MEDTECH SMS WEBINAR
SMS messaging is an increasingly popular service for improving patient communication and practice efficiency.
Appointment reminders (template based, sent automatically)
If a practice wishes to use the Appointment Reminder function from the appointment book
1. An SMS message template must be created. Only one Appointment Reminder template per practice is currently supported.
2. Provider has to have an appointment template setup. 3. Provider has to be enabled for SMS Appointment reminders.
NOTE: These setups are normally carried out during the implementation of the SMS system, in conjunction with the Practice manager. However, they can be updated or modified at a later date.
To setup an SMS Appointment reminder template, go to Setup – Inbox/Outbox – Outbox Document.
1. Select the SMS option from the Format drop down list.
2. On the Document Tab, create your text message and use the insert button to add required patient data such as preferred name.
The Insert field PAT_APP_DATETIME must be included as this is the field which will read the patient’s appointment date and time from the appointment book.
Please note that the PAT_APP_DATETIME insert field ONLY works in the context of the Appointment Diary appointments. It cannot be used for Palette SMS reminders or any other text message option.
Also please note that the maximum number of characters which can be included in a single text message is 154 including spaces. If the message contains more than 154 characters, the message will be split into two or more SMS texts and will be re-‐assembled on delivery to the patient. This has a cost implication for the practice. However the system displays the number of characters and the number of SMS text messages required for any message, so that the user is aware
To enable SMS Appointment reminders for provider, go to ManageMyHealth > SMS Text Message Service
NOTE: This does NOT mean that you have to sign up for ManageMyHealth to be able to use SMS messing – it just happens to be the menu where this setup is found in MT 32 – In Medtech Evolution it has its own menu.
Once in the Setup Screen – Click on the staff setup tab
1. Place a tick into each box to enable access to various SMS options
To be able to send Appointment Reminders from the Appointment Book, the following conditions must be met
• The patient must have a valid mobile phone number recorded in the F3 screen • The staff member must have the tick in the Apptment reminder column in this screen
• The ‘No SMS’ checkbox must NOT be ticked in the patient F3 screen.
Number validation
The mobile number can be validated using the button.
A Practice can send one or two appointment reminders and define the time frame prior to the appointment. Appointment reminders will be sent automatically based on these settings.
In this example, reminders would NOT be sent between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am
Note: Cancelling an appointment in the appointment book will cancel the reminder as long as the
So, using the previous setup screen, if a patient has an appointment at 2:00 Friday and calls to cancel before 2:00 Thursday, the 1st and 2nd reminders are cancelled automatically. If the patient calls at 3:00 on Thursday, only the 2nd reminder would be cancelled automatically.
If you need to cancel the text message, put the patient on the palette, and then go to ManageMyHealth -‐>SMS Text Message Service –>Outbox.
1. Right Click on the message to be cancelled and select Cancel from the Menu which displays 2. The message Status Description will change to ‘Cancelled’
Note: If an appointment reminder SMS has been created, and the patient then advises that his/her
mobile number has changed, it is NOT necessary to cancel the SMS.
• Change the mobile number in the F3 Patient Register screen; the system will check that the number is still correct and will automatically use the new number when sending the message.
SMS Sent Messages
Once the SMS reminder is generated it will be displayed in the ManageMyHealth™ SMS Text
Message Service Outbox – Sent Messages screen. This provides the practice users with a
complete audit of messages sent to the patient and their status. The SMS reminders will be displayed in the descending order on the When To Send time.
The Status description will display “To be sent” and will be changed to “Sent” once the SMS is processed and will be “Cancelled” if the Appointment has been cancelled.
