Client Appointment Reminders

⚠️  Note: Owners & Managers similarly can update this with these steps:

• Practice Settings (left menu)
• Staff (a top tab)
• Click on the provider name you wish to edit
• Find the section titled "Appointment Settings"
• Click the blue Edit button (top right of that section)
• Then change Reminder interval (days) to a preferred default, and Save

Note: Appointment Reminders are configured for the Practice Default Time Zone, and will display both the time zone and time to the client in the reminder.

Need to send reminders to someone other than the client?

If treating couples, families, or children/minors and you want appointment reminders to be sent to additional phone numbers or email addresses, simply add those phone and email addresses into the client's profile.

Add the contact information to the same Phone & Email section, then configure it as you would for any client reminder:

Can I change or configure the reminder text?

We try to hold client privacy above all else at TherapyAppointment, and per our security and policy team's recommendations we have taken HIPAA's recommendations of reminder communications and have opted to include the minimal amount of information to convey the reminder message to the client, so customization beyond the basics (IE:  like reminder type, number of days advance, as well as confirmations) is not possible.

Customization with reminders such as custom text, or your group or business name or additional information is not supported.

Can a client reply to reminders?

We don't allow clients to reply to reminders, and don't log that information sent. Instead, we suggest your clients use our HIPAA compliant messaging instead.

Client First Name has an appointment (or virtual if it's an integrated telehealth appointment) with Provider Title & Last Name on Date at Time - Practice Timezone.

We add "Questions? Please call Practice phone number"

We add "Reply 'Yes' to confirm"

Reminder Not Sent?

To maximize the chances of a successful reminder delivery, check to ensure that the patient information is entered correctly:

1. Make sure you have the "Reminder Settings" correctly set in the patient's information section.
   Examples include the type of reminder selected, and the appropriate information for that kind of reminder. For example: a valid email address for email reminders, a valid cell phone # for text reminders and verify that information with the client. Ensure there are no typos or incorrect characters.
2. The list of appointment reminders is composed very early in the morning the day the day the reminder is supposed to go out.
   If you enter an appointment into the schedule after the list is composed, no reminder will be sent because the appointment didn't exist at the time the list was composed. This typically happens around midnight going into the day the reminder would be sent out. For example: if you have 1 day reminders and have an appointment for August 15th, for a reminder to go out on the 14th the appointment would need to be on your schedule by August 13 at midnight going into August 14th.
3. Remember that the appointment reminder status is only a listing of the ATTEMPTS to send a reminder.
   If the phone isn't answered, or is busy repeatedly, no reminder can be delivered. If the email goes to the Spam folder, or the text message is deleted unread, the system cannot track these problems. Likewise, if a patient feigns not receiving a reminder in hopes of avoiding a no-show fee, we certainly cannot track this. It is best to have a written policy that states that reminders are sent as a COURTESY, but that patients will be held responsible for missed appointments whether or not a reminder is sent. This helps to end disputes about whether or not a reminder was sent or received.

TherapyAppointment offers several ways for clients to confirm scheduled sessions including:

Once an appointment is scheduled, a reminder is automatically sent to the client in advance of their appointment (based upon the type enabled).

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1. Text Confirmations

Enabling text reminders activates the system to confirm appointments via automated text message.

Selecting text confirmations allows the client to confirm the appointment by replying  Yes to the automated text (replying "yes", "YES", "Yes" also works). 

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2. Email Confirmations

Enabling email reminders activates the system to confirm appointments via automated email message.

Selecting this allows the client to confirm the appointment by clicking the Confirm Appointment button within the email reminder.

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3. Client Portal Confirmations

Clients can also sign into the portal to confirm their appointments.

From the Dashboard, they'd click Confirm to the right of the appointment details:

Displayed Confirmations

In the system, we display confirmations in a variety of areas.

• First, we remove it from the list of "Unconfirmed appointments" on the Dashboard for staff (bottom left section for providers)

• The Provider (or staff) can see the appointment confirmation when viewing a scheduled appointment. Simply click on the appointment from either the Dashboard or Schedule and look to the right of the client name:

• We also show the confirmation details if from the above popup of the appointment you click the top left Summary tab, then scroll to the bottom and click on the "Timeline" section which will expand the view and show you those details like this:

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Unconfirmed Appointments

• At the bottom left corner of the Dashboard, we list upcoming unconfirmed appointments
• When a client confirms an appointment through the reminder, their name will be removed from this section