---
title: "How to Book and Join a Telehealth Appointment"
url: "https://help.healthbridgenova.co.za/en/article/how-to-book-and-join-a-telehealth-appointment"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-09-06T17:12:53.332Z"
---

# How to Book and Join a Telehealth Appointment

## How to Book and Join a Telehealth Appointment

**What:** A video-consultation appointment type in Healthbridge Nova that gives both provider and patient a browser-based video link, with no app to download.

**Why:** It lets a medical professioanls see a patient remotely, useful for follow-ups, chronic care check-ins, or any consultation that doesn't need the patient in the room.

**When:** When booking an appointment that will be conducted over video instead of in person.

## Book the appointment

Booking a telehealth appointment works exactly like booking a normal one, the only difference is the visit type you select.

## 1\. Open the appointment form for the patient

*Location: Calendar › click an available time slot › search for and select the patient*

Click **'Calendar'** in the top navigation bar, then click an empty slot for the treating provider. Search for the patient and select them the same way as any other appointment — see **How to add an appointment to the Calendar** for the full walkthrough of this part.

## 2\. Set the Visit type to 'Telehealth video'

*Location: appointment form › 'Visit type' dropdown*

Open the **Visit type** dropdown (it defaults to **'Regular consultation'**) and select **'Telehealth video'**.

![Appointment form Visit type dropdown open, showing Regular consultation, Medical insurance, Video consult, Telephonic consult, No charge (follow-up), Out of rooms, and Telehealth video](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1NnUdHa5Oc9F5Y749VXQxtykfhK5ODFNu)

> **Not the same as 'Video consult':** The dropdown lists both **'Video consult'** and **'Telehealth video'** as separate options. Select **'Telehealth video'** specifically, that's the one that generates the join link covered in this guide.

## 3\. Complete the rest of the form and click 'Save'

*Location: appointment form › bottom right, click 'Save'*

Fill in the rest of the appointment as normal: Visit reason, Medical aid or Private billing, and any optional notes, then click **'Save'**. The appointment appears on the Calendar as a **Telehealth video** block, and a join link is generated for it automatically.

> **You should see:** the appointment appear as a block on the Calendar at the selected date and time, labelled **Telehealth video**.

## Join the consultation

Both the provider and the patient join through the same link, and it opens straight in the browser, no app to download on either side.

## 4\. Open the appointment and click 'Join'

*Location: Calendar › click the Telehealth video appointment block*

When it's time for the consultation, click the appointment block on the Calendar. The popup shows the join link and an orange **'Join'** button (with a copy icon next to the link, if you'd rather send it another way). Click **'Join'**.

![Appointment popup on the Nova Calendar showing Telehealth video, the join link https://hbhealth.chat/ with a copy icon, and an orange Join button](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1h-spZBfLmPt7DSGqTkmoHPBzw2UeqUtb)

## 5\. Join the video call

*Location: opens in a new browser tab*

The link opens a video call screen with a camera preview, mic and camera toggles, and a **'JOIN CONSULTATION'** button. Click it to enter the call and wait for the patient to join.

![Telehealth video call screen with a camera preview, microphone and camera controls, and a JOIN CONSULTATION button](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1zK4dTUI5So8ncoxqrOKonHYh6xycKvBA)

> **You should see:** "Please join the consult and wait for the other party to join" until the patient connects on their side.

## How the patient joins

The patient doesn't need a Nova login. An hour before the appointment starts, they receive a reminder by SMS and email with the same join link, clicking it opens the same browser-based video call, no app required.

![Reminder SMS reading: Reminder of video appointment with the treating doctor on 03/09/2026 at 12:45, with a link to join the appointment](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1A5Mk-mkb1gzeNEhcBPKcxytmbWmrmuv5)

> **The link only goes out on the reminder:** The patient doesn't get the join link the moment the appointment is booked, only on the hour-before reminder SMS/email. There's no WhatsApp option yet either; it's SMS and email only for now.

## Joining from Healthbridge Clinical

If the provider uses Healthbridge Clinical (HBC) rather than Nova directly, they can join from there instead.

## 6\. Hover the appointment's 'i' icon in HBC and click 'Join'

*Location: Healthbridge Clinical › My Schedule › hover the appointment's 'i' icon*

On the **My Schedule** calendar in Healthbridge Clinical, hover the small **'i'** icon on a Telehealth video appointment. The same details pop up: Visit type, time, and an orange **'Join'** button, plus an **'Open patient file'** shortcut. Click **'Join'** to enter the same video call screen as above.

![Healthbridge Clinical My Schedule showing an appointment popup with a Telehealth video badge, Visit type Telehealth video with an info icon, an orange Join button, and an Open patient file button](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1tJrgHQ0fUMx-3sN3Fi6UapXYxRWBlMV7)

## Notification Settings

To switch you patient notification settins, navigate to "Admin", "Setting".

Select the "Calendar" tab and in the "Appointment reminders" drop-down select your preferred settings.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/2bf4e435-e8e2-431e-8544-fe6aa47c47fb)

## Frequently asked

**Q: Does the patient need to download an app to join?**

No. Clicking the join link opens the video call directly in their phone or computer's browser, nothing to install.

**Q: When does the patient get the join link?**

On the reminder SMS and email sent an hour before the appointment, not immediately when the appointment is booked.

**Q: Can the patient join over WhatsApp instead?**

Not currently, the reminder goes out by SMS and email only.

**Q: What's the difference between 'Video consult' and 'Telehealth video' as a visit type?**

They're two separate options in the same dropdown. Only 'Telehealth video' generates the join link and reminder flow covered in this guide.