Creating appointment communications

You can create an appointment communication (an email message and a text message that get sent to patients automatically regarding their appointments).

Notes:

• Patient communications are location-specific (each location of your organization has its own communication settings).

• A patient (assuming he or she is his or her own primary contact) receives patient communications only if the patient's status is New or Active. Also, if a new or an active patient has a non-patient primary contact, the primary contact receives patient communications.

• When a patient confirms an appointment from an email or a text message, Dentrix Ascend adds an entry for it in the audit log.

To create an appointment communication

1. If you are not already viewing the correct location, select it on the Location menu.

2. On the Settings menu, under Patient Care, click (or tap) Patient Communications.

   The Patient Communications page opens.

3. On the Appointment tab, click (or tap) Create New.

   

   The wizard for creating a new appointment communication appears.

   

4. The communication's Active setting is On by default, which means that the corresponding email or text message will be sent to patients as applicable. Turn the communication Off to not send the corresponding email or text message to any patients.

5. From the Appointment reminder is based on list, select an action that you want to associate this communication with:

   • Appointment Scheduled Date - When someone schedules an appointment.

   • Appointment Confirmed Date - When a patient confirms an appointment from an automated appointment reminder, or when a staff member manually changes an appointment's status to "Confirmed."

     Note: Dentrix Ascend has a default automated text message that gets sent to patients after they confirm their appointments. If you create another "Appt confirmed" communication and make it active, we recommend that you turn off the default one if you don't want your patients to get two messages for confirming their appointments.

   • Appointment Start Date and Time - When the date and time of the scheduled appointment arrives.

   • Appointment Completed Date - When an appointment's status is changed to "Complete."

   • Appointment Broken Date - When an appointment's status is changed to "Broken."

   • Appointment No Show Date - When an appointment's status is changed to "No Show."

   The rest of the options become available.

6. Set up the appointment communication options on the following tabs as needed:

   • Notification Schedule

     Notification Schedule tab

     

     1. Set up the following options:

        • Appointment reminder is based on - Do one of the following:

          • For Appointment Scheduled Date, specify the number of days, weeks, or months After an appointment is scheduled that you want the message to be sent.

          • For Appointment Confirmed Date, specify the number of days, weeks, or months After a patient confirms an appointment that you want the message to be sent.

          • For Appointment Start Date and Time, specify the number of hours (up to three hours) or days After the date and time of a scheduled appointment arrives that you want the message to be sent.

          • For Appointment Start Date and Time, specify the number of hours (up to three hours), days, weeks, or months Before the date and time of a scheduled appointment arrives that you want the message to be sent.

          • For Appointment Completed Date, specify the number of days After an appointment is completed that you want the message to be sent.

          • For Appointment Broken Date, specify the number of days After an appointment is broken that you want the message to be sent.

          • For Appointment No Show Date, specify the number of days After an appointment is missed that you want the message to be sent.

          Important: In accordance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), to ensure that you send automated text messages to patients only between the hours of 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM, local time zone, do not set up the notification to be sent X number of hours Before the Appointment Start Date and Time, and do not schedule appointments earlier than when message delivery is wanted. However, any notifications that are scheduled to be sent between 9:00 PM and 11:59 PM will be delivered at 9:00 PM, and any notifications that are scheduled to be sent between 12:00 AM and 8:00 AM will be delivered at 8:00 AM.

        • Exclude automated message - Turn this setting Off to use the default, automated message and any custom message that you specify later on in the wizard. Turn this setting On to use only a custom message that you enter later on in the wizard.

        • Include Premedicate message on Email - This setting is available only for Appointment Scheduled Date, Appointment Confirmed Date, and Appointment Start Date and Time. Turn this setting On to have instructions for the patient regarding pre-medication appear on the email message; however, the pre-medication instructions will appear only if the patient's appointment has the option selected that indicates that pre-medication has been requested. Turn this setting Off to exclude the pre-medication instructions. The text of the pre-medication instructions is, "Please do not forget to take any required medication before your appointment."

        • Ability to confirm - This setting is available only for Appointment Start Date and Time and if Before is selected. Turn this setting On to provide a Confirm Appointment button for a patient to click (in an email message) or texting instructions that a patient can follow (in a text message) to confirm his or her appointment. The status of the appointment will be updated automatically when the patient confirms his or her appointment. Turn this setting Off to not include a way for the patient to confirm his or her appointment from the email or text message. With this switch On, only a patient with an appointment that has not already been confirmed receives a text message or email message. With this switch Off, a patient with an appointment receives a text message or email message regardless of the confirmation status.

        • Add forms link - This setting is available only for Appointment Scheduled Date, Appointment Confirmed Date, and Appointment Start Date and Time. Turn this setting On to provide a Forms button (in an email message) or a link (in a text message) for a patient to click to access his or her online forms. Turn this setting Off to not include a way for the patient to access his or her online forms from the email or text message.

        • Continue sending - This setting is available only for Appointment Start Date and Time, Appointment Broken Date, and Appointment No Show Date. Turn this setting On to keep sending a patient this message at a specified interval after this notice is sent out initially (Repeat every number of days, weeks, or months) until the specified number of notices (up to 10) have been sent (Discontinue after [number of ] notices). Turn this setting Off to send this message only once.

     2. Click (or tap) Next to proceed to the next tab of the wizard, or click (or tap) any tab.

   • Preferred Sending Method

     Preferred Sending Method tab

     

     1. Select the format that you prefer to use for the message:

        • Email - Send this message by email. If a patient receiving the message does not have an email address, Dentrix Ascend will attempt to send the patient a text message.

        • Text - Send this message by text. If a patient receiving the message does not have a valid mobile phone number, Dentrix Ascend will attempt to send the patient an email message.

     2. Click (or tap) Next to proceed to the next tab of the wizard, or click (or tap) any tab.

   • Email Message

     Email Message tab

     

     1. Customize the email message as needed:

        • Subject - Type the subject of the email message as you want it to appear for patients.

        • Automated message - You cannot change the content, layout, or formatting of the default message. The correct patient names and appointment times will be inserted accordingly into the message. There is no automated message if the Exclude automated message setting is On on the Notification Schedule tab of the wizard.

        • Custom message - Type and format any custom text that you want to include in the message.

     2. Click (or tap) Next to proceed to the next tab of the wizard, or click (or tap) any tab.

   • Text Message

     Text Message tab

     

     1. Customize the text message as needed:

        • Automated message - You cannot change the content, layout, or formatting of the default message. The correct patient names and appointment times will be inserted accordingly into the message. There is no automated message if the Exclude automated message setting is On on the Notification Schedule tab of the wizard.

        • Custom message - Type any custom text that you want to include in the message.

        Note: Due to technological limitations with text messaging, a text message that exceeds 160 characters will be sent as multiple messages.

     2. Click (or tap) Next to proceed to the next tab of the wizard, or click (or tap) any tab.

   • Practice Info

     Practice Info tab

     

     The logo, name, address, and phone number of the selected location as they will be displayed on an email message appear. The name and phone number of the selected location as they will be displayed on a text message appear.

7. On the Practice Info tab, click (or tap) Done to save the settings on all the tabs of the wizard.