Questions About Calendar Sync

Calendar synchronization is essential for managing your practice’s schedule across multiple platforms. Below are some of the most frequent questions we receive from our providers about syncing their Sessions Health calendar with external calendars (especially Google), as well as troubleshooting tips.

How Do I Set Up Calendar Sync?

One-Way vs. Two-Way Sync Explained

• One-Way Sync: Events in Sessions Health push out to your external calendar (e.g., Google), but changes you make in that external calendar do not come back into Sessions Health.
• Two-Way Sync: Changes in Sessions Health automatically appear on your Google calendar, and updates you make in Google automatically appear in Sessions Health. This is ideal if you want your main calendar (Google) and Sessions Health to stay perfectly aligned.

Step-by-Step Setup (Two-Way Sync)

1. Open Your Sessions Health Calendar.
   • Go to the Calendar tab within Sessions Health.
2. Access Sync Settings.
   • Click on the three-dot menu (usually in the top-right corner) and select Sync Calendar.
3. Choose “Two-Way Sync with Google”.
   • If prompted, allow Sessions Health to connect with your Google account.
   • You’ll see a confirmation message once connected successfully.
4. Verify in Google Calendar.
   • Open Google Calendar in another browser tab.
   • On the left under “My calendars,” you should see the new Sessions Health calendar listed.
5. Set Your Preferred Calendar Options.
   • For example, choose which Google calendar you want to sync back into Sessions Health.
   • Note that only Google calendars that you own (rather than just “read access”) will sync events back into Sessions Health.

Important: We only support two-way sync with Google at this time. If you want to sync an Outlook, Apple, or Headway calendar, you must first sync those to Google before Sessions Health can pull them in.

Why Aren’t My Updates Showing Up Right Away in My Google Calendar?

Many providers notice that changes don’t appear in their external calendar as soon as they update Sessions Health—or vice versa. Several factors can cause a delay:

1. Google’s Refresh Rates (One-Way URL Sync).
   • If you’re using a simple “From URL” or one-way sync, Google typically refreshes that data only once or twice a day. This can make it seem like your new or changed events are not syncing promptly.

   • Unfortunately, Google does not provide a built-in way to force a refresh more frequently in one-way “From URL” feeds.

     Two-Way Sync Should Be Faster.

   • With two-way sync, Sessions Health pushes changes to Google and checks for updates regularly. While it should be near real-time or at least much faster than one-way, occasional delays can still happen.

   • Make sure you’ve fully completed the two-way sync setup and chosen the correct Google calendar that you own.

     Stuck Caches or Old Connections.

   • If your Google Calendar still shows old appointments, try removing the Sessions Health calendar from your Google Calendar settings and then re-enabling two-way sync in Sessions Health.

Tip: For best results (and the quickest updates), we recommend using Two-Way Sync with Google Calendar rather than the one-way URL method.

Can I Sync My Sessions Health Calendar with Headway (or Another External EHR)?

Many providers juggle multiple EHRs or scheduling platforms, like Headway or Alma, alongside Sessions Health. We often hear questions like, “Is it possible to sync my Headway calendar directly with Sessions?”

• Direct Sync Not Supported
  • Currently, we only support two-way sync with Google Calendar. There isn’t a direct connection with Headway, Alma, Outlook, Apple Calendar, or other EHR scheduling systems.
• Workaround: Sync Headway/Other EHR Calendars → Google → Sessions Health
  • If Headway (or your other platform) can sync with Google, then once your Google calendar is updated, Sessions Health can pull those events in through two-way sync.
  • Make sure that the calendar you’re using in Google is owned by you (so Sessions Health can read/write to it). If your Headway calendar is simply “shared” to your Google (i.e., read-only), Sessions Health may not pull those events back in.

Example:

A provider asked if Sessions Health can directly pull from the Headway calendar. The answer is no. Instead, Headway → Google → Sessions Health is the recommended chain.

How Do I Remove a Synced Sessions Health Calendar from Google (Or “Start Over”)?

