No-shows and late cancellations are a seemingly unavoidable headache for healthcare practices today. Depending on your practice’s specialty, you’re likely seeing no-show rates of anywhere from 10%–30%.

Missed appointments are a widespread issue. In the ADA’s February 2023 economic issues and trends report, eight in 10 dentists said missed appointments and late cancellations were the main reasons their practice schedules weren’t full, beginning in July of 2022. Similarly, an August 2022 MGMA poll found that 49% of medical groups said no-show rates had increased since 2021. Missed appointments aren’t just annoying; they’re also incredibly costly. A practice can lose anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000 a year per provider from no-shows.

How can my practice minimize no-shows?

One of the best ways to keep your no-show rate in check is an automated appointment reminder solution. Automatically sending patients a series of reminders, particularly via text, gives you a bevy of benefits:

• Reduces no-shows to 5% or less
• Saves staff time by replacing manual calls with automated texts, emails or voicemails
• Helps patients remember their appointments and easily confirm, cancel, or reschedule
• Fills your schedule, boosts production, and increases your appointment volume

Though it’s best to match your communications to patients’ preferences, text reminders are hands down the most effective way to ensure patients keep their appointments. In one poll, 71% of patients said they prefer to get appointment reminders as text messages rather than an email or voicemail. In another study, practices saw a 156% increase in confirmations by sending automated text reminders at a proven cadence.

What are some appointment reminder best practices? 

What makes an effective appointment reminder that gets patients to respond by confirming, canceling, or rebooking this visit? There’s a few tried-and-true reminder practices you’ll want to ensure every appointment reminder text message or email contains:

• Include only essential appointment details: Keep the reminder short and sweet, perhaps a couple of short sentences, that include the doctor’s name and date and time of the appointment.

• Keep texts HIPAA compliant: Since texting isn’t entirely secure, include only the minimal amount of protected health information (PHI) needed to help the patient remember their appointment. For example, limit reminder content to the date and time of the appointment and the name and phone number of the practice.

• Present a call to action: Along with reminding patients about an upcoming visit, you want the message to prompt them to take some action, such as replying Yes or No to a text to confirm their appointment, to cancel, or to reschedule. It’s also good practice to include an “Add to Calendar” hyperlink patients can click and easily add the appointment to their smartphone calendar.

• Send multiple reminders: Studies have found that practices get the best results when three separate reminders are sent at intervals of three weeks, three days, and three hours before the appointment. That helps even the most forgetful patients to show up to their scheduled visit.

• Adhere to compliance regulations by offering an opt out: Though patients receiving text reminders have previously signed up for them, always give them the option to opt out of texts or emails. For texts, don’t forget a message like “Reply STOP” to unsubscribe from future texts.

What are some examples of effective, HIPAA-compliant text and email appointment reminder templates?

Professional Appointment Reminder Templates for Text and SMS

1.

Natasha, please reply YES to confirm your appt at 3:30 PM on Tuesday, September 16. Thanks!

801-331-7207

Alpine Demo Clinic

TextSTOPoptout

2.

Reply Y to confirm your appt at 10:00 AM on Thursday, May 5, with Dr. Jane Doe at Alpine Dental. Thx! Alpine Demo Clinic 8009958444 TextSTOPoptout

3.

Hello, your 3 appts start at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, May 11 with Dr. Smith. See you then! Alpine Dental Practice UT 8013317100 TextSTOPoptout

4.

Terry, remember to take your meds before your 10:00 AM appt on Thursday, May 5.

Alpine Medical Clinic 8009958444 TextSTOPoptout

5.

Terry, you are overdue for your dental visit. Please click here [online scheduling hyperlink] or call to set up an appt.

Alpine Demo Clinic

8009958444

TextSTOPoptout

Appointment Reminder Email Templates

1.

Hello Natasha,

Just a friendly reminder about your upcoming appointment with DR. Janet Baker DDS. Please confirm your appointment by clicking the button below.

____________________

Your appointment is:

Tuesday, March 16

3:30 PM

____________________

Confirm Now [hyperlink button]

We appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you then!

Sincerely,

Dr. Janet Baker DDS

[Add to my calendar hyperlink]  [Refer a Friend hyperlink]

2.

Hello Terry,

This is a friendly reminder about your appointment with Dr. Jane Doe at our Eaglesoft Endodontics office.

Your appointment is:

Thursday, May 5

10:00AM

Click the calendar link below to add this to your schedule.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jane Doe

3.

Hello Terry,

We missed you at your Wednesday, May 4 appointment. Please click on the link below to reschedule.

Reschedule Now [hyperlink button]

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jane Doe

4.

Hello,

This is a friendly reminder about your appointments at our Alpine Dental Lehi Location office.

Your appointments are:

Wednesday, May 11

• Terry Smith 10:00AM
• Zak Smith 10:30AM
• Kristin Smith 11:00AM

We appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you then!

Please note that we do not accept changes or cancellations via email.

Sincerely,

Dr. Severide Smith

5.

Terry,

Your dental health is important to us. You are overdue for your preventive dental and oral health exam. Please click below to request an appointment.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

Alpine Demo Clinic

800-995-8444

Key Takeaways

While no-shows and late cancellations will likely never be eliminated 100%, sending automated appointment reminders helps you minimize missed appointments. Whether sent as texts, emails, or voicemails, a quality reminder solution and proven email reminder templates help you connect better with patients. This enables you to increase confirmations and appointment volume while ensuring patients get the care they need. In the end, patient communications software like reminders help your practice gain the efficiencies and higher production you need to grow your practice.