Question 1

How do I set up my practice?

Accepted Answer

On first sign-in you're guided through a short setup: pick your practice type (Dental, GP, Biokinetics, Psychology, Anaesthetics, or Aesthetics), enter your practice name and address, optionally upload a logo, and set your kiosk PIN. Encrypted cloud document storage is provisioned automatically, no separate account required.

Question 2

How do I invite team members?

Accepted Answer

Go to Users from the admin sidebar, tap "Invite user", enter their email and role (Admin, Doctor, or Staff), and send. They'll receive an email invitation to create their password and join the practice. Doctors can be linked to a practitioner record so their PIN signs documents on their behalf.

Question 3

What's the difference between Admin, Doctor, and Staff roles?

Accepted Answer

Admins manage practice settings, users, billing, and configuration. Doctors (the label adapts per vertical. Dentist, Doctor, Biokineticist, Psychologist, or Anaesthetist) have full clinical access: clinical notes, scripts, certificates, reports, referrals, and the documents their vertical supports. Oral Hygienists (Nurse or Assistant on other verticals) can issue scripts on behalf of a doctor, and on dental practices can also create lab forms (signed as themselves once linked to a practitioner profile with a PIN) and use the lab tracker. Staff handle the day-to-day admin: appointments, referrals, patient instructions, supplier forms, and front-desk tasks.

Question 4

How does kiosk mode work?

Accepted Answer

Kiosk mode is the patient-facing iPad experience. When enabled, the device locks to the consent form and the admin login button is hidden. To get back into the admin app, go to the kiosk welcome screen, long-press the practice logo (top-left) or tap it five times in quick succession, then enter your kiosk PIN. The PIN is set in Practice Settings under Device Mode.

Question 5

Where are my documents stored?

Accepted Answer

Every document Baselayer.med generates, consent forms, scripts, referrals, lab forms, implant reports, medical certificates, patient reports, supplier forms, invoices, quotes, is saved to your practice's encrypted cloud storage, organised by patient and document type. Storage is included in your subscription. You can view and download anything from the patient directory or the activity log at any time.

Question 6

What kinds of practices is Baselayer.med built for?

Accepted Answer

Six practice types: dental, general practitioners (GPs), biokineticists, psychologists, anaesthetists, and aesthetic practitioners. You pick one when you sign up and the platform configures itself around it, consent form, billing code catalogue, referral specialty list, aftercare templates, role labels, and dashboard tabs. Each vertical only sees the features that make sense for its workflow.

Question 7

What does a dental practice get?

Accepted Answer

The fullest feature set: Dental Indemnity consent form, the SA dental tariff codes, lab forms, implant reports, supplier forms, the odontogram and perio chart, dental implant details, prescription scripts, medical certificates, patient reports, referrals to dental and cross-discipline specialists, and dental-specific aftercare templates (Extraction, Crown, Implant, Root Canal, Whitening, etc).

Question 8

What does a GP practice get?

Accepted Answer

GP Consent Form, the BHF / ICD-10 code set, scripts, medical certificates, patient reports, referrals to a broad medical specialist network, medications and specialist directories, and aftercare templates for consultation follow-up, prescription guidance, blood work, and vaccinations. Dental-only features (lab forms, implant reports, supplier forms, charting) are hidden.

Question 9

What does a biokinetics practice get?

Accepted Answer

Biokinetics Consent Form, the Practice Type 091 (Biokinetics) billing catalogue, the body-chart silhouette for movement and pain mapping, referrals to a rehab and musculoskeletal network, and aftercare templates for initial assessments, home exercise programmes, post-session, and pain management. Scripts, certificates, lab forms, and implant reports are hidden, biokineticists don't issue these.

Question 10

What does a psychology practice get?

Accepted Answer

Psychology Consent Form (covers therapy overview, limits of confidentiality, telehealth and recording opt-ins, and a fees & cancellation policy), the Practice Type 086 (Psychology) billing catalogue, scripts and medical certificates for psychiatrist co-prescribing, patient reports, referrals to a mental-health network, and aftercare templates including Crisis Resources (which always includes the SADAG and SA Emergency numbers). Lab forms, implant reports, supplier forms, and charting are hidden, psychologists work in clinical-notes-only mode.