This will always display the SMS Reminders for the active Patient on the palette. If the Palette is blank then it will display the SMS reminders for the entire patient set. Select an SMS and use right click function to do the following:
• A message can be cancelled
• The user can view any related Inbox replies ( In the SMS Inbox) • Can resend a SMS which has not be sent
Rejected Messages
If there are any errors encountered while sending the SMS a pop up screen Rejected SMS will be displayed straight away with the details of the patients and the reason for rejection under the Status Description. This provides the practice with a complete audit history of any rejections and the reasons for the rejection
Medtech SMS incorporates the ability for patients to reply directly to the messages they receive via a reply path. This can be enabled during the initial implementation at the practice’s request at no additional cost – or the practice can request Medtech to enable the reply path at any time – there is still no additional cost.
SMS Inbox and Appointment Status
If the SMS reply path is enabled, patients will be able to respond to SMS messages sent from the practice. The response will be accessible via ManageMyHealth™ SMS Text Message Service Inbox – Received Messages. Once again, this provides a complete audit history of replies received.
The SMS reminder replies will be displayed in the descending order based on the Reply time. The reply is also written automatically into the patient’s Daily Record – so is visible to providers without having to check the appointment book.
The Status description will display “Received “initially and users can double click on the record and view Replied SMS and click on “OK” button and the status will be updated to “Read”.
In the Appointment Book the SMS column will be visible only if the staff is configured for SMS in the ManageMyHealth SMS Setup.
This column will allow user to identify the SMS reply status of the appointment by displaying the following colours:
Yellow – Received SMS reminder reply Red – Declined appointment
Green – Confirmed appointment
Appointment Status can be changed/updated by using the right click option in the Appointment Book and selecting View SMS Replies.
Patient Palette Text Messages (freehand or template, individual
msg, can be used for recalls)
This option can be used to send individual SMS messages, such as Laboratory result notifications, DNS appointments, recall reminders.
1. With a patient on the palette click on the on the main toolbar 2. The SMS compose screen will open
3. The Mobile Phone field will automatically display the mobile phone number from the Patient register by default or can be entered manually.
4. Click on the Related Family Members button and all the family members of that patient will be displayed in the list. The family members with a valid mobile phone number will be enabled so that user can select the mobile number of that member if required.
5. If preferred, an existing template can be selected.
6. Or a free text message can be written into the Message field.
7. You can select to send SMS at a certain time.
8. Insert fields can be used to insert additional information from patient’s record. 9. Press Ok to send SMS.
Recalls (bulk messages, freehand or template)
Using SMS messaging for recall reminders can represent a considerable saving when compared with sending letters or telephone calls in terms of both cost and staff time. For example, sending a recall letter is likely to cost a minimum of $0.50 when taking into account the cost of postage, paper, envelope, printing and the staff time putting the letters into the envelopes.
Recall Contact list functionality can be used to send bulk SMS recall messages.
1. Ensure SMS Outbox document template has been setup via Setup > InOutBox > Outbox Documents
2. Link the SMS Outbox document template to the screening term that will be used for recalls via Setup > Recall/Screening > Screening Terms
3. To access the Recall Contact list go to Module > Recall/Screening > Recall Contact List, or use the icon.
4. Set the filter as required and press OK to generate the Recall Contact List.
5. Patients should have Mobile number field populated and an SMS Outbox document code should be visible in the SMS column.
6. Use the “Send SMS…” button within the Recall Contact List to send bulk SMS recall messages.
7. Once the SMS is generated from the Recall Contact List, it will be available in the SMS Outbox or SMS Rejected screens depending on the status, Successful or Rejected.
Query Builder Messages (bulk messages, freehand or
template, demographic based)
NOTE: The Id for merge and cell phone field need to be included in your query to enable the SMS
button on the Data sheet view to become active and the merge to be effective.
NOTE: It is also a good idea to use the NoSMS filter so as to exclude any patients who have indicated
they do not wish to receive SMS messages.
In the results pane it is necessary to identify the field which contains the mobile number. To do this, right click on the field and select from the drop down menu.
To select all items, right click on the checkbox column and choose ‘Select All ( duplicates removed)
• A message box will notify of the number of messages to be generated • A message can either be typed in manually or a template used
• A record indicating SMS Query Builder message has been sent will be stored in patient’s Daily Record.
• Preview Pane demonstrates history and audit.
