Patient Texting Templates

Introduction

Ever thought about losing 1000s of dollars to a patient, just because they forgot to show up for their appointment? Imagine this happening to you everyday leading to a major revenue loss. More than the no-show cost, the cost of losing a patient altogether can be even severe. Losing a patient’s trust can have a long-lasting effect on your practice. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this and that is patient texting. With 98% of texts being opened and most patients being comfortable receiving them, SMS can help fill those empty slots and build stronger relationships with patients.

Patient texting is not just used for sending reminders but also helps in building relationships with the patients with continuous communication. It also boosts patient satisfaction and loyalty. Patient texting has to be done the right way to make it effective. Texting should be HIPAA-compliant to protect sensitive patient information while staying connected. This ensures that healthcare providers can engage their patients safely and effectively, all while reducing costly no-shows.

Let us explore how you can use the best of the templates to send texts to your patients and boost engagement. 

Top 13 Ways to Use Patient Texting for Your Practice

Appointment Scheduling

Scheduling appointments through text messaging is way more convenient than any other means. For instance, you might not be available to take calls during out-of-office hours or on your days off and hence miss out on a lot of prospective patients. Using text messages will help you keep those patients coming in. 

Here’s an example of an appointment scheduling text message that you can send:

Appointment Scheduling Text Template

“Hey, Mike! We have a slot open for you tomorrow at 11 a.m. If that works for you, should we schedule an appointment for you? Please type Y to schedule.- Team [facility name]”

“Hey, Laura! Looks like you tried scheduling an appointment for tomorrow at 4pm but faced an issue. Would you like us to reschedule the appointment for you? Please type Y to schedule. – Team [facility name]” 

Business Impact

You will not lose out on potential patients, you will be able to keep your schedules full. This automatically translates to more sales and revenue. 

Pro tip: To speed up this process of appointment scheduling, invest in a HIPAA-compliant texting software that offers advanced texting capabilities and integrates with your EHR/PMS. 

Reminders

Did you know that as per a survey, around 79% of respondents preferred texts for receiving reminders whereas only 9% of respondents preferred phone calls? 

Text reminders are more easily seen and responded to by patients since text messages have an open rate of 98 percent. You can even schedule reminder messages to be sent out at specific times.  Here are some reminder text templates that you can use:

Reminder With Confirmation Text Template

“Hey, Anna! This is a reminder for your upcoming appointment on <Day, date> at <time>. Please type C to confirm or R to reschedule.”

Reminder Without Confirmation Text Template

“Hi {{firstName}}. {Facility name} is sending you a gentle reminder that you have an upcoming appointment on {{appointmentDate}}.”

“Hello {{firstName}}, you have an appointment at {facility name} with {{providerName}} at {{officeName}} on {{appointmentDate}}. 

 Remember to bring your license and insurance card(s). Alert our staff if there have been any changes in your demographics. It is our policy to collect copayments or and/or deductibles at the time of the appointment. Please plan accordingly. 

 If your appointment is scheduled as virtual, you will receive a link from our registration desk before the appointment. You will click on the link and follow the prompts to connect with us.”

Medication Refill Reminder Text Template

“Hello {{firstName}}, you have an appointment at {Facility name} with {{providerName}} at {{officeName}} on {{appointmentDate}}. It is our policy to collect copayments or and/or deductibles at the time of the appointment. Please plan accordingly. Also bring the list of medications you need to be refilled to your visit. This allows us to securely and efficiently complete refill request. Type C to confirm. If your appointment is scheduled as virtual , you will receive a link from our registration desk before the appointment . You will click on the link and follow the prompts to connect with us.”

Reminder To Send 48 Hours Prior Text Template

“Hello {{firstName}}, your dental appointment is scheduled at {Facility name} on {{appointmentDate}}. Please arrive at least 20 minutes prior to your appointment time to fill out any needed paperwork if this is your first appointment with us or visit our website to fill out the forms prior to your appointment. Late arrivals may be rescheduled. If you are unable to keep your appointment, please respond to this text or call immediately at 60610-799-00. No-shows and late cancellations will be subject to a cancellation fee. If you have not heard from our office about your copay for the appointment, please give us a call at 60610-799-00. PLEASE CALL OR TEXT TO CONFIRM YOUR APPOINTMENT. We look forward to seeing you. Have a great day!”

