What is included in the Appointment Reminder message?
What is included in the Appointment Reminder message?
Face to Face Appointment Reminders will include the date and time of the patient's appointment and, if your organisation has more than one site, the location of the appointment.
Telephone Appointment Reminders will include the date and a 2-hour time frame of the patient's appointment. This window of time is not currently customisable.
When are the reminder messages sent?
When are the reminder messages sent?
1 reminder message is sent 1 working day before the patient's appointment. There are also optional reminders 3 days prior to the appointment and 1 week prior to the appointment that can be set up, and a Post-Appointment Message option ✅
For the 3 day and 7 day reminders, we have to detect the appointment 3 days and 7 days respectively before the appointment start time, otherwise we won't schedule a message.
We currently do not send out automatic texts to patients to confirm their appointment booking ❎
What happens with Appointment Reminders if a booking is made on the same day?
What happens with Appointment Reminders if a booking is made on the same day?
If a patient is booked into a same-day appointment they will receive an Appointment Reminder if the appointment is more than an hour from the time it was booked. In this case, they would also receive the Post-Appointment Message.
However, If the appointment is within an hour they will not receive a reminder, and subsequently will not receive the FFT Post-Appointment Message. Appointments booked within 7 days won’t get a reminder until the 24-hour one.
How do I set up new Appointment Reminders?
How do I set up new Appointment Reminders?
Add a slot type into your clinical system, and our system will pick them up in about an hour if a patient is booked into the slot in the next 7 days. This article here goes into more detail 😃.
Does Accurx check consent for Appointment Reminder messages?
Does Accurx check consent for Appointment Reminder messages?
Yes ✅ our system scans the medical record to look for any SNOMED codes related to SMS consent (for instance, if the patient has explicitly expressed dissent for SMS communication). It will then choose whether to send the Appointment Reminder based on this, and hence will not send Appointment Reminders to patients that have a code for declined consent in the record.
For more information on this please see this article here.
What happens if a new member of staff joins the organisation, do I need to do anything to make sure their patients receive reminders?
What happens if a new member of staff joins the organisation, do I need to do anything to make sure their patients receive reminders?
Nope! Our system doesn't distinguish between clinicians and only looks at slot types 🔍
My practice has just procured Appointment Reminders, do I need to do anything with my current system?
My practice has just procured Appointment Reminders, do I need to do anything with my current system?
You will need to turn off any current system reminders so patients do not get multiple reminders.
Can I use Appointment reminders for telephone appointments?
Can I use Appointment reminders for telephone appointments?
Yes! You can set a telephone Appointment Reminder which will include the date and a 2-hour time frame of the patient's appointment and won't include a location. This window of time is not currently customisable.
Why don't reminder messages appear in EMIS or SystmOne?
Why don't reminder messages appear in EMIS or SystmOne?
Currently, Appointment Reminders sent to patients aren't automatically saved to their consultation records on EMIS or SystmOne. This is to keep medical records clear and easier to review.
My organisation has multiple sites, will Appointment Reminders include which site the patient's appointment is at?
My organisation has multiple sites, will Appointment Reminders include which site the patient's appointment is at?
Yes! If we detect more than one site in your appointment book then we will automatically include the location of the appointment in the reminder.
Can I use Appointment Reminders to send Friends and Family tests?
Can I use Appointment Reminders to send Friends and Family tests?
Our Post-Appointment Message feature allows you to set up text messages which are automatically sent to patients 24 hours after their appointment. This is included in our Appointment Reminders product. Within this message, you can include whatever text you like, including a link to your Friends and Family test! We've made two articles to make it super easy to create your own FFT on Microsoft Forms or Google Forms but you are welcome to use whichever survey-building provider your organisation prefers.
How to create your own Friends and Family Test on Microsoft Forms.
How to create your own Friends and Family Test on Google Forms.
Will Accurx check if the appointment was cancelled before sending the Post-Appointment Message?
Will Accurx check if the appointment was cancelled before sending the Post-Appointment Message?
Yes, we will search the appointment book for the associated appointment before the Post-Appointment Message is sent. If the appointment was cancelled or rescheduled before we've done a refresh then the Post-Appointment Message would not be sent.
In some cases, we may have already sent this message when the appointment cancellation change is picked up from the medical record🤕
Do Post-Appointment Messages save to the medical record?
Do Post-Appointment Messages save to the medical record?
Post-Appointment Messages, including when used for friends and family tests (FFT), are not saved to the medical records (ie EMIS or SystmOne).
Do we check for deceased patients before sending?
Do we check for deceased patients before sending?
Yes, we check for deceased patient status before an Appointment Reminder text is sent and then stop that reminder from going out.
How often does it send a message?
How often does it send a message?
The appointment reminder and post-appointment reminder texts will be sent for each individual appointment timeslot booked. Consecutive timeslots will have a reminder message sent for each time slot. If the patient is double-booked they will receive a message per appointment, so if they have two appointments times in one day, they will receive two reminder messages and two post-appointment messages.
Can patients amend their appointment?
Can patients amend their appointment?
Yes, patients can either cancel, request to cancel or request to book.