Question 11

What does an anaesthetic practice get?

Accepted Answer

Anaesthetic Consent Form (covering the planned technique, sedation and general anaesthesia risks, airway and allergy history, previous anaesthetic reactions, and fasting status), the SAMA / BHF anaesthetic billing catalogue with time-based units, the Observation chart for sedation monitoring (BP, pulse, SpO₂, respiratory rate, and sedation score at 15-minute intervals), scripts and medical certificates, patient reports, referrals back to surgeons and into pain management, telehealth for pre-op assessments, and aftercare templates for post-sedation and post-anaesthetic care. Lab forms and implant reports are hidden, anaesthetists don't issue these.

Question 12

What does an aesthetic practice get?

Accepted Answer

Aesthetic (Botox & Filler) Consent Form (covering treatment areas, botulinum toxin and dermal-filler risks, off-label use acknowledgment, and photography permission), the Injection map for recording each injection with product, units or volume, and batch/lot number, a cash-based treatment & product price list for quotes and invoices, scripts (botulinum toxin is a prescription medicine) and medical certificates, patient reports, referrals to dermatology / plastic surgery / GP, telehealth for consultations, and aftercare templates for post-treatment care. Lab forms and implant reports are hidden, aesthetic practices don't issue these.

Question 13

Can I switch practice types after signing up?

Accepted Answer

Practice type is set at signup and pinned to your account because it drives data shapes (form types, billing codes, referral lists). It's not self-service to switch, if you started in the wrong vertical or your practice has changed scope, contact support and we'll migrate your account.

Question 14

Which consent form does my practice use?

Accepted Answer

Each vertical ships with one tailored consent form: Dental practices use the Dental Indemnity Form; GPs use the GP Consent Form; biokineticists use the Biokinetics Consent Form; psychologists use the Psychology Consent Form; anaesthetists use the Anaesthetic Consent Form; aesthetic practices use the Aesthetic (Botox & Filler) Consent Form. The form is automatically selected from your practice type, you don't need to choose one when sending a patient to the kiosk.

Question 15

How do I customise my consent form?

Accepted Answer

Go to Customisation from the admin sidebar. The kiosk preview on the right shows your live form; the sidebar on the left lets you edit text content, hide optional fields, toggle treatment types, and set medical-history field visibility. Every change is reflected in the iPad kiosk and in the generated PDF the moment you save.

Question 16

How does patient lookup work for returning patients?

Accepted Answer

Returning patients search by name, ID, passport, email, or phone on the kiosk. Their details prefill from the most recent submission, with empty fields backfilled from older entries so the latest data always wins. They review, update anything that has changed, sign, and submit, typically under a minute.

Question 17

What if a patient only has a passport, not a SA ID?

Accepted Answer

The form accepts either a 13-digit SA ID or a passport number of any length, including numeric-only passports. Lab forms and billing flows look up patients by SA ID first and fall back to passport, so passport-only patients are fully supported across the platform.

Question 18

Does the consent form support minors?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The dental form has dedicated child / dependant fields with guardian capture, and the medical history toggles to a child-specific field set when the patient is under 18. GP, biokinetics, psychology, and anaesthetic forms capture guardian / parental consent when the patient is a minor and require a guardian signature on the kiosk.

Question 19

Which documents can my vertical generate?

Accepted Answer

Dental: scripts, lab forms, implant reports, medical certificates, patient reports, referrals, supplier forms. GP: scripts, medical certificates, patient reports, referrals. Biokinetics: referrals only, biokineticists don't issue scripts, certificates, or reports today. Psychology: scripts (psychiatrist co-prescribe), medical certificates, patient reports, referrals. Anaesthetics: scripts, medical certificates, patient reports, referrals, and observation charts. Aesthetics: scripts (botulinum toxin is a prescription medicine), medical certificates, patient reports, referrals, and injection maps. Lab forms, implant reports, and supplier forms are dental-only across the board.

Question 20

How do I create a script (prescription)?