Reminder To Send 1 Day Prior Text Template

“Hi {{firstName}}. {Facility name} is sending you a gentle reminder that you have an upcoming appointment on {{appointmentDate}}. Smokers: Do not smoke before coming to your appointment and remember to brush your teeth for a better evaluation and treatment.”

Reminder To Send Same Day Text Template

“Good morning! We wanted to remind you of your appointment with us today. Please arrive 5-10 minutes early for your scheduled appointment. Checking in late to your appointment could result in the need to reschedule. For the safety of your pets, all dogs must be on leashes & cats must be in carriers. In preparation for your appointment, please send pictures of any vaccine records you have before your arrival. If you can’t make the appointment, please let us know in advance. Thank you!”

“Your appointment is confirmed for {{appointmentDate}} at [facility name]. Please call <number> if you have any questions or need to reschedule.”

Reminder To Send 2 Hours Prior Text Template

“Hello {{firstName}}, this is {Facility name} sending you a friendly reminder of your appointment {{appointmentDate}}. See you soon!”

Reminder With Confirmation For Existing Patients Text Template

“{{firstName}}, This is a friendly reminder about your upcoming appointment on {{appointmentDate}} with [facility name]. If you have not already done so please go to our patient portal to complete your registration. If you need help with the patient portal you can find our instructions here. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at {Facility name}. You can reply with C to confirm the appointment.”

Reminder For Forms Text Template

“Hello {{firstName}}, It’s Dr. Tan. Just wanted to remind you that your completed intake forms are due today. We sent you a text and an email with the forms earlier. Here is the link for your reference again: Please email back the completed forms. Feel free to ignore, them if they are already completed.”

“Hey {{firstName}}, It‚ Dr. Tan. I‚ am so happy you found us and reached out to us for help with your health struggles. We look forward to seeing you on {{appointmentDate}}. Please download and fill out Intake Forms, Agreement of Terms, and Informed Consent forms before you come in, so you get the most out of our time together. You can fill it out on your device, save it under your name, and email it back to me. Please allow 30 minutes to fill out the forms. We do not participate with insurance plans with the exception of HMAA and UHA which covers the acupuncture portion of the visit and will provide you with the paperwork needed to file a claim. Looking forward to working with you. Please note that we are at our new location at 905. †Parking entrance is on ABC”

We Are Closed Reminder Text Template

“This is a friendly reminder to all of our patients that we will be closed Monday, January 2nd, 2023. We apologize for the inconvenience. Have a great and safe Happy New Year. <Facility Name>”

Holiday Reminder Text Template

“Good Morning! I hope all is well! <Facility Name> wanted me to reach out and let you know in advance that they shut down the week between Christmas and New Years. So for planning and budgeting purposes, please take note that you will be off work between 12/24-01/01. Enjoy your time off and spend it with those that matter! Happy Holidays!”

Virtual Visit Reminder Text Template

“Virtual Appointment reminder: To access your virtual appointment with Nadia, you will need to log into your patient portal account around your appointment time. Once Nadia is logged on, there will be a button to start your session.”

Survey Reminder Text Template

“We hope this message finds you well. At <Facility Name> as part of our ongoing efforts to provide our clients with the best possible service, we invite you to participate in a short survey to help us evaluate our performance. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us and will help us identify areas where we can improve and better serve your needs. The survey will take only a few minutes to complete, and your responses will be confidential. Please click on the link below to access the survey:”

Health Insurance Reminder Text Template

“Hello _____. This is a friendly reminder that you are currently under the 120 hours required to retain your benefits through NPH. As of right now, you have ___ scheduled hours for the month. Please let us know what additional days you are available so we can work on getting you enough hours. Thank you so much.”

Comprehensive Visit Reminder Text Template

“Hey {{firstName}}, It’s Dr. Tan. We look forward to meeting with you on {{appointmentDate}}. This is just a reminder to fill out the forms using the link below. Please email them to [email protected] 3 days prior to the appointment date.” 

Business Impact

Sending timely reminders will help your patients stay updated and be more active in their care process. Satisfied and happy patients mean more revenue and a better reputation for your practice. 

Send Appointment Confirmation Texts

Did you know that 80% of no-shows occur because patients simply forgot about their appointments? To avoid that, you need to send appointment confirmation texts to your patients. If they confirm, you can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that the patient would show up. However, if the customer does not confirm, you can send a follow-up text, asking them to reschedule, confirm or cancel the appointment. 

