10 Doctor Appointment Text Message Samples & Templates
Discover ten text message appointment reminders for doctors to use at your practice.
Doctor’s offices are busy places, from the receptionists fielding phone calls to the nurses taking vital signs and the doctors treating patients. With all this going on, no one has time for tracking down patients, leaving a series of voicemails about upcoming appointments, or trying to get patients to confirm their appointments.
And that’s why so many in the medical field are turning to SMS software for medical practice to improve their patient communication and retention.
Below, our guide on doctor appointment text message samples explains the importance of using these templates and how you can incorporate these texts into how you communicate with your patients.
Why Should You Use Doctor Appointment Text Messages?
No-shows and late arrivals are something doctor’s offices have to deal with daily. However, text message appointment reminders for doctors offer a helpful way of getting patients into the waiting room on time for their scheduled visits. In addition to helping improve patient attendance, these automated messages can help cut down on time spent emailing and phoning patients about their appointments.
But what exactly is a text message appointment reminder? It’s an SMS message you can text your clients that includes important information about their upcoming doctor’s visit, such as the date, time, and name of the doctor they’re meeting with. You can also send messages that confirm their appointment, request additional patient information, or even provide details about the check-in process.
Now, these messages are handy because they go straight to the patients’ text inboxes on their mobile phones. This means you don’t have to worry about the patient ignoring your voicemails or the message getting lost in their spam folder. Text messages are harder for your patients to ignore or accidentally miss. And even if your patient completely forgot about their upcoming appointment, the text reminder can jog their memory so they can make arrangements to attend the appointment or reschedule for a different day.
10 Doctor Appointment Text Message Samples & Templates
Below, we’ve outlined ten ways to use appointment texts to improve patient communication. We’ve also included doctor appointment text message samples for you to use at your practice.
#1
Appointment Confirmations
Appointment confirmations let patients know their appointments are on the books and help you manage upcoming visits via text. It’s a good idea to send one immediately after a patient books their appointment, so they can mark their calendars.
A confirmation appointment text message sample could look like this: “(Midtown Medical) Mark, your appointment with Dr. Fields on Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. is confirmed. To cancel or reschedule, please contact our office.”
#2
Appointment Reminders
Sending appointment reminders is a great way to help prevent no-shows. Some medical practices like sending them a few days before the appointment, while others prefer sending them the day before.
A medical appointment reminder text message sample could say something like, “(CJ Family Practice) Liz, this is a reminder that you have an appointment with Dr. Von on Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. Please reply C to confirm or R to reschedule.”
#3
Missed Appointments
Unfortunately, some patients miss their scheduled visits, even with appointment reminders. In this case, a doctor’s office could notify the patient that they didn’t attend their scheduled appointment.
A missed appointment text message sample could include information such as, “(MM Medical) Chris, we missed you at your scheduled appointment with Dr. Kay this morning, April 4, at 9 a.m. Please contact our office to reschedule.”
#4
Rescheduling Notifications
If a scheduling conflict arises, a rescheduling notification offers an easy way to notify your patients.
A rescheduling notification text could read, “(Family Care) Jim, we sincerely apologize, but we need to reschedule your appointment scheduled for August 23. Please call our office to reschedule.”
#5
Pre-Appointment Questionnaire
Sometimes, doctors need more information from their patients regarding their health history before their appointments. Therefore, they might send a link to a questionnaire or ask the patient to provide more details about the reason for their visit.
A sample message might say, “(Main Hospital) June, Dr.Loo would like you to complete a patient survey before your appointment. Please follow the link and submit it before your visit.”
#6
Doctor Introductions
Sending a brief introduction is a great way to form a relationship with your patients and make them feel at ease about their upcoming visit. You could send a short message introducing yourself and asking if they have any questions or concerns.
An example introduction could look like this, “(Lane Medical) Pam, my name is Dr.M, and I’m looking forward to meeting you. Please feel free to ask any questions or concerns before your visit.”
#7
Post-Appointment Survey
A big part of ensuring you provide your patients with quality care involves requesting feedback about their visits. An easy way to elicit insight is by sending a post-appointment text with survey questions.
For instance, a post-appointment text sample might say, “(CEM Medical Facility) Jake, we’d like to hear from you. Please follow the link to answer a few questions regarding your recent visit. Thank you!”
#8
Payment Reminders for Appointments
Depending on how your medical practice handles payments, your patients may not receive their bills until after their appointments. In this case, a text payment reminder is a friendly way to encourage them to pay their balances.
If you’re looking for a payment reminder template, consider a text that says something like this, “(SD Med) Jo, you owe a balance of $125 for your May 7 visit with Dr. Tom. Please follow the link to pay online or call us with your payment details. Thank you.”
#9
Follow-Up Alerts
Some appointments require follow-up actions. For instance, your patient might need to make an appointment with a specialist or review test results. However, remember that you never want to send private health information in an SMS message. The alert can notify them of available results or treatment plans, but the specifics should be delivered in a HIPPA-approved manner.
A text message with follow-up instructions could say, “(Dr. Bre’s) Fred, your blood test results are available from your June 8 visit with Dr. Bre. To access them, please sign into your online portal.”
#10
Appointment Check-in Information
And finally, you can use text messages to provide information regarding the check-in process. For example, maybe there’s a special location where the patient must go to check in, or perhaps they need to bring certain items, like their ID and medical card.
A sample text with check-in information might include the following, “(SF Hospital) Lynn, when arriving at your appointment tomorrow, please scan the QR code in the lobby to receive your check-in and payment instructions.”
HIPAA Compliance
It’s important to note that sending appointment reminders are not HIPPA compliant texts if they don’t include any Protected Health Information (PHI), such as medical history, health condition, insurance information, or lab results. Therefore, it’s ok to send a patient a text message with the time and date of their upcoming appointment, but it’s not ok to send a text with the results from their CT scan.
If you’d like to convey PHI to your patient, it’s best to do so in a secure online portal where they can log into their account and privately access sensitive information.
Check Out EZ Texting Today
EZ Texting provides an easy-to-use healthcare SMS solution that can improve how you interact with your patients. Contact us today to find out how to implement an SMS platform of your own.
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