This article outlines the Routine Requests Promotion settings, which enable HotDoc to send push notifications to patients via the HotDoc app, as well as SMS and email communications to patients. These notifications alert patients when practitioners in their Care Team begin offering Routine Requests through HotDoc.

These notifications help patients access care more easily by letting them know they can use online services with their regular doctor, rather than turning to alternative providers. They can also help reduce last-minute phone requests to your practice.

The article also covers how to manage these promotion settings in the HotDoc Dashboard, as well as how patients can adjust their notification preferences in the HotDoc app.

What are Promotion Settings for Routine Requests and how do they work?

The Promotion Settings allow HotDoc to send push notifications and SMS to patients via the HotDoc app, as well as SMS and email communications to patients, to alert them when a practitioner in their 'Care Team' is enabled for a new Routine Request request type. A doctor will appear in the patient’s care team section of their HotDoc account if they have booked an appointment with them before using HotDoc.

Enabling promotion settings helps inform patients at your practice that they can access convenient care with their regular doctor, instead of an alternative provider.

This can also reduce phone calls from patients requesting last-minute repeat prescriptions, referrals or medical certificates, as they can conveniently do so online through HotDoc.

If they are eligible, they can choose to submit a request and the doctor can approve or decline these requests upon receiving them.

Who is eligible to receive a notification?

The patient must meet all of the following criteria in order to be notified:

• Is an existing patient of the clinic
• Has attended a HotDoc-booked appointment with the doctor who is activating Routine Requests

For SMS and email:

• Is enabled for patient marketing in your PMS

For push notification:

• Is enabled for patient marketing in your PMS, and is opted in to receive push notifications to their mobile device via the HotDoc app, for personalised recommendations

When are notifications sent? 

Notifications are sent to patients when they have practitioners in their 'Care Team' who are set up to use Routine Requests, and you enable a new Routine Request service/request type for that practitioner.

Notifications will be sent between 11am–3pm. If a doctor is enabled for a new request type outside of this time, the patient will be notified the following day.

If setting up Routine Requests for the first time, upon selecting 'Go Live', patients will be sent a notification (during the sending hours) for any practitioners in their Care Team that are enabled for Routine Request request types.

If enabling multiple request types for the same practitioner, these will be combined into one notification so that patients do not receive multiple notifications.

Please note: If a patient has received a push notification, SMS or email about their practitioner offering Routine Requests in the last 7 days, they will not receive another notification if the practitioner is enabled for additional request types.

Examples of notifications

How do I manage our Routine Requests Promotion Settings?

If you would like to enable or disable notifications from sending, you can do so in your HotDoc Dashboard under Routine Requests > Settings under Promotion Settings. 

1. Go to Routine Requests > Settings
   
    
2. Scroll to Promotion Settings, and select or deselect the check box. 
   
   
   
    
3. Press the green Update details button to save your changes. 

If you find that you have an increase in patient requests and would like to manage your volumes, you can temporarily disable Routine Requests which may allow you to ease into the process. You can do this in your Dashboard under Routine Requests > Settings under Temporarily disable Routine Requests and choosing a timeframe that suits your practice.

How can patients manage their Push Notification and SMS settings? 

Patients can manage their push notifications in the HotDoc app under Notification settings. If they need assistance with opting in or out, please send them this help article for more information on managing these settings: How do I manage my notification settings for my HotDoc app?

For SMS, Patients can reply STOP to be opted out of all HotDoc marketing SMS communication. For further information, please see: How can I Opt Out of HotDoc Communication?

For email, there is an 'unsubscribe' within the email body.

Please note: If they opt out, this will not opt them out of receiving clinic specific communication such as appointment reminders, clinical reminders or results information.