Here are some patient SMS appointment confirmation templates that you can use: 

Appointment Confirmation Text Template

“Hello {{firstName}}, you have an appointment at {Facility name} with {{providerName}} at {{officeName}} on {{appointmentDate}}. It is our policy to collect copayments and/or deductibles at the time of the appointment. Please plan accordingly. Also, bring the list of medications you need to be refilled for your visit. This allows us to securely and efficiently complete refill requests. Type C to confirm.“

“Hi {{firstName}}. Just a gentle reminder that you have an upcoming appointment with Pinnacle Care Internal Medical on {{appointmentDate}}. You can reply with C to confirm the appointment.”

Business Impact

Appointment confirmations will help reduce the no-shows by 90% and will help you keep your schedules full. 

Additional reading: Looking for more appointment confirmation text templates? Check out this article – https://emitrr.com/blog/appointment-confirmation-text/ 

Get Documents From The Patients Ahead of The Appointment

Patient texting can also help you gather relevant information about the patient including their documents ahead of the appointment. You can simply reach out to the patient via text and request them to send the documents that you need. However, you must keep in mind that text messaging is not HIPAA-compliant by default, and sharing sensitive PHI over messages can be risky. To avoid that risk, opt for a text messaging platform that offers secure text messaging as an added functionality. 

Here’s an example of a medical text message to ask for medical reports: 

Request Patient Documents Text Template

“Hey, Declan! We hope this message finds you well. We request you to kindly share the following documents before your upcoming appointment: Medical history, Lab test results, Referral forms, Insurance information. Having this information before will help us prepare for your visit and provide better care. Please use the secure chat option to send your documents.”

“REMINDER: SCHEDULE your blood work appointment for the day after your pre-op. For Quest select All Other Test. For Labcorp select routine lab work. Also, you MUST have an EKG done, read and sent to the facility. Contact pcp for an appointment for EKG or you may go to PUC at Street as a walk in for an EKG. Please send a copy of EKG to CSS.”

“Good morning/afternoon Mr./Ms. {{lastName}}, this is a friendly reminder to please sign the intake forms that were sent on 00/00/23 to email address: {{email}}. Please be advised that we will not be able to move forward with your case until these are signed. The intake forms were just present today, please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you.”

Business Impact

Asking for documents over text messages is way easier than asking patients to send the documents over emails or upload those on the patient portals. Gathering data early on before the appointment will help you thoroughly analyze the patient’s overall medical condition, and have ample time to plan for any additional tests that need to be performed. Such advanced planning helps reduce wait times and promotes continuity of care. 

Pro tip: Give an encryption key to access the reports / use a secure texting platform 

Share Medical Reports/Treatment Plans

You can also share medical reports and treatment plans with your patients over text, provided that you are taking the HIPAA and TCPA guidelines into consideration. Just like you use secure texting platforms for receiving records from patients, you need to do the same for sending sensitive PHI. If you’re using a secure texting platform like Emitrr, you can simply send a text message saying that the patient’s medical records are ready. 

Test Results Out Text Template

“Hey, Chris! Your test results are out and can be accessed by clicking on this link.” 

When the patient clicks on this link, they’d be directed to the secure platform wherein they’d receive an OTP on their registered number. Only after entering the OTP, can they access the records. 

Business Impact

Sending medical records to patients securely via text allows doctors to communicate information immediately in time-sensitive matters and also adds to the convenience of the patients. Moreover, patients can easily access the records via text as compared to logging in to the patient portal. All in all, it helps streamline doctor-patient communication. 

Sending Emergency Alerts

Let’s say that you need to close the clinic for the next two days due to bad weather, as a result of which you need to cancel 50 appointments. Calling each patient and communicating the information to every patient isn’t feasible as it would take a lot of time. In such scenarios, text messaging works wonders. You can simply send a mass text to the patients. Similarly, if you want to communicate information to your team internally for say, an urgent meeting; you can simply create a group and send a message that reaches everybody at once. 

Here are some examples: 

Emergency Alert Text Template

“Hey {Name}, this is to inform you that the clinic will remain closed for two days due to bad weather. We request you to kindly reschedule your appointment through this link.”