Accepted Answer

Go to Scripts from the sidebar. Search the patient or enter manually, add medications from the Medications directory (which auto-completes name, strength, and frequency), set the duration, and sign with your practitioner PIN. The PDF is saved to the patient's file and emailed to the patient.

Question 21

How do I issue a medical certificate?

Accepted Answer

Open Medical Certificate, search the patient, set the visit type (examined / treated), nature of treatment, return-to-work date, and any restrictions. Sign with your practitioner PIN. The certificate is generated as a PDF, saved to the patient's file, and can be emailed to the patient.

Question 22

How do I create a patient referral?

Accepted Answer

Open Patient Referral, search the patient, pick a specialist from the directory (which is filtered by your vertical's referral list), fill in the diagnosis and treatment notes, and submit. The referral is saved to the patient's file and emailed to the specialist with the relevant attachments.

Question 23

How do I create a lab form? (dental only)

Accepted Answer

Open Lab Forms, search the patient, choose a lab from the directory, fill in the work details (teeth selection on the odontogram, shade, ICD-10 codes, instructions, finish date), and sign with your practitioner PIN. The PDF goes to the lab and a copy is saved to the patient's file.

Question 24

How do I generate an implant report? (dental only)

Accepted Answer

Open Implant Reports, search the patient, add implant data (site, fixture brand and model, stability ISQ values, torque), write the narrative, the AI Polish button helps clean it up, and sign with your PIN. Reports are saved to the patient's file, surfaced in the Implant Details tab on patient history, and can be emailed to the patient.

Question 25

Where can I add specialists and labs?

Accepted Answer

Specialists Directory and Labs Directory are in the admin sidebar. Tap "Add" on either to create a new entry. Both directories are shared across all Baselayer.med practices so the most-used specialists and labs are already there for quick selection.

Question 26

How do patient instructions work?

Accepted Answer

Open Patient Instructions, search the patient, pick the treatment type (the templates available depend on your vertical), tweak the bullet points, and send. Instructions are emailed to the patient with a clean PDF; if the patient has consented to WhatsApp delivery, an approved WhatsApp template is sent in parallel. You can also save default instructions per treatment type so they're pre-selected next time.

Question 27

What lives in a patient's history?

Accepted Answer

Clinical Overview is the long-form clinical view of one patient. The "Notes & Examination" tab holds dated notes (free text, with AI Polish). Use "New Examination" to open presenting complaints (and on GP, vitals + examination panels + CAJCOLD; on cardiac physiology, the Cardiac Echo Report panels) in the right rail; completed findings sync into the note and appear under Vitals on the Patient Directory (GP). On GP, "Diagnostics" currently houses Lab results (more diagnostic tools will land there later). On verticals that support charting, an additional "Charting" tab shows the odontogram and perio chart (dental) or the body-chart silhouette (biokinetics). Dental practices also get an "Implant Details" tab. Submitted consent forms, scripts, certificates, reports, and referrals all surface in the visit timeline.

Question 28

How does dental charting (odontogram) work?

Accepted Answer

The odontogram displays a full adult or paediatric dentition. Tap a tooth or surface to attach a condition (caries, restoration, extraction, crown, etc.), recorded in your latest chart entry with timestamp and practitioner. The perio chart captures pocket depths and bleeding-on-probing per surface. Every chart save is versioned so you can review historical states.

Question 29

How does the biokinetics body chart work?

Accepted Answer

Biokinetics practices get a male / female silhouette where you mark areas of pain, restriction, or focus with coloured pins, each with its own note. Like the odontogram, every save is versioned so you can see how the patient's pain map evolves across sessions.

Question 30

Do GP and psychology practices have charting?

Accepted Answer

No. GP and psychology run in notes-only mode, the charting tab is hidden. Use the Notes tab for everything, optionally with voice dictation and AI Polish to speed up writing. Anaesthetic and aesthetic practices are the exceptions among the medical verticals: anaesthetists get the Observation chart for sedation monitoring, and aesthetic practices get the Injection map for recording injections.

Question 31

How does the anaesthetic observation chart work?

