---
title: Special Unavailability | Avara
description: Block scheduling for closures, PTO, and maintenance — clinic-wide, provider, or room blocks that override appointment type availability.
---

## Overview

**Special unavailability** lets you block time on the calendar when your normal [appointment type](/clinical-platform/appointment-types/index.md) availability should **not** apply — site closures, provider time off, room maintenance, and other one-off exceptions.

Blocks **supersede appointment type availability** in a straightforward way: you do not need to edit every appointment type when something changes for a day or a week. Leave your standing availability configuration **untouched**; add or remove a special unavailability block when the exception applies.

Special unavailability is configured under **Operations** by users with **Can Manage Operations**. See [Inviting Users](/clinical-platform/inviting-users/#can-manage-operations/index.md) for access requirements.

## How It Works

A special unavailability entry is a **scheduling block** for a defined window. For the resource you choose, **new appointments cannot be scheduled** during that period — whether booked by staff, through [self-serve booking](/clinical-platform/self-serve-booking/index.md), or via [Connect](/connect/referrals/index.md).

Creating a block is simple:

1. Choose a **resource type** (clinic-wide, provider, or room)
2. Set a **start date and time**
3. Set an **end date and time**
4. **Save**

You can **delete** a block anytime it is no longer needed — for example when a provider returns from vacation or a room is back in service.

## Resource Types

### Clinic-Wide

A **clinic-wide** block applies to your **entire organization** for the time frame you specify. **All appointments become unbookable** during that window — every appointment type, every provider, every room.

Use clinic-wide blocks for holidays, weather closures, all-staff training, or any period when the practice is shut down entirely.

### Provider-Specific

A **provider-specific** block applies to **one provider** for the dates and times you set. People get sick, take vacation, or attend conferences; the scheduling algorithm **accounts for that provider being unavailable** without changing your global appointment type rules.

New bookings that would require that provider **cannot be scheduled** during the block. Other providers and rooms continue to follow their normal availability unless they have their own blocks.

### Room-Specific

A **room-specific** block applies to **one room** — for example an exam suite, procedure room, or imaging bay tied to a [modality](/clinical-platform/rooms-pacs/index.md). Renovations happen, machines need service, and rooms go offline for maintenance; the scheduling algorithm **handles room unavailability** the same way it handles provider time off.

Appointment types that depend on that room **cannot be newly booked** into the blocked window. Other rooms remain available according to their configuration.

## Relationship to Appointment Types

Think of appointment types as your **baseline schedule** — which services exist, which rooms and providers are generally in play, and how [public booking](/clinical-platform/self-serve-booking/index.md) and Connect rules behave day to day.

Special unavailability sits **on top** of that baseline as a temporary override. When a block is active, it **wins** for the affected resource and time range. When you delete the block, scheduling reverts to whatever your appointment types already define — no need to revert manual edits across multiple types.

## Existing Appointments

Special unavailability **does not automatically cancel or reschedule** appointments that already exist on the calendar.

If you create a block over a time frame that **already has booked appointments**, those appointments **remain** until your team handles them. It is **your responsibility** to contact patients, reschedule, or cancel as appropriate for your workflow — the block only prevents **new** scheduling into that window.

Plan blocks ahead when you can, and review the calendar after adding a block that overlaps existing bookings.

## When to Use Special Unavailability

| Situation                                                | Resource type     |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- |
| Holiday or full-site closure                             | Clinic-wide       |
| Provider PTO, sick leave, or CME                         | Provider-specific |
| Room renovation, modality downtime, or equipment service | Room-specific     |

Use special unavailability for **exceptions**, not everyday hours. Regular weekly availability belongs in [appointment type](/clinical-platform/appointment-types/#availability/index.md) configuration; blocks are for the gaps that baseline rules do not cover.