Send email and text visit reminders

Planetrehab patient engagement sends email and text reminders before a visit. Clinics use them to cut down on missed appointments. The reminder uses the email and mobile number already stored on the patient chart.

Check the patient record

A reminder cannot go out if the chart has no email address and no mobile number. Open the patient before you rely on an automatic message. Confirm the number can receive texts, and confirm the email is one the patient still reads. A wrong digit sends the reminder to someone else, so read it back when staff enter it at the front desk.

If the patient has asked not to receive texts, turn that preference off on the chart and use email only. Do not override a recorded opt-out just to fill the schedule.

Turn reminders on

1. Confirm the patient has an email address, a mobile number, or both on the chart.
2. Turn on visit reminders for the clinic.
3. Leave the reminder lead time at the clinic default, or shorten it for patients who often forget same-week visits.
4. Save. The patient receives the reminder automatically before the next qualifying visit.

Lead time is how far ahead the message is sent. One day before is enough for many follow-up visits. Evaluations and first appointments often need an earlier reminder so the patient can arrange a ride.

What the patient receives

The message names the clinic, the date, the time, and the location. It should not include clinical details. The patient can still reschedule from the portal or by calling the clinic. If they confirm or cancel from the link, the schedule should update so the front desk is not holding a slot the patient already released.

• Email goes to the address on the chart.
• Text goes to the mobile number on the chart.
• A patient with both may receive both, depending on the clinic setting.

When a person should still call

Reminders do not replace a personal call when a plan of care is about to expire or a patient has missed several visits in a row. Use a call when the visit needs preparation, such as bringing a prescription or arriving early for an evaluation. Automatic reminders are for visits that are already on the schedule and only need a nudge.

If reminders are not arriving, check the chart contact, the clinic setting, and whether the visit is far enough in the future to match the lead time. A visit booked for later today may already be inside the window.