A recurring schedule is a set of instructions for shifts that repeat. It tells Careswitch which days and times to create shifts on the calendar.
Careswitch creates shifts about one year ahead. It adds more automatically as time passes, until the schedule ends.
You can change a single shift or apply a change to the rest of the series. The sections below explain what happens with each type of change.
Setting up a recurring schedule
When you create a shift, turn on Repeats. Then choose how often the shifts should repeat.
Under Repeats Every, enter a number and choose Day, Week, or Month:
Option | How it works |
Day | Repeats every set number of days. For example, enter 2 to repeat every 2 days. |
Week | Repeats every set number of weeks on the days you select under Repeats on. Each day can have its own start and end time. To use the same times for all selected days, click Copy [day]'s time to all days. |
Month | Repeats every set number of months on the same date as the start date, such as the 15th. If a month does not have that date, such as the 31st, that month is skipped. There is no option for a day such as the "second Tuesday." |
Use Repeats Until (optional) to set the last date in the series. If you leave it blank, the schedule ends when the service ends. If the service has no end date, the schedule continues.
Live-in schedules always repeat weekly and include every day. See Scheduling Basics.
Finding your schedules
Go to Shifts and open Schedules. Recurring schedules are grouped by client and service.
Use these filters to find schedules:
Status: Choose Current or Ended schedules.
Overage: Find schedules that exceed the client's policy or authorization limits during the dates you are viewing.
Click a schedule to see its repeat pattern, the policies it bills to, and the caregivers who have worked its shifts.
From the schedule page, you can choose:
Option | What it does |
Configure Assignment | Changes the caregiver assignment starting with the next upcoming shift. |
Edit Schedule | Changes the schedule starting with the next upcoming shift. |
Delete Series | Removes upcoming shifts and ends the schedule. |
Each option opens a form with all following shifts already selected. An Impact to Schedule message confirms which shifts will be affected.
Editing one shift or the whole series
Open a shift in the series and click Edit. Under Affected Shifts, choose:
This Shift: Changes only the shift you opened. The rest of the series stays the same.
This and all following shifts: Changes this shift, every later shift, and the recurring schedule. Shifts created in the future will also use the updated details.
When you apply a change to the series, what happens next depends on what you change.
Changing rates, modifiers, policy, or profit calculations
These changes update this shift and every later shift in the series directly. The assigned caregivers and shift times stay the same.
The series change also replaces any separate rate, modifier, or policy you previously set on a later shift. Holiday modifiers stay in place.
Changing times, days, frequency, or start date
These changes update the repeat pattern, so Careswitch must remove and recreate upcoming shifts. Before you save, an Attention message explains that upcoming shifts will be cleared and new shifts will be created using the updated details.
When you save:
Careswitch removes upcoming shifts from the date of the shift you are editing onward, as long as they have not been worked. It then creates new shifts using the updated pattern.
The new shifts use the schedule's caregiver and the same assignment status: Scheduled, Tentative, or Offer Pending. The form shows the caregiver and status that will be used. If the schedule has no caregiver, the new shifts are unassigned.
Changes made to individual upcoming shifts are lost. This includes a different caregiver, adjusted times or rates, and cancellations with no charge or pay. Those canceled shifts return as active shifts.
Shifts that are In Progress, Completed, or Incomplete are never changed.
To change a series to a single shift: Turn off Repeats with This and all following shifts selected. This keeps only the shift you are editing and removes every other unworked shift in the series, including past and upcoming shifts.
When Careswitch cannot make the change
Careswitch will not apply the change if it would remove a shift that:
Is already on an invoice or claim.
Has pay that is approved or paid.
Has an EVV visit that was sent to Sandata.
Nothing is changed. A message tells you how many shifts cannot be deleted and asks you to resolve those shifts first or edit only the current shift.
If a shift is on an invoice or claim, remove it from that invoice or claim first. You can also choose to edit only the single shift you need.
Changing the caregiver for a series
Open a shift in the series and click Configure Assignment. Under Affected Shifts, choose:
Option | What changes |
This shift only | Changes only this shift. The schedule's caregiver stays the same. |
This and all following unassigned shifts | Assigns the caregiver to this shift and every later unassigned shift. Caregivers already assigned to other shifts stay in place. The selected caregiver also becomes the schedule's caregiver for shifts created in the future. |
This and all following shifts | Assigns the caregiver to this shift and every later Unassigned, Offer Pending, Scheduled, or Tentative shift. This replaces any caregivers already assigned to those shifts. The selected caregiver also becomes the schedule's caregiver for shifts created in the future. |
Shifts that are In Progress, Completed, Incomplete, or Canceled are never reassigned. If you are replacing another caregiver on any affected shift, you must choose a Reason.