Sometimes you want to completely reset your calendar sync—whether to remove duplicates, fix old sessions, or clear out a malfunctioning connection. Steps typically include:

1. Disable Sync in Sessions Health.
   • Go to Calendar → Sync Calendar → Switch from “Two-Way” to “One-Way” or select “Disable” if available.
   • This severs the active link between Sessions Health and Google.
2. Remove Sessions Health Calendar in Google.
   • Open Google Calendar in a web browser.
   • Click the gear icon → Settings → Find the Sessions Health calendar under “My Calendars.”
   • Click the three dots next to the Sessions Health calendar name and choose Settings and Sharing → Scroll down to Remove Calendar.
3. Verify It’s Completely Gone.
   • Refresh your Google Calendar or close/reopen.
   • Make sure the Sessions Health events have disappeared (this may take a few minutes if Google’s cache is lagging).
4. Re-Enable Sync in Sessions Health.
   • Return to the Sync Calendar screen in Sessions Health.
   • Choose your sync option again—preferably Two-Way Sync—and walk through the permission steps to connect your Google account.

Tip: If you are still seeing old Sessions Health events in Google after removing everything, you may need to manually delete those old events from Google Calendar. This happened to one of our users, who reported that after removing the Sessions Health calendar, they had to also individually delete old events to fully clear them.

Why Don’t Canceled Appointments Show As “Canceled” in Google Calendar?

When you cancel or no-show an appointment in Sessions Health, it appears crossed out or labeled appropriately within Sessions Health. However, in Google Calendar:

• Google Removes the Event:
  • By design, when our system sends a “canceled” status, Google interprets that as “delete this event.” This frees up that slot for future scheduling in Google’s ecosystem.
• No “Cross-Out” Feature:
  • Google Calendar does have “declined event” visuals for invites, but does not maintain a “crossed-out” visual for synced cancellations from external calendars.
• Ensuring Time-Slot Availability:
  • Many providers want canceled slots to become available for rebooking. If Google kept them “crossed out,” it could look like the time is still blocked.

Bottom Line:

Google’s platform will remove canceled appointments altogether, rather than displaying them as canceled. To see historical canceled/no-show appointments for documentation, check Sessions Health directly—that’s where the complete record stays.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

“How do I remove old, archived, or canceled appointments from Google Calendar?”

Answer:

• If you’re using Two-Way Sync, canceled or archived appointments in Sessions Health will be removed from your Google calendar, freeing up that time slot. In some cases, Google may display them for a little while before refreshing. If old canceled sessions remain:
  1. Disable (or switch to One-Way) sync in Sessions Health to break the connection.
  2. Go into Google Calendar Settings and manually remove or delete the lingering event(s).
  3. Re-enable Two-Way Sync in Sessions Health to start fresh.
• If you’re using a One-Way URL sync, note that Google only refreshes the feed 1–2 times a day. Old or canceled events may linger until that refresh occurs. You can’t force an immediate refresh in Google’s one-way feed, so you may have to wait or manually delete them in Google.

“What if my Google Calendar events keep appearing ‘locked’ in Sessions Health?”

Answer:

• A “locked” icon in Sessions Health indicates that these events originated from Google during a Two-Way Sync.
• Because Sessions Health sees them as “Google-owned,” it won’t let you edit them within Sessions. You’ll need to make changes (time changes, cancellations, etc.) directly in Google Calendar, and those changes will sync back to Sessions Health.

“Why do some of my Google events have an outdated title or time in Sessions Health?”

Answer:

• Check whether you are using One-Way or Two-Way Sync.
  • With Two-Way, event name changes in Google should flow back to Sessions Health. If that’s not happening:
    • Verify that you own the Google calendar. If you only have “read” permission (e.g., for a Headway calendar shared with you), updates may not sync properly.
    • Double-check that your Two-Way Sync in Sessions Health is still active and connected to the correct Google account.
  • With One-Way feeds, Google changes won’t reflect in Sessions Health. It’s normal for the event in Sessions Health to stay at its old title or time.

“My Outlook (or Alma, or Rula) calendar is synced with Google, but those events don’t show up in Sessions. What can I do?”

Answer:

• Make sure your Outlook/Alma/Rula calendar is not just “read-only” in Google. Sessions Health can only pull events from a Google calendar that you fully own or have “Make Changes and Manage Sharing” permissions on.
• Often, third-party platforms (like Headway or Alma) share the calendar with your Google account in read-only mode, which means Sessions Health cannot read or write those events for Two-Way Sync.
• Some providers can “import” external events into a personal Google calendar (one they own), which then allows Sessions Health to see them. If you’re unsure how to do this, contact your external calendar’s support or Google support.

“Why do I see duplicates in Google or Sessions Health after turning on Two-Way Sync?”

