Building a doctor's appointment reminder email template

No-shows are a common phenomenon across all healthcare practices that can be severely costly, particularly if they occur regularly. When a patient fails to show, not only are they unable to be treated for their healthcare issue, but neither can potential patients who could have filled the time slot, resulting in a waste of financial and temporal resources on behalf of the practitioner. This can be intensely frustrating,  and while some appointments are missed due to legitimate reasons, more often than not, many patients are simply too occupied to remember. This is where appointment reminders come in. 

Appointment reminders ensure that patients remember upcoming bookings, enabling them to receive the care they need. Specifically, using an appointment reminder app can greatly increase patient engagement, as messages are brief, informative and easily understood. Because of their concise format, and ability to be read on any mobile or handheld device, using appointment reminders, email or otherwise, can effectively relay essential information in a way that increases engagement. Patients are far more likely to respond to reminders when they are succinct and conveniently located on mobile devices. For successful patient communication when it comes to doctor appointments, reminder services are definitely the way to go.

To create the most effective appointment reminders, it is important to consider a variety of factors. You may be surprised to know that reminders aren’t as simple as listing dates and times, and for high patient engagement, you must incorporate the following aspects. 

• Be concise - Text messages and emails should be brief and to the point. Patients have busy lives, and they need to be able to quickly skim and still interpret the importance of the message, as well as the essential details. Use as minimal amount of words as possible to convey the appointment specifics.
• Tailor to your business - Always keep your messages professional, however, if you know your clients well, write with their needs and your brand in mind. Whether this means being more classy or ‘young’, you can manipulate your language to ensure that patients engage well with the content. 
• Keep it relevant - Make sure that the message is to the point, and does not contain sensitive or irrelevant information that can distract from the purpose of your message. Clients need to be able to extract valuable information very easily.‍
• Be consistent - Send reminders consistently, and at the right dates and times. For example, if you commonly send reminders both one week in advance, and 24 hours before the patient appointment, then it is best to continue doing so as patients will come to know what to expect.

Email reminders are the best way to save your healthcare practice time and money, as they are efficient in communicating essential information, and support high patient engagement. Tracking down no-shows can be extremely tiresome, not to mention a huge waste of your resources, and can increase the workload on you and your staff. The loss of revenue can be particularly troubling when considering the investments that could be made on new equipment, upgraded technology, as well as increased specialized care that can elevate the quality of treatment for patients. Relaying information in a concise format, that is highly accessible, is a great way to retain and attract patients for their appointments, and can ensure that you do not waste resources unnecessarily. We also acknowledge that it can be difficult to come up with the right structure that is accessible to all patients, so we have provided an email template in both formal and casual forms. They cover all essential information concisely, and allow you to customize according to your patient and business needs. 

The following is a formal email reminder that contains relevant information including the patient name, sender, location, time, and date. Most healthcare practices go by this format to maintain a level of professionality, and this method seems most universal for clinical use. 

Subject: Reminder- Your appointment on 23-04-21

Dear John,

This is a friendly reminder confirming your appointment with Carepatron on April 24 at 3:30 PM. Please try to arrive 15 minutes early and bring your relevant documents as requested previously. 

If you have any questions or you need to reschedule, please call our office at [phone number]. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you on April 24. 

Have a wonderful day!

Warm regards,

Carepatron

However, not all healthcare clinics operate the same, and confirmation emails can look slightly different. For something more casual, which may better suit smaller businesses, you may consider the following:

Hi, John!

This is a friendly reminder that we have you scheduled for a Carepatron medical appointment on April 24 at 3:30 PM. You can find us online within the Carepatron patient portal platform, as a link will be sent to you 15 minutes prior to commencement. 

Don’t forget:

• Bring your journal as discussed!.
• Try to get here 15 minutes early.
• If you need to reschedule, call us at [phone number].
  

We’ll see you soon!

Best,

Carepatron

Note how despite its casual nature, the email still contains essential information such as time, date, location, name of the sender, as well as the name of the recipient. These aspects should always be included within appointment reminder emails, and it is important to structure them in a concise way.

Carepatron is one of the leading options for healthcare, and used by 10,000+ healthcare professionals, it is one of the best forms of software for effective practice management. With Carepatron, you can use optimized booking schedules and templates that also support and provide free appointment reminders to reduce no-shows by up to 99%. Additionally, your practice can reinforce and consolidate patient connections, as well as have the automated ability to easily fill in empty slots, and arrange a seamless workflow through a multifaceted dashboard. You can rest easy knowing your services are also HIPAA compliant, and your quality of care is elevated through improved clinical results. It is the best option for appointment reminders, and it would be a great disservice to not explore its features. 

Final thoughts

Making appointments in a timely fashion is an essential component of successful healthcare businesses, as it dodges large financial and temporal losses that can occur with no-shows. It is essential that you implement practices that promote patient engagement, and strengthen connections, as well as in a way that effectively conveys information. With our provision of the email message sample for doctors appointments, we hope we have contributed towards the consolidation of your knowledge in the area of appointment reminders, as well as to the new areas you could take your business. Software like Carepatron provides the perfect starting place for you to transition towards effective appointment reminders, however, regardless of your choice, it is important that you prioritize patient needs and ensure they are seen on time. 

Further reading:

• Evaluating the Impact of Patient No-Shows on Service Quality
• Missed Appointments, Missed Opportunities: Tackling The Patient No-Show Problem