color and schedule.
• Operatory — a treatment room (“chair”). Appointments and live patient flow can be organized by provider or by operatory.
• Appointment reason — the kind of visit (for example New Patient Exam or Adult Cleaning), which sets the length, color, and who can perform it.
• Production — the dollar value of the appointments on your schedule.

Calendar

• Day / Week / Month — the three Calendar views.
• Production captured — the value of the appointments on the schedule.
• Projected vs goal — how the day is tracking against your target.
• Day progress — how far through the day you are.
• No-shows today — patients who didn’t arrive.
• New patients today — first-time patients on the schedule.
• Same-day opps — openings you could still fill today.
• View mode — organize the Day view by Provider or Operatory.
• Time density — the spacing between time slots: Small, Medium, or Large.
• Production threshold — show only appointments at or above a dollar value.

Appointment statuses

• Confirmed — the patient has confirmed the appointment.
• Scheduled — booked but not yet confirmed.
• Pending — awaiting something before it’s confirmed.
• Checked in — the patient has arrived and checked in.
• Arrived — the patient is in the building.
• In treatment — the patient is being seen.
• Completed — the visit is finished.
• No show — the patient didn’t arrive.
• Broken — the appointment was cancelled at short notice.
• Rescheduled — the appointment was moved to another time.

Appointment flags

• Red · Critical — must be fixed before the visit: Unconfirmed, Eligibility failed, Lab not arrived, Medical alert needs confirmation.
• Yellow · Attention — worth a look: Forms incomplete, Outstanding balance, Pre-auth pending, Anxiety flag, New patient, Big case · TC coordinator.
• Green · ELVA handled — already done: Eligibility verified, Forms complete, Confirmed by patient, Reminder acknowledged.
• Context — helpful background: Birthday today, VIP / top referrer.
• Opportunity Window — the briefing on a patient for the Walk-In (check-in) and Walk-Out (checkout) moments of their visit.

Bird Eye View

• Arriving soon — patients due in the next 30 minutes.
• Waiting room — patients who have checked in and are waiting to be seated.
• In operatory — patients currently in a chair.
• Walking out — patients heading to checkout.
• Finished — patients done for the day.
• Scheduled today — every patient on the schedule, across all lanes.

Triage Inbox

• Attention — items that need a person to look at or act on.
• Calls to make — patients your team should call, each with a goal.
• Priority — how urgent an item is: Urgent, High, or Medium.
• Open — active; needs attention or in progress.
• Waiting — blocked; waiting on the patient or someone outside the office.
• Closed — done and archived.
• Channels — where an item came from: Phone Call, SMS, Email, Website Chat, or Survey.
• Guidance layers — where a recommendation comes from: Your practice, ELVA best practice, or General guidance.
• Actions — what you can do on an item: Send SMS, Send email, Book, Schedule, Add to Calls to make, Escalate, Notify, Flag internally, Add note.
• Call goals — the aim of an outbound call: Book appointment, Reactivate patient, Collect payment, Clinical safety, Engagement.

Messages & Email

• Health (Messages) — how a conversation is going: On track, Watch, At risk, or Idle.
• Take over — step in and type your own reply when Elva is handling a conversation.
• Broadcast — send one text to many patients, with each reply coming back in its own thread.
• Topics — what a conversation is about: Emergency, Reschedule, Confirmation, Booking, Family booking, Insurance, Pricing, Parking / FAQ, Whitening, General.
• Mailboxes (Email) — Inbox, Drafts, Sent.
• Filters — All, Unread, Starred (Email), Needs me.
• Draft held — Elva wrote a reply but held it for your review.
• Replied — Elva has answered.
• Needs reply — no reply has been sent yet.
• Tags — labels on an email or text: Emergency, Complaint, Booking, Insurance, Billing, New inquiry, Referral, Personal, Sales / Marketing, Spam.
• Chart note draft — a note Elva prepares from a conversation; you can Copy it or push it to your practice software.
• Consent — whether the patient has agreed to SMS and Email contact.

Patients

• Today / Tomorrow — how the patient roster is grouped.
• Ready — everything is in order for the visit.
• Needs prep — something needs attention before the visit.
• Critical — something must be handled before the patient is seen.
• Profile tabs — Profile, Communications, Insurance, Forms, Treatments, Invisalign.
• Communications filters — All, Emails, Texts, Calls, Surveys, Recalls, Reminders.
• Communication statuses — Delivered, Read, Clicked, Replied, Confirmed, Completed, Booked, Answered, AI handled, No answer, Voicemail.
• Coverage categories (Insurance) — Preventive, Basic, Major, Orthodontics, Implants.
• Primary / Secondary — the order of a patient’s insurance plans.
• Treatment order — the suggested order to present treatment: Lead with, Then, Save for last.

Forms

• All / Active / Drafts / Archived / Compliance — the forms-list filters.
• Status — a form is published, draft, or archived.
• Compliance Pack — required forms that are installed for you and can’t be deleted.
• Library tabs (builder) — Patient Info, Smart Blocks, Basics.
• Smart Block categories — Patient & Identity, Insurance & Documents, Medical & Dental History, Consent & Authorization, Signatures, Policy & Communication.
• Preview — see a form as a patient will, in desktop, tablet, or mobile.
• Save draft — save a form you’re still working on.

Settings

• Settings groups — Practice Management, Appointment & Booking, AI Brain.
• Operatory types — Hygiene, Restorative, Surgical, Orthodontic, Pediatrics.
• Appointment-reason categories — Diagnostic & Exam, Emergency, Hygiene & Preventive, Restorative, Endodontic, Periodontic, Surgical, Orthodontic.
• Tone (Recall Brand & Voice) — Warm & personal, Professional & clean, Friendly & casual.
• Reading level — Simple, Plain (default), Polished.
• Sign-off — Short, Medium, None.
• Walk-In window / Walk-Out window — the check-in and checkout moments configured in Opportunity Window.
• Calendar Insights views — Daily, Weekly, Monthly.
• Clinic Playbook categories — Practice Identity & Voice, Scheduling & Bookings, Patient Communication, Financial & Insurance, Clinical Protocols.
• Priorities (Priority & Fatigue) — Clinical safety, Appointment confirmation, Outstanding balance, Treatment plan follow-up, Hygiene & exam recalls, Information collection, Patient reactivation, Engagement.
• Fatigue sensitivity — how careful Elva is about not over-messaging patients.