For assignment types, see Scheduling Basics. For pay rates on recurring shifts, see Changing a caregiver's pay rate.
Changing or ending a schedule's end date
Shortening Repeats Until
To end the schedule sooner, move Repeats Until to an earlier date. You can also add an end date if none was set. Careswitch shows an Attention message before you save.
Shifts after the new end date are removed only if they have not been worked. This includes Unassigned, Offer Pending, Scheduled, and Tentative shifts, plus Canceled shifts with no charge or pay.
The same restrictions described above apply. If an affected shift is on an invoice or claim, has approved pay, or has been sent to EVV, Careswitch makes no changes.
Extending Repeats Until
Move Repeats Until to a later date, or clear it to remove that end date. Careswitch creates the additional shifts right away, up to one year ahead. The new shifts use the schedule's current caregiver and status.
When the service end date changes
Adding an end date or ending the service sooner: Careswitch removes unworked shifts after that date and ends the schedules on that date. If a later shift cannot be removed, such as a shift on an invoice, Careswitch asks you to choose a later end date.
Extending or removing the service end date: This does not restart the service's schedules. To restart a schedule, edit a shift in the series, choose This and all following shifts, and move or clear Repeats Until.
See Adding a Service.
Ending a schedule
There is no separate "End schedule" button. Use either of these options:
Set Repeats Until to the last date you want shifts to occur.
Delete the remaining series. On the schedule page, click Delete Series. Or open a shift, click More → Delete, and choose This and all following shifts.
Deleting the remaining series removes shifts starting with the selected shift and ends the schedule. Shifts that cannot be deleted, such as those on invoices, remain.
To restart the schedule later, edit it and clear Repeats Until.
Editing past and completed shifts
You can use Edit before a shift's end time if its status is Unassigned, Offer Pending, Scheduled, or Tentative.
After the end time, or once the shift is completed, Edit is no longer available. Use the options on the shift page to correct hours, rates, and pay. See Scheduling Basics.
Changing the policy
If the shift is already on an invoice: You cannot change its policy in the edit form. Open the invoice, select the charges, and use Move to invoice to bill them to a different policy. See Invoice Groups
If the shift is completed but has not been billed: Open the shift and choose More → Change Policy.
Canceling shifts in a series
Cancel shifts one at a time from each shift's page. You must choose a Reason. You can also add a Note and choose to pay the caregiver even though the shift is canceled.
There is no "cancel the whole series" button. Choose the option that fits the situation:
Visits will stop going forward: Set Repeats Until or delete the remaining series. See Ending a schedule.
The client is pausing care, such as during a hospital stay: Ask the Assistant to cancel the client's upcoming shifts, then review the changes it made.
FAQ
How far ahead are shifts created?
About one year. Careswitch automatically adds more shifts as time passes, until the schedule reaches Repeats Until or the service's end date.
I changed one shift and later changed the whole series. Will my earlier change stay?
It depends on what you changed for the series:
Rates, modifiers, policy, or profit calculations: The individual shift keeps its times and caregiver. Its separate rate, modifier, and policy settings are replaced by the series change.
Times, days, frequency, or start date: Upcoming shifts are recreated. Changes made to individual shifts from that date onward are lost.
Why do older shifts look the same after I change the series?
Series changes start with the shift you edited and apply going forward. Earlier shifts stay the same. Shifts that are In Progress, Completed, or Incomplete also stay the same.
I extended the client's service. Why weren't new shifts created?
Extending the service's end date does not extend its schedules. Edit a shift in the series, choose This and all following shifts, and move or clear Repeats Until.
Why does the Schedules tab show more than one caregiver on a schedule?
A schedule has one main caregiver, but other caregivers may cover individual shifts. For example, a shift may have been reassigned using This shift only or claimed as an open shift.
The Caregivers count includes everyone who has shifts on that schedule during the dates you are viewing.
Does recording an absence change a caregiver's recurring schedule?
No. Approving an absence removes the caregiver only from shifts that overlap the absence. They remain the schedule's caregiver for other shifts.