Client Appointment Reminders

Set Reminder Defaults

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

• Practice Settings (left menu)
• Staff (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

When Creating a Client

After clicking Save you'll be redirected to the profile. If you wish to change the appointment reminder settings, like days, to something other than the default you can do so here and with the below steps picking up at the last bullet point:

Enable Client Appointment Reminders

⚠️ 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.

Manage or Edit Reminder Settings

To manage or edit, to the far right of the contact click the square button with a pencil through it:

• To add a new phone or email, click the top right button in the section (plus symbol):           add_circle          
• To delete a phone/email, click the middle trashcan icon to the far right
• To copy a phone/email, click the left icon (2 rectangles) to the far right

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 or email?

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 currently.

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.

If a client replies in any other way to the reminder text, we send them back the following non-configurable auto-reply: We don't understand. Reply "Yes" to confirm or call the office with appointment concerns.

Reminder Preview

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 History

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.
   This service is provided as a courtesy. A 3rd party is used to handle these reminders, and although the delivery rate is above 99%, there are circumstances where messages will not be successfully delivered (if users are on the phone, out of service, etc). It is the client's responsibility to record and keep any appointments that have been made, as we cannot guarantee you will successfully receive a reminder every time.
   
   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.
4. Add the appointment on the client's phone calendar
   We've found a helpful suggestion that clients can add your appointment with them on their phone's calendar app, they can set various reminder intervals (from multiple days to an hour or 15 minutes before to the time of). Setting a calendar event with multiple reminders is helpful to be mindful of scheduled appointment times, and doesn't rely on reminders.

Reminder Confirmations

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

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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 (not case sensitive). 

If a client replies in any other way to the reminder text, we send them back the following non-configurable auto-reply: We don't understand. Reply "Yes" to confirm or call the office with appointment concerns.

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2. Email Confirmations

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

This allows the client to confirm the appointment by clicking the blue 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 of the confirmation:

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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
• Article: Dashboard → Unconfirmed Appointments