Answer:

• Duplicates can arise if you previously had a One-Way feed active and then enabled Two-Way Sync using the same Google calendar.
• To fix this:
  1. Disable your existing calendar feed in Sessions Health (switch to Off or One-Way and remove the URL from your Google calendar).
  2. Remove any old Sessions Health calendars from Google’s settings so you don’t keep pulling in the same events.
  3. Re-establish only the Two-Way Sync connection.
• Going forward, avoid running One-Way URL sync and Two-Way Sync simultaneously on the same Google calendar, as it can create overlapping or duplicate events.

“Can I two-way sync multiple Google accounts at once?”

Answer:

• Currently, you can only have one Two-Way Sync connection per Sessions Health user. If you manage multiple Gmail accounts, you’ll need to pick a single account to serve as the primary for syncing.
• If you want other calendars to show up, link or merge them into that main Google account’s calendar. Alternatively, some providers set up a “master” Google calendar account that pulls in multiple calendars, which is then synced with Sessions Health.

“How do I ‘clear cache’ or completely reset everything if I’m still seeing old or unwanted sync data?”

Answer:

• While there isn’t a direct “clear cache” button in Sessions Health, you can effectively do this by:
  1. Disabling calendar sync in Sessions Health (go to Calendar → Sync Calendar → disable or switch to One-Way Sync).
  2. Removing the Sessions Health calendar from Google Calendar’s “My calendars” list.
  3. Making sure there are no leftover events in Google from Sessions Health—delete them if needed.
  4. Returning to Sessions Health → enabling or reconfiguring Two-Way Sync to start from scratch.
• If your data still looks incorrect after these steps, contact our support team for a deeper investigation.

“Why can’t I change the default color of Google events in Sessions Health?”

Answer:

• Sessions Health shows synced Google events in a specific default color to distinguish them from your Sessions Health appointments. This color is not currently user-configurable at the EHR level.
• Some providers manually adjust event colors in Google, but Sessions Health will still display them in the default synced color. We have received requests for this feature and have passed it on to our Product and Engineering teams for consideration.

“What if I want to see canceled/no-show events in Google for historical reference?”

Answer:

• Unfortunately, Google automatically removes them once Sessions Health marks an event as canceled. There’s no built-in “cross-out” or “strike-through” setting in Google for synced external cancellations.
• For thorough recordkeeping, rely on the Sessions Health calendar, which will maintain the canceled or no-show label. That ensures you still have the historical data for your own documentation or compliance needs.

“Is it possible to sync multiple providers’ calendars to a single Google account?”

Answer:

• Each Sessions Health user sets up their own Google Sync. If multiple providers share a single Google account, they risk overlapping data or confusion over event ownership.
• Best Practice: Each provider should have their own personal Google account for two-way syncing to avoid collisions and keep PHI secure. This also ensures that Google can track changes per user accurately in Sessions Health.

Additional Tips & Troubleshooting

• Check Whether You Truly Have Two-Way Sync Enabled.
  • Sometimes providers think they’re set up for two-way but only have a one-way “feed.” In Sessions Health, go to Calendar → Sync Calendar and confirm you see “Two-Way Sync with Google” as active.
• Multiple Calendars or Emails.
  • Make sure you are syncing under the correct Google account. If you have multiple Gmail addresses, confirm the correct one is used.
  • If you changed your Google login email in the meantime, you’ll need to reauthorize with the new email in Sessions Health.
• Manually Refresh (If Possible).
  • On mobile calendars (like iOS), you can sometimes pull down to refresh. But for Google’s web calendar, you must wait for Google’s own refresh schedule if you’re using the “From URL” (one-way) method.
• Contact Support if Stuck.
  • Provide screenshots (with no PHI) showing your Sessions Health calendar vs. Google Calendar for specific dates/times. Our team can quickly identify whether everything’s set up correctly or if engineering needs to step in.

In Summary

• Set up Two-Way Sync with Google if you want near real-time updates both ways.
• Expect delays (up to 24 hours) if you’re using the one-way (URL-based) method.
• Direct sync with Headway, Outlook, or Apple Calendar isn’t supported, but you can funnel them through Google.
• For a fresh start, remove the Sessions Health calendar from Google and disable sync in Sessions, then re-enable it.
• Canceled/no-show appointments in Sessions Health are removed from Google’s calendar so that those time slots are freed up.

We hope this guide clarifies the most common calendar sync questions. If you have any more questions, concerns, or run into persistent issues, please reach out to our Support Team. We’re here to help keep your scheduling running smoothly!

Need More Help?

• Visit our Support Center for additional articles and tutorials.
• Join our Sessions Health Community for additional support.
• Or email support@sessionshealth.com, and we’ll be happy to assist you further.