“Dear team, the daily meeting has been rescheduled for today at 4 pm. Please be present for the same.” 

Business Impact

Since text messages have good open and response rates, you get to communicate important information to your patients and team members in a faster and cost-efficient way. Through patient texting, you can easily notify and engage your recipients, thereby avoiding delays and miscommunication. 

Send Invoice/Payment Links

In addition to easing out the process of booking appointments, you must also ensure that your patients can easily make payments. This means sending them payment links via text messages. You can simply tell the patient that their payment is due. If they have cleared their payment, you can send them a confirmation message. 

Here’s an example:

Payment Link Text Template

‘Dear Sarah, your payment for the annual dental checkup is due. Please click on this link to make the payment.’ – Team {facility name}

“Hello, this is {facility name} contacting you about your pet’s requested surgery appointment. Your pet is not scheduled until the $40 deposit is paid, and there is limited availability left on the date you requested. Please let us know when you are ready and we will send you a link via text to make the deposit. Your surgery deposit goes towards your final payment on the day of surgery. Thank you!”

Business Impact

The impact of sending payment links through texts is simple: faster payments, no misplaced invoices, no long queues, and happy and satisfied customers. Your customers need not be present physically to make payments. They can simply click on the secure payment link, choose the mode of payment, and pay you for the services they avail at their convenience.  

Gathering Patient Feedback

There is no doubting the fact that existing patients are the ones that convince potential patients to visit your practice, through the reviews that they leave for you. In order to improve your online reputation and capture leads, it is important to amp up your review generation game. For that, you need to make it easier for people to leave reviews. 

If you have been gathering feedback all this time through emails or patient portals all this while and not getting results, then it is time to switch to medical messaging to garner patient feedback. Here’s an example of asking for feedback via text: 

Patient Feedback Request Text Template

“Hey, Brenda! Thank you for choosing us. We value your feedback and would love to know about your experience. Please leave your feedback by clicking on this link. – Team ABC” 

Business Impact

Asking your customers to leave feedback for you and your practice will help you gather a lot of reviews for your potential customers to see. It will help enhance your online reputation by manifolds and will bring you to the top of the search results. Since you’re sending review requests via test, your patients will most likely open those links and leave their feedback. Make sure that the process of leaving reviews is not cumbersome or extensive otherwise, it could drive them away.

Scheduling Messages For Routine Check-ups/Follow-ups

When it comes to retaining and reactivating patients, you need to be very careful with your approach. Calling them over and over again might make them frustrated and pose you as desperate. Medical messaging is a great way to reach out to them without coming off as intrusive. You can easily schedule text messages to your inactive or past customers for follow-ups and routine checkups. Here’s an example:

Follow Up Message Text Template

“Hey Daniel! We hope you are doing well. Here’s a reminder for your annual health checkup. Please click on this link if you wish to book an appointment for the same. Also, here’s a 10% discount especially for you! Use the code DENTAL23 while booking your appointment.” – Team XYZ Dental 

Business Impact

Scheduling messages for follow up appointments is a great way to keep track of your patient’s health and improve their health outcomes. This will improve the overall patient journey as the patient will not miss out on important follow up appointments or routine checkups. 

Recall/Reactivation 

In addition to attracting new patients, you also need to retain exusting patients within the healthcare system. Sending timed messages to such patients is a great way to retain and recall your patients. Here are some templates for patient recall:

Recall Message Text Template

“Hi {{firstName}}. It’s been a long time since you have visited [facility name] for a checkup. You can schedule your appointment today using the following link – https://emitrr.com.”  

“Hi {{firstName}}, this is Dr. Mike. I hope you are doing well. It has been a while since we’ve seen you. Let us know if you would like to schedule a visit.”

Business Impact

When you encourage patients to visit you for routine checkups, you reduce patient churn, save patient acquisition costs, keep your schedules full, and improve patient volume and engagement. 

Sending Seasonal Greetings

You can also utilize text messages to send seasonal greetings and birthday wishes to your patients as there is more to the provider-patient relationship than just reminders and confirmations. You can easily schedule messages to be sent out on specific dates to your patients, whether it is their birthday, Christmas, or 4th of July. Here’s an example: 

Seasons Greetings Text Template

“Hey Noah! Team <Facility name> wishes you a very happy birthday! Here’s a 10% discount just for you on dental cleaning services. Reply Y to book, and have a great year!”

