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Question
A patient did not receive their appointment reminder. How do I find out why their reminder didn't send?
Solution
If a patient advises they did not receive an appointment reminder, there are a few places you can check to determine whether the reminder was sent and, if not, why it was prevented from sending.
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In this article |
Step 1: Check whether the reminder was sent
Before investigating unsent reminders, first check the patient's reminder history.
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Navigate to Reminders > History.
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Search for the patient or filter for the appointment.
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Review whether a reminder was successfully sent.
If the reminder shows as Sent, HotDoc successfully sent the reminder.
Click View on the reminder to see more details to help determine why the patient may not have seen or received it.
You may wish to confirm:
- Which delivery method was used (SMS, email, or push notification)
- Whether the patient's contact details are correct
For more information, see: How can I view the history of my sent appointment reminders?
Step 2: Check Unsent Reminders
If the reminder does not appear in History, check whether it was prevented from sending.
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Navigate to Reminders > Unsent Reminders.
The Unsent Reminders page displays information about the patient, practitioner, appointment, reminder type, attempted send time, and the reason the reminder was not sent.
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Locate the appointment by searching the patient's name or selecting a date range.
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Review the reason listed in the Status column.
If there is more than one reason the reminder was not sent, the Reason reminder did not send column will display Multiple reasons. Click on Multiple reasons to view all applicable reasons.
The sections below explain the most common reasons a reminder may not have been sent.
Patient-related reasons
Patient already received a reminder
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HotDoc generally sends a maximum of one reminder per patient per day. If a patient has multiple appointments scheduled or has already received a reminder for another appointment on the same day, additional reminders may not be sent.
What to check
- Review the patient's Reminder History to see whether another reminder was already sent that day.
Patient has opted out
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The patient has unsubscribed from appointment reminders and can no longer receive SMS, push notification or email reminders.
What to check
- Confirm the patient's communication preferences.
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If they would like to opt back in, this can be actioned in the Dashboard by going to Patients > Patient Search and searching for the patient:
- If they have been opted out within your Practice Management Software, you will need to update this from the patient's file.
Invalid or missing contact details
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The patient does not have a valid mobile number or email address recorded.
What to check
- Review the patient's contact details in your PMS.
- Ensure the details are complete and entered correctly.
Patient is outside configured age limits
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Appointment reminders can be restricted based on a patient's age. If a patient falls outside the configured age range, their reminder will not be sent.
What to check
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Review your reminder settings by navigating to Reminders > Settings.
- Note: A minimum age limit for appointment reminders cannot be configured in the Dashboard. If a reminder was not sent because the patient is below the minimum age threshold, you may have previously requested a customised setup. If you would like this setting reviewed or updated, please contact HotDoc Support.
Patient marked as deceased
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The patient is marked as deceased in your PMS. To prevent unintended communications, HotDoc will not send appointment reminders to deceased patients.
What to check
- Review the patient's record in your PMS and confirm their deceased status is correct.
Patient marked as inactive
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The patient is marked as inactive in your PMS, and your reminder settings are configured not to send reminders to inactive patients.
What to check
- Review the patient's record in your PMS and confirm they have been marked inactive correctly.
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Go to Reminders > Settings and review the Send Reminders to inactive patients setting.
Note: If you enable reminders for inactive patients, HotDoc does not sync updated contact information while patients are inactive in your PMS. Reminders will be sent using the contact details that were on file when the patient was last active.
Appointment and reminder settings
Appointment type excluded
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The appointment type has been excluded from receiving reminders.
What to check
- Review your appointment reminder settings to ensure you have set this up correctly.
- For further information, see: How do I enable or disable appointment reminders from sending for specific appointment types?
Practitioner not enabled for reminders
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The practitioner has not been enabled for appointment reminders.
What to check
- Review practitioner reminder settings.
- For further information, see: How do I enable or disable appointment reminders for a practitioner?
Outside practitioner session
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The appointment falls outside the practitioner's configured session times.
HotDoc only sends reminders for appointments that occur within active practitioner sessions. Practitioner sessions are synced from your PMS and are used to determine when a practitioner is available to see patients. If an appointment is booked outside these times, the reminder will not be sent.
What to check
- Review the practitioner's session setup in your PMS and ensure the appointment falls within an active session.
- For further information, see: How do I check that my practitioners sessions are set up correctly?
Tandem appointment rules
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The appointment is part of a tandem booking and a reminder has already been sent for a related appointment.
For tandem appointments that are scheduled one after another, HotDoc will generally send a reminder for the first appointment in the sequence. If a reminder cannot be sent for the first appointment due to another restriction, HotDoc will attempt to send a reminder for the next eligible appointment instead. This helps prevent patients from receiving multiple reminders for the same visit.
What to check
- Review the patient's related appointments and check Reminders > History to confirm whether a reminder was sent for another appointment in the tandem booking.
- For further information, see: Why did a patient receive the wrong reminder when they were booked with the nurse and the practitioner?
Still unsure why the reminder was not sent?
If the appointment appears in Unsent Reminders and the listed reason is unclear, please contact the HotDoc Support Team and provide:
- The patient's name
- Appointment date and time
- Practitioner name
- Any other relevant information
This will help the team investigate the reminder behaviour further.