Accepted Answer

Anaesthetic practices get a structured observation table for sedation monitoring. Tap Add Observation and the next 15-minute interval is pre-filled, capture blood pressure, pulse, SpO₂, respiratory rate, sedation score, and notes for each row. Missing mandatory fields are highlighted before the chart can be finalised, every entry saves instantly, and finalised charts are versioned per case on the patient record.

Question 32

How does the aesthetic injection map work?

Accepted Answer

Aesthetic practices get an injection map for recording treatments. Tap a point on the face map for each injection and capture the treatment area, product (toxin or filler), units or volume, and batch/lot number, plus optional depth and notes. The batch field is required so every injectable is traceable for recalls and audits, every entry saves instantly, and finalised maps are versioned per visit on the patient record.

Question 33

How do I book an appointment?

Accepted Answer

Open Appointment Book and tap an empty slot in the day grid. The booking drawer opens on the right: search the patient (or capture a new one), pick the appointment type (the presets adapt to your vertical), set the duration, and save. The patient gets a confirmation email automatically.

Question 34

What's the difference between day, week, and month views?

Accepted Answer

Day view shows every practitioner side-by-side for a single day, useful for the front desk. Week view comes in two flavours: an all-practitioners-on-one-day strip, and a single-practitioner-across-seven-days grid (toggled by filtering on a practitioner). Month view gives you the high-level overview for forward planning.

Question 35

Can I drag appointments to reschedule?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Drag an appointment within the day grid to move it earlier or later in the same column, or across columns to reassign it to a different practitioner. The patient is notified by email after a successful move. The original time is preserved in activity log if you ever need to audit.

Question 36

Can I block out time for a practice meeting or lunch?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Use the "Internal" appointment type to block time on one practitioner or all practitioners simultaneously (the all-practitioners option creates a recurrence group so the block shows on every column). Internal appointments aren't patient-facing and don't trigger emails.

Question 37

How do I turn on online booking and share my booking link?

Accepted Answer

In Practice Settings → Online Booking, turn on Accept online requests, set a public link slug (or tap Generate), choose min notice, max advance, soft working hours, and which appointment types patients can request, then Save. Your public URL is /book/{slug} — copy it from Settings and use it as a Book Now button on your website, or paste it into Linktree, Instagram / Facebook bio, Google Business, and similar. Patients verify by WhatsApp OTP and submit a request; your team approves or denies it from Online booking requests in the Appointment Book. Nothing lands in the diary until you approve.

Question 38

How do I customise appointment types and durations?

Accepted Answer

Open Customisation from the admin sidebar and expand Appointment Types. Select a type to rename it or change its default duration (5–240 minutes), add a custom type, or use Remove on a type you do not want in this practice’s catalogue. Save customisation when done. Those labels and durations drive the Appointment Book type menu. Online Booking still controls which types patients can request — new or custom types stay unchecked until you enable them under Practice Settings → Online Booking.

Question 39

How does the Priority list work?

Accepted Answer

The Priority list is the Appointment Book waitlist for patients who need a slot as soon as one opens. Staff open Priority list from the book, add a patient with preferred practitioner (or any), appointment type, estimated duration, ASAP or a preferred date range, and optional notes. When an appointment is cancelled, matching waiting entries are highlighted so you can promote one into a real booking. Promoting opens the normal booking drawer with sensible defaults; removing an entry takes them off the list without creating an appointment.

Question 40

What can the AI Assistant do?

Accepted Answer

Three things: (1) AI Polish cleans up clinical notes, report narratives, and referral text in-place, preserving every clinical detail you wrote. (2) Voice dictation transcribes a recorded session into a SOAP-structured note with vertical-specific vocabulary. (3) Smart Communication drafts patient briefings ahead of consultations and follow-up notes between sessions. None of these add medical information you didn't provide, they only restructure and clarify what's already there.

Question 41

Where does AI Polish appear?

Accepted Answer

In every long-form clinical text field: notes in Clinical Overview, patient report narrative, implant report narrative (dental), patient referral diagnosis and treatment notes, follow-up draft notes, and lab form instructions. Tap the sparkle icon, review the polished version, and Accept, Try Again, or Cancel.

Question 42

How does voice dictation work?

