Create SMS template

Add an SMS appointment reminder template for each different appointment reminder and frequency that you want to send.

To set up and manage SMS reminder templates, the Communications module which uses Telstra Health's SMS gateway (TH Messaging), must be enabled and you must belong to a user group with the SMS Administration system right.

Reminders can be sent up to 28 days before a patient's appointment.
To set up a new SMS reminder template:
  1. Select Tools > Manage SMS Appointment Reminders.
  2. In the SMS Appointment Reminder window, click Add iconNew Template.

    Example Create your template tab
  3. On the Create Your Template tab, in the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the template.
  4. Optionally, add one or more filters to limit the recipients of the appointment reminder. Reminders are sent only for those appointments that meet all of the criteria you specify.
    • In the Encounter place field, click the Ellipsis iconellipsis and in the Select an Encounter Place window, select the encounter place for which you want to send SMS appointment reminders and click OK.

      All enabled encounter places are listed. For grouped encounter places, if you select the parent encounter place, SMS appointment reminders are also sent to the dependent encounter places.

    • If you want to restrict the SMS reminder to appointments only assigned to a particular encounter mode, from the Encounter mode list, select that mode.
    • If you want to restrict the SMS reminder to appointments only for a particular provider, from the Provider list, select that provider. Only active providers are listed.
    • If you want to restrict the SMS reminder to appointments for patients only attending a particular session, from the Session type list, select that session.
    • If you want to restrict the SMS reminder to appointments only with a particular booking requirement, from the Booking requirements list, select that requirement. Booking requirements are set in the appointment.
    • If you want to restrict the SMS reminder to appointments only assigned to a particular speciality, from the Speciality list, select that speciality.
    • If you want to restrict the SMS reminder to appointments for a particular facility, from the Facility list, select that facility.
    • If you want to restrict the SMS reminder to patients of a particular age and older, in the Minimum patient age field, enter an age in years. All patients who are this age or older will receive an SMS appointment reminder.
  5. To allow patients to cancel appointments automatically by replying N or No (by default) to the appointment reminder SMS message, set Patient can cancel appointments.
  6. Set up the timing for your appointment reminder. By default, the reminder is scheduled for 8am, 1 day before the booked appointment.
    1. In the Days in advance field, set the number of days before the booked appointment that this reminder is sent.
      Reminders can be sent up to 28 days before a patient's appointment. If you do set a 28 day reminder, appointments scheduled for a time of day after the reminder is sent will not receive a reminder because they are more than 28 days in the future. Schedule the reminder to run at the end of the work day or use a 27 day reminder limit.
    2. In the Time field, enter the time at which you want the reminder to be sent.
  7. On the SMS Message tab, in the SMS Template field, enter a message.
    For more information, see Compose SMS message.
  8. On the Create Your Template tab, set Enable.
  9. Click Save.

Your new template is listed in the SMS Appointment Reminder window.

If you enabled the template, the template is run at the next scheduled time by CCareQueue_Communications and SMS messages are sent using Telstra Health's SMS gateway (TH Messaging), to all patients who meet the criteria specified in the template. The template does not consider any user, system or program rights.

Note:
CCareQueue_Communications is run once daily at the time specified in the appointment reminder template. Any appointments booked after the appointment reminders have already been sent will not receive a reminder. For example, if Daily appointment reminder is run 1 day in advance at 8am, for any appointments booked after 8am on the day before the appointment, patients do not receive a reminder.

A new SMS Message clinical item is created in the clinical record of each recipient, on the Detail tab. The status of the SMS message is displayed in the SMS Send Status field, initially with a status of Pending. The SMS message is sent when the CCareQueue_Communications service next runs. The message status in the clinical item is updated automatically when confirmation is received that the message has been sent or has failed, or if the patient has replied.

Restriction:
You cannot delete the record of an SMS sent from Communicare, including from the Detail tab.
Patients can reply to their appointment reminder SMS.
  • If you set Patient can cancel appointments, a negative response from a patient cancels their appointment. A confirmation of the appointment or no reply are indicated in the Appointment Book and Service Recording windows.
  • If you did not set Patient can cancel appointments, replies from the patient are recorded in the Appointment Book and Service Recording windows. Cancel or reschedule appointments manually.
  • Replies from the patient are recorded in their clinical record on the Detail tab.