> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.voxhealth.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Availability

> The next open slot across the practice.

**Overview → Availability.** Available when the `AVAILABILITY` feature is enabled.

Availability answers the question your front desk is asked most: *when is your soonest opening?* It shows the next open slot org-wide and per location, without opening a calendar and scrolling.

<Note>
  This is different from the provider-schedule editor under Scheduling. This page is about *where the openings are*; that one is about *whose schedule allows them*.
</Note>

## What it shows

* The next available slot for the whole practice
* The next available slot at each location
* Broken down by provider and appointment type, so "soonest" means soonest for what the patient actually needs

## Provider scheduling

A provider can be excluded from agent scheduling without changing their PMS schedule. Use this when a clinician's calendar is real but should only be filled by staff: a surgeon's block, a provider taking referrals only, someone winding down before leaving.

An excluded provider still appears in your PMS and staff can still book them. The agent will not offer them.

## Why "soonest" can look wrong

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The slot exists but is the wrong length">
    A 30-minute opening is not available for a 60-minute appointment type. The soonest slot is per appointment type for exactly this reason.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The provider is excluded from agent scheduling">
    Staff see the slot; the agent does not offer it. That is the setting doing its job.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The office is closed that day">
    Availability is bounded by the [location's hours](/practice/locations), including date-specific overrides like a half-day before a holiday.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Scheduling](/patients/scheduling): the full calendar
* [Waitlist](/patients/waitlist): patients waiting for something sooner than the soonest