Reminders are the single most effective thing against no-shows, and the timing matters more than the words. Email and SMS reminders are separate, so a clinic can do both at different times.
What it's for
A reminder goes out ahead of the appointment on a schedule you set per template, which is the single most effective thing against no-shows. Email and SMS reminders are separate templates with separate timing, so a clinic can email three days out and text the day before.
Set it up
Open Settings, then the email or SMS templates for Appointment Reminders under Automatic messages, and add a template
Give it a Template name.
Set Reminder scheduling
Send reminder: 1 to 6 days before the appointment. Sending window: the hour of the day, in the location's time, during which it's sent. Skip weekends: a reminder that would fall on Saturday or Sunday is sent on the Friday instead.
Write the content
Date, start time, practitioner, the clinic's phone and the Cancel Link are the usual placeholders; for telehealth types include Telehealth Link. Preview and save.
Link it on each appointment type
Choose it for the Reminder event under the type's Communications.
Worth knowing
- A reminder is sent once per appointment per template. An appointment booked inside the reminder period, say today for tomorrow with a 2-day reminder, still gets one, as long as the visit hasn't started.
- Reminders stop for an appointment that's canceled, and follow its new date if it's moved.
- The patient can cancel from the Cancel Link until the clinic's minimum notice period; the SMS and email reminders in the Communications report count toward SMS usage.