Text and Email Reminder Messaging Cheat Sheet

By Jamie Frew on Dec 29, 2021.

Why are text and email reminders used in the healthcare industry?

Patients who fail to show up to appointments, also known as no-shows, can be incredibly frustrating, as they take up precious time and money resources. In fact, a couple of daily no-shows a week can result in over $1000 in financial losses, and over time, this accumulation can rack up quite the expense for your business. For practitioners and staff members who spend time preparing for specific patients to arrive, it is also stressful to rearrange to accommodate new patients, and to fill the empty slots from the waiting list.

Email and text reminders are the perfect way to prevent high no-show rates, and to alleviate any stress that may occur as a result. Both methods are highly convenient and accessible to users, especially with most patients using mobile phones throughout their day. Patients can effectively communicate with practitioners concerning their appointments and any queries they may have, with email and text reminder software supporting high levels of patient engagement. Their concise formats allow for messages to be read within an average of 3 minutes, and enable faster responses within the patients' own time. It’s a win-win for both practitioners and patients, so incorporating these services into your business will certainly elevate your quality of care.

Tips for effective patient communication through texts/emails

To help guide you through good patient communication, we have compiled some of the most effective tips to execute concise texts and emails generated by your healthcare team’s software. Patients will be able to easily understand expectations from healthcare providers, as well as read and respond promptly.

Automate - Send automated reminders to patients to ensure that they show up to their appointments on time. Automated reminders are super easy to incorporate, and require minimal effort on your part. They are customizable, and provide a convenient option for patients to respond to, where necessary.

Inform and consent - Make sure you have consent from patients to be able to communicate through their personal emails and phone numbers. Just because you have them listed, doesn’t mean that you are entitled to use them how you wish. It is also important to inform and educate patients on your policies, so they can make informed decisions regarding whether to opt into reminders.

Keep copies - For auditing and legal purposes, you should keep copies of all your points of interaction to refer to if needed.

Be concise - Make sure you use simple language, and that the essentials are conveyed within as few characters as possible. Patients don’t want to have to spend copious amounts of time deciphering what you are trying to say!

Samples of doctor's text reminders

To support you in creating the most effective text reminders that will increase engagement amongst your patient, we have provided samples of doctor’s text reminders. Note, every business will conduct their texts differently, but writing something like the following will set you on a good path.

Hi John Smith, this is a reminder of your upcoming appointment with Dr. Jones with Carepatron at 3:30 PM on April 24. To reschedule, please call 596-455-2133.
Hello! This is a quick reminder from Dr. Jones about your appointment with us at Carepatron on April 24 at 3:30 PM. Reply 1 to Confirm, 2 to Cancel, or STOP to opt-out.
Reminder: You have a consultation with Dr. Jones at Carepatron tomorrow at 3:30 PM. Reply 1 to Confirm or call 596-455-2133 to reschedule.

Samples of doctor's email reminders

We have also provided you with some email reminder samples to ensure that you are writing high-quality messages to your patients, in a way that is concise and easy to understand. After all, increasing patient engagement should be your ultimate goal here.

Example 1

Subject line: Reminder - Your appointment with Carepatron on 2021/04/13, 3:30 PM

Dear John,

This is a friendly reminder confirming your appointment with Dr. Jones at Carepatron for a consultation on 2021/04/13 at 3:30 PM. Please prepare 15 minutes early.

If you have any questions, or you need to reschedule, please call Carepatron at 596-455-2133. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you on 2021/04/13 at 3:30 PM.

Warm regards,

Carepatron

Example 2

Subject line: See you on 2021/04/13 at 3:30 PM!

Hey there John!

This is a quick reminder that you are scheduled for a consultation at Carepatron with Dr. Jones on 2021/04/13 at 3:30 PM.

If you have any questions, or you need to reschedule, please call Carepatron at 596-455-2133. Otherwise, see you soon!

Best,

Carepatron

Templates for doctor appointment reminders

We have also provided templates for you to easily amend according to your business and patient needs. These are highly customizable, and contain all essential information concerning appointment reminders, such as contact and personal information, as well as the date and time, as well as the location.

Subject: Reminder- Your appointment on [DATE AND TIME].

Dear [PATIENT NAME],

This is a friendly reminder confirming your appointment with [PRACTICE NAME] on [DATE] at [TIME]. 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 [DATE].

Have a wonderful day!

Warm regards,

[PRACTICE NAME]

Considering that not all healthcare clinics operate the same, and confirmation emails can look slightly different, we have provided a template with a more casual tone. This may better suit smaller businesses, and so you may consider the following:

Hi, [NAME]!

This is a friendly reminder that we have you scheduled for a [PRACTICE NAME] medical appointment on [DATE] at [TIME]. You can find us online within the [PRACTICE NAME] 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,

[PRACTICE NAME]

5 don’ts for text and email reminder messaging

As a final note, it is important to consider the following ‘don’ts’ when it comes to text and email reminder messaging reminders. Being aware of these will allow you to prevent any compliance issues and minimize chances of decreased patient satisfaction. Your texting and email services need to maintain a level of professionalism and leave patients feeling confident in your service.

Disguise policies - You need to be open with the policies, standards, and regulations concerning the consent and safety of patient information with texting and emailing services. For example, just because you have their personal information on hand, doesn’t mean you should list it. Always obtain consent from the patients beforehand.
Send unencrypted private information - In accordance with HIPAA compliance rules, you need to make sure you send information within encrypted servers that aren’t susceptible to hacking or unauthorized access. It is very difficult to control information that has been leaked!
Be complex - When discussing information, you need to be concise and make sure your points translate clearly. Patients should be able to easily understand what you are describing to them, without having to look up terms or spend energy deciphering your message.
Wait too long - Your reminders should be timely, and ideally based on historical data. You should send responses when patient engagement is high to ensure that patients can accurately and efficiently seek healthcare treatment.
Give advice without assessment - You shouldn’t discuss health information without seeing the patient in person, and this certainly shouldn’t be discussed over text or email.