Accepted Answer

Open the Record Session dialog from the toolbar on Clinical Overview, hit record, and speak through the consultation. When you stop, Baselayer transcribes the audio and structures it as a SOAP note using vocabulary tuned to your vertical (dental terminology for dental, mental-status / risk language for psychology, exercise terminology for biokinetics, airway / sedation language for anaesthetics, etc). You review and edit before saving, nothing is auto-committed to the chart.

Question 43

What is the Smart Communication briefing?

Accepted Answer

On the patient drawer in the Patient Directory, the Briefing tab shows an AI-generated summary of the patient's recent history, open referrals, last visit, allergies, and active medications, a 60-second pre-consult brief. The Follow-ups card below offers one-tap drafts for the next outbound message (script, certificate, instructions, or follow-up note) using the actions allowed for your vertical.

Question 44

Does AI suggest billing codes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. On the Billing screen the "Suggest codes" action drafts a vertical-aware code list from your clinical note (dental tariff for dental, BHF / ICD-10 for GP, Practice Type 091 for biokinetics, Practice Type 086 for psychology, SAMA / BHF anaesthetic codes for anaesthetics). The Quote Plan action drafts a longer-term plan for multi-session work (e.g. a course of therapy or a rehab block).

Question 45

Is patient data sent to an external AI provider?

Accepted Answer

AI features call our hosted models with the minimum context needed to complete the task; nothing is retained beyond the request. The patient's consent form contains a dedicated AI-processing clause covering this. We never train external models on your practice data.

Question 46

Which billing codes does my practice use?

Accepted Answer

Dental practices use the SA dental tariff. GPs use the BHF / ICD-10 code set. Biokineticists use the Practice Type 091 catalogue. Psychologists use the Practice Type 086 catalogue. Anaesthetists use the SAMA / BHF anaesthetic catalogue with time-based units. Aesthetic practices use a cash-based treatment & product price list (per-unit toxin, per-ml filler, treatments and consumables) rather than a medical-aid tariff. The right codes are auto-loaded on the Billing screen, search by code or description, edit the price per practice, and the rest of the platform (quotes, invoices, AI suggestions) follows the same catalogue.

Question 47

How do quotes and invoices work?

Accepted Answer

On the Billing screen, build a quote by adding line items from your code catalogue. Save it as a quote and email the patient, they get a branded PDF. When work is done, convert the quote to an invoice in one tap; the invoice carries the original line items and any adjustments you make. Statements roll all unpaid invoices into a single PDF for end-of-month follow-up.

Question 48

Can I change prices per practice?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The seed catalogue is a starting point, every practice should review prices against its scheme contracts (Discovery, GEMS, BHF, etc) and override them in /admin/billing. Edits stay scoped to your practice; the seed catalogue is not modified.

Question 49

Is accounting included in my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Baselayer.med Accounting is built in: invoicing, payments, statements, and reconciliation all live inside the platform with no extra fee. If you prefer to keep your books in QuickBooks, Xero, or Sage, optional integrations are also included so your billing flows straight into your existing accounting software, set them up under Settings → Accounting.

Question 50

How do I activate medical-aid claiming, and is it included in my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Electronic medical-aid claims (MediSwitch / SwitchOn) are optional and billed separately from your Practice or Solo subscription. In Practice Settings → Claims, tap Request account, review Billing Terms for your vertical’s per-claim rate and monthly minimum, and confirm. Baselayer registers the practice with SwitchOn — usually a few working days — then status moves to Logins supplied. Enter the issued Source ID and password (and your BHF practice number), Save, and you can submit claims from Billing invoices. Usage is invoiced monthly: the greater of (successful claims × per-claim rate) or the monthly minimum, plus any MSV / eRA / Benefit Check extras you use. See the Support guide “How to request and activate medical-aid claiming” for the full flow.

Question 51

What are Supplier Forms? (dental only)

Accepted Answer

Supplier Forms are digitised versions of dental-supplier paperwork (e.g. IvoDent Credit Card Form). Fill them in on Baselayer.med, and a pixel-perfect PDF is generated, emailed to your practice notification email, and saved to your practice's cloud storage. They're only available on dental practices today.

