Testing writes, per system

Your Open Dental sandbox takes every write the API makes, so you can test all of them there. Live practices run 15 systems, and not every system takes every write. Before you ship, know which writes work on each practice's system.

How to read the tables

Every write can land in two places: NexHealth, and the practice's health record system. Each table shows both.

Saved in NexHealth means the API returns 2xx and the NexHealth record changes.
Written to the health record system means NexHealth queues the change for the practice's sync and it lands on the next cycle, usually within minutes. See How a write reaches the health record system. On a system the column does not list, the write stays in NexHealth and the practice does not see it.
400 means the API rejects the call. Nothing is saved anywhere.
To learn which system a practice runs, call GET /sync_status; each sync returns an emr object with a display_name. On v3.1.0 (beta), GET /locations/{id} returns it as ehr.

Appointments

Every PATCH /appointments write is confirmed the same way: when the command finishes, appointment_updated fires on success, or appointment_updated.failed, .timed_out or .incomplete otherwise, with previous_attributes showing the field you changed.

API call	Saved in NexHealth	Written to the health record system on	Webhook that confirms it
`POST /appointments`	Yes	Every system, once the location has `insert_appt_client: true`. Until then the appointment stays in NexHealth.	`appointment_insertion`: `complete`, or `failed`, `timed_out` or `incomplete`. On `complete` the appointment's `foreign_id` is set.
`PATCH /appointments` with `cancelled: true`	Yes	athenahealth, Cloud9, Curve Hero, Denticon, Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Dentrix Enterprise, Dolphin, Eaglesoft, eClinicalWorks, ModMed, NextGen Office, Open Dental	`appointment_updated`
`PATCH /appointments` with `confirmed: true`	Yes	Every system	`appointment_updated`
`PATCH /appointments` with `checkin_at`	Yes	Denticon, Dentrix, Dentrix Enterprise, Eaglesoft, ModMed, NextGen Office, Open Dental	`appointment_updated`
`PATCH /appointments` with `start_time` and `end_time`, `operatory_id` or `note`	Only on the systems in the next column. `operatory_id` alone: yes on every system. A time or note change on any other system: `400` `EMR does not support appointment update`, nothing saved.	Denticon, Dentrix, Dentrix Enterprise, Eaglesoft, Open Dental	`appointment_updated`

Two more rules on live practices:

PATCH /appointments works once the appointment has reached the system (foreign_id set). Before that, only cancelled: true is accepted, so you can free the slot when an insertion fails. Anything else returns 400 Cannot update appointment because it is not synced with the PMS and/or a live client.
A cancelled appointment or a scheduling block cannot be updated.

Patients

API call	Saved in NexHealth	Written to the health record system on	Webhook that confirms it
`POST /patients`	Yes	No system on v3.0.0. The patient reaches the system when you book their first appointment.	None on v3.0.0. The patient's `foreign_id` stays `null` until an appointment lands.
`POST /appointments` for a patient with no `foreign_id`	Yes	athenahealth, Cloud9, Denticon, Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Dentrix Enterprise, Eaglesoft, eClinicalWorks, ModMed, NextGen Office, Open Dental, OrthoTrac. The patient is created in the system as part of the booking. Curve Hero, Dolphin and PracticeWorks cannot take a new patient from the API, so book with a patient the system already has.	`appointment_insertion`. The patient's `foreign_id` is set when it lands.
`PATCH /patients`	Yes	No system on v3.0.0	None on v3.0.0

On v3.1.0 (beta), POST /patients sends the patient straight to Denticon, Dentrix, Eaglesoft and Open Dental and fires patient_insertion; PATCH /patients sends the change and fires patient_update.

Payments and adjustments

API call	Saved in NexHealth	Written to the health record system on	Webhook that confirms it
`POST /payments`	Not directly. The API returns `202` on every system, and the record appears on `GET /payments` once the sync reads it back from the ledger.	Dentrix, Dentrix Enterprise, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, where the practice has ledger sync. On any other system the payment never reaches the ledger.	`payment_insertion`: `complete`, or `failed`, `timed_out` or `incomplete`
`POST /adjustments`	The same, on `GET /adjustments`	The same four	`adjustment_insertion`, same suffixes

Both calls return 202 with an empty body.

Documents

POST /patients/{id}/documents reaches the system only where document insertion is turned on for it: Curve Hero, Denticon, Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Dentrix Enterprise, Eaglesoft and Open Dental. For athenahealth, eClinicalWorks and OrthoTrac, ask developer support. Elsewhere the document stays in NexHealth. document_insertion fires with complete, or failed, timed_out or incomplete.

v3.1.0 (beta) only

Sandbox keys can call v3.1.0; production keys need access for your organization. See Versioning.

POST /insurance_plans, POST /insurance_coverages and DELETE /insurance_coverages/{id} are sent to Dentrix, Eaglesoft and Open Dental. Elsewhere the API accepts the call and the change stays in NexHealth. insurance_plan_insertion, insurance_coverage_insertion and insurance_coverage_deleted tell you whether it landed: the suffix on event_name is .complete, .failed or .timed_out.
POST /communication_logs is Open Dental only, and the endpoints are turned on per organization (sandbox keys included). Other systems return 422.

What this means for your sandbox

Every row that names Open Dental works on your Open Dental sandbox, so you can test each write end to end there. The demo practice has no sync behind it: bookings are accepted and never land, and PATCH /appointments returns 400 for anything but a cancel. See Sandbox and test mode.