“Happy Birthday from all of us here at [facility name]! We hope you have a great day!!”

Business Impact

Sharing the happiness of your patients is an important part of maintaining strong relationships with them. Sending such messages would make your patients feel valued, further reinforcing their trust in you. 

Communicating Internally 

Utilising text messages to send messages to your staff members is a great way to keep everyone on the same page. You can use text messages to improve staff communication in the following ways: 

• Sending emergency alerts 
• Sending shift reminders and any changes in the same
• Sending meeting reminders 
• Sending last-minute shift vacancies 
• Sending meeting reminders 

Here are some examples: 

Staff Communication Text Template

“All staff members are required to wear the PPE kits to comply with safety standards in the wake of the pandemic.” 

“Dear all, our system detected a phishing attempt at 16:00 hours. Please log out of your systems immediately and wait for further instructions.”

Business Impact

Communicating internally via text messages means that your employees will stay on their toes and respond to instructions faster. This will ensure operational efficiency and smooth communication at your practice. 

Sending Marketing Messages

If you want to interact smoothly with your patients and promote interaction, then sending marketing messages via text messages is the way to go. Here’s what all you can send:

• Exclusive deals
• Discount codes 
• Limited time offers 
• Event notifications
• Promote new services 

You just need to upload your list of contacts, type in your message, use properties to ensure that all patients are being addressed personally, add opt-out instructions, and hit send! Your messages will reach your patients in a matter of seconds. 

Here are some examples: 

Marketing Message Text Template

“Hey {first name}, this fall season avail 10% discount on all dental services at our clinic! Reply to this message with YES to avail the offer. Reply STOP to opt out.”

“Huge savings on [Product/Service] at [facility Name]’s sale until [Month] end. See our latest offers at [Location] on [Address]. Shop now! Reply STOP to opt-out.”

Business Impact

Sending marketing messages to patients via text means you get to engage with your patients in a better manner, you reach out to a wider audience, you get to retain your patients, and you save a lot of time and money. 

Advantages of Patient Texting

Patient text messaging helps both providers and patients in a variety of ways. Let’s explore these advantages: 

Texting Benefits For Patients

1. More active participation in the care process

2. Better coordination with the care team

3. Easy way to communicate with the provider outside a clinical setting

4. Secure transmission of health information

5. Easy rescheduling, cancellation, and confirmation of appointments without having to log in to a separate portal or making any calls

6. Convenience with responding to messages

Texting Benefits For Providers

1. Reduced call volume by 40 % as now a majority of queries can be handled through texts

2. 50% reduction in costs as text messages are way cheaper than calls

3. More than 4 hours saved everyday as a result of efficient communication via text messages

4. 90% reduction in no-shows and cancellations as providers can follow up with patients regarding their appointments

5. Providers can reach out to patients even after office hours through texts

6. Enhanced provider-patient relationships

7. They need not worry about the security of messages if they’re using a HIPAA compliant texting app

8. Allows easy and secure collection of data

Implement Patient Texting With Emitrr’s Advanced Capabilities

As a healthcare provider, building strong relationships with your patients is crucial to help them achieve their health goals and texting is the most convenient and accessible communication channel that can assist you in building a strong patient community. To make the most of texting as a functionality, you need a software that is HIPAA compliant, secure, and offers everything you need to converse smoothly with your patients. Emitrr is one such solution that allows you to:

• Implement secure patient messaging through a separate functionality
• Relieve you of all the stress with respect to TCPA and HIPAA compliance 
• Respond to patients even on holidays or out-of-office hours through text message templates and autoresponders
• Sync your conversations to help you manage everything from a single dashboard 
• Keep your schedules full by sending automated appointment reminders to patients 
• Send bulk marketing messages with clear opt-in/opt-out instructions 
• Ask for feedback from the patients 
• Give patients the chance to schedule their own appointments

All this is available at a flexible price and round the clock support. Why take the burden of patient texting on your shoulders when you can automate most of the tasks and spend your time scaling your practice?  

FAQs

Conclusion

Managing patient text messaging can be tough, especially with hundreds of patients and strict compliance rules. Handling it manually isn’t practical, so automation is essential. A patient texting software keeps your communications organized and ensures no patient gets missed. Invest in a texting solution today and watch your practice grow. Curious how it works? Book a demo today!