Question 52

How do saved payment cards work? (dental only)

Accepted Answer

Admins can save practice payment-card details under Settings → Payment Cards. Staff can then tap "Select Saved Card" on supplier forms to autofill card details. CVV is never stored and must be entered manually each time. Card numbers are masked in the UI; only the last four digits are visible after save.

Question 53

How do I request a new supplier form?

Accepted Answer

On the Supplier Forms page, tap "Request New Form". Enter your practice name, contact email, the form name, any relevant notes, and attach a PDF of the original form (max 4MB). Our team reviews and builds it, typically within a few working days.

Question 54

What is the Stock Take page?

Accepted Answer

Stock Take is a unified, billing-style table for tracking practice consumables and equipment. Filter by category, search by name, set par levels per item, and log adjustments when stock changes. Useful for dental and GP practices that want a quick monthly snapshot of what to reorder.

Question 55

What does the dashboard show?

Accepted Answer

A vertical-aware overview: a billing-style stat strip at the top (form submissions, scripts, referrals, lab forms, etc, only the ones your vertical supports), the activity feed below, and quick-action shortcuts on the right. All counts are sourced from the activity log so they always match the patient files behind them.

Question 56

Can I filter the dashboard by practitioner?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Tap a practitioner's avatar in the sidebar to filter every stat and the activity feed to that one practitioner. Tap "All practitioners" at the top of the avatar list to clear the filter. Useful at end-of-day for a quick personal recap, or for monthly per-practitioner reporting.

Question 57

How do I download a document from the activity log?

Accepted Answer

Each activity entry with a stored PDF shows a download icon on the right. Tap it to fetch the PDF directly from your practice's secure cloud storage. The same documents are also accessible from the patient's file in the Patient Directory.

Question 58

How do I manage my practitioners?

Accepted Answer

Go to Practitioners from the admin sidebar (the page is labelled "Dentists" / "Doctors" / "Biokineticists" / "Psychologists" / "Anaesthetists" depending on your vertical). Add a practitioner with their name, qualifications, HPCSA / regulatory number, and a personal PIN. Practitioners are used to sign clinical documents, every signed PDF carries the signing practitioner's name and qualifications.

Question 59

How does the practitioner PIN work?

Accepted Answer

Each practitioner has a personal PIN used to sign clinical documents (scripts, certificates, lab forms, implant reports, patient reports, etc). When a doctor user is linked to a practitioner row, the PIN ceremony is auto-bound to that practitioner, the user can't sign documents as anyone else. PINs are hashed; a recent successful entry produces a single-use verification token consumed by the signing route, so PIN replay attacks are blocked.

Question 60

How do I configure email notifications?

Accepted Answer

In Practice Settings you can set two notification emails: a general practice notifications address (used for everything from form submissions to supplier-form copies) and an optional form-specific address for consent submissions. If only one is set, it's used for both. You can turn off practice email copies with the Notification Email toggle — patients still receive their copies, and documents remain stored in Baselayer.

Question 61

How do I set or change the kiosk PIN?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings → Kiosk, set or change the kiosk PIN (4 or 6 digits), and save. The PIN is hashed before storage. To unlock kiosk mode on the iPad, long-press the practice logo or tap it 5 times, then enter this PIN.

Question 62

How do I update branding (logo, colours)?

Accepted Answer

In Practice Settings, scroll to Branding. Upload a logo (used on every PDF and on the kiosk) and pick a primary colour. Changes are reflected immediately across the kiosk and on every newly-generated PDF.

Question 63

How do I reset my password?

Accepted Answer

On the login screen tap "Forgot your password?" and enter your email. You'll receive a reset link. If it doesn't arrive within a minute, check your spam folder, and confirm you're using the exact email you signed up with.

Question 64

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All traffic is HTTPS; data is encrypted at rest with AES-256; per-practice access-control policies (RLS in Postgres) ensure no practice can read another practice's data. Sensitive operations (signing PDFs, saving payment-card details) run server-side; the browser never touches the underlying secrets. PINs are hashed and never stored in plaintext.

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