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Key Points
- Text messages are opened, read, and replied to at a much higher rate than any other form of communication with consumers. 79% of patients want to receive text messages from their provider.
- Keep texts straightforward so you don’t open the conversation via SMS—you should be using SMS to communicate concise information. The goal for texting patients is to create efficient communications that bolster your great patient experience.
- Text patients reservation confirmation and reminders, updates about their reservation, links to test results, bills and bill reminders, info about new services, and ask them to leave you an online review—templates below!
- You can set up quick replies so that your front office staff isn’t individually typing every message. This will streamline their workload, reduce clerical errors, and make sure patients get consistent communications every time they visit your clinic, no matter who is working the front desk.
- To protect your business and your patients’ information, make sure the text message platform you use is HIPAA compliant and uses encryption to effectively secure PHI. To be HIPAA compliant, patients need to opt into your text messages, and texts should never contain PHI.
Sending patients SMS text messages can open a new world in patient communication, engagement, and creating a great patient experience. Text messages are opened, read, and replied to at a much higher rate than any other form of communication with consumers. Text messaging patients reservation confirmation and reminders has been proven to decrease no show rates. What should you be texting patients? How do you comply with HIPAA? You'll find answers to every text messaging question here.
79% of patients want to receive text messages from their provider.
Data from Solutionreach
Keep texts straightforward so you don’t open the conversation via SMS—you should be using SMS to communicate concise information. The goal for texting patients is to create efficient communications that bolster your great patient experience. Reservation reminders and test result notifications work great in the world of texting patients. Texting patients information about which insurances you take will likely open the door for a bunch of questions—better keep that conversation in the office.
You can set up quick replies so that your front office staff isn’t individually typing every message. This will streamline their workload, reduce clerical errors, and make sure patients get consistent communications every time they visit your clinic, no matter who is working the front desk.
Here are the 6 texts you should be sending patients.
1. Send patients reservation confirmation and reminders
Once a patient creates a reservation with your clinic, send them a text to confirm that you got their reservation. It’s also one of the first ways to intro new patients to your brand! Sending patients SMS reminders can also reduce no shows.
“I like that I don’t have to talk to anyone. I can just plug in my info and get an appointment and everything is documented. I also like the appointment reminders.”
Solv patient feedback
Send SMS reminders a couple of hours before the reservation begins to make sure patients show for their reservation.
Pro tip: Include a link for digital registration paperwork
If a patient has booked via Solv, they’ve mostly likely already completed all of your digital registration and paperwork.
For walk-ins, call aheads, or patients who’ve booked via your website, you should include a link to their paperwork via SMS before they walk in. This will reduce patient wait times and speed up the check-in process at the front desk.
Use text messaging to send patients a link to your intake and registration forms, collect insurance card photos, and receive any information that’s needed.
Reservation reminders SMS templates
- Hi, [name]. You have an upcoming reservation with [clinic name].
- Hi [name], welcome to [clinic name]. Your visit is booked for [date] at [time].
- You’re confirmed! Your visit is booked at [clinic name] on [date] at approximately [time].
2. Text patients updates about their reservation
If your clinic is running behind, or an emergent patient walked in, communicate updates to patients with existing reservations that need to shift. Let the patient know that you’re running a few minutes behind for their reservation to reset expectations.
Reservation reminders SMS templates
- Hi, [name]. We’re running about 15 minutes behind for your reservation. We’re so sorry! Please come to the clinic at [updated time].
- Hi [name], welcome to [clinic name]. Your visit is booked for [date] at [time].
- You’re confirmed! Your visit is booked at [clinic name] on [date] at approximately [time].
3. Use texts to get patients to leave you feedback and online reviews
You should be texting every single patient asking for feedback after they’ve left the clinic. You need review volume to meaningfully impact your location’s Google rating.
And, with so many options for urgent care, 88% of consumers trust online reviews to help them make a decision. Therefore, having reviews is important to attract future patients.
When you ask for feedback via SMS, give patients a link where they can leave you a review on platforms where other patients will see it, such as google or Solv.
Reputation management SMS templates
- Hi [name], thanks for coming in today. We’re always looking for feedback from our patients. Please drop us a note here: [link]
4. Text patients links to review their test results
Test result notifications can be a big lift for your front desk team if they’re still calling patients individually. You can streamline your front desk’s workflow—and create a better patient experience—if you text patients links to view the results of their tests.
Of course, make sure texts to patients are always HIPAA compliant. You should use a texting platform that uses encryption, and instruct your teams to never include PHI in your text messages to patients.
Test result notification SMS templates
- Hi [name], you have an update from [clinic name]. Click [blank] to view securely.
5. Get paid faster when you text patients bill reminders
If patients aren’t paying at time of service, odds are it’s really tough to get them to pay their urgent care bill. Healthcare is expensive. It’s also tough for patients to navigate pricing, insurance coverage, and how to pay their bill. The simpler you can make it, the better.
Instead of sending bills in the mail, opt to text patients a link to pay their bill online.
Bill reminders SMS templates
- Hi [name]. You have a balance due from your visit with [clinic name]. Click [link] to pay securely.
- Reminder! Your [clinic name] medical bill is due. View and pay your bill securely: [link].
6. Bring patients back when you text them about new services
You can use SMS with patients (who’ve opted in) to tell patients about new services. If you add telehealth, occ med, aesthetics, etc. to your service offerings, let patients know so that they come back to you next time they need that service!
“I have patients who use telemedicine as self triage. For example, I had a patient last week who did telemedicine for pink eye. She's actually an undergraduate student in Ohio, but because she's used us before and she knows that we offer telemedicine, she booked an appointment with us rather than going to an urgent care in Ohio. It helps with customer retention.”
Browlyn Marquez, CEO, Live Urgent Care
Service expansion SMS templates
- Now offering virtual visits! Book a virtual urgent care visit and connect with a [brand] provider from the comfort of your home (or anywhere!) Book your next telemedicine visit here: [link]
- You can now get [service] at [clinic name]. We’d love to see you next time you need care! Book here: [link]
3 tips for sending better SMS text messages to patients
Of course, there are some rules and regulations for sending patients SMS texts from your business. You want to make sure patients opt in to receive text messages from you, and they have a way to opt out. Your texts should also be sent via a HIPAA compliant platform, and contain no PHI.
1. SMS texts should be HIPAA compliant
To protect your business and your patients’ information, make sure the text message platform you use is HIPAA compliant and uses encryption to effectively secure PHI.
You should also train any team members who will be texting patients about HIPAA-compliant messaging. In order to make sure your SMS texts to patients are HIPAA compliant, you should ensure that
- Patients opt in to receiving text messages from your clinic
- SMS texts don’t contain any personal information
2. Where to find patient SMS in Solv
In the queue, patients can be messaged individually by going to the circular chat button to the right of the patient's information. It can be accessed from the Reserved, Here Now, and All Done tabs.
3. NEW! Set up custom quick replies text messages in Solv
Managers can set up custom quick reply SMS text messages in Solv. Your front desk can then send these custom messages to patients via Solv text messaging. Go to Settings > Custom Quick Reply SMS. You can set up to 3 custom SMS messages (and are still able to use the 4 Solv quick replies below).
Managers can set up custom quick reply SMS messages in Solv
Each custom quick reply message should be 160 characters or less and non-GSM.
Pro tip: label your custom quick reply messages something different from the Solv quick reply messages (below) so that your staff doesn’t accidentally send the wrong message to patients.
4. Set up quick reply SMS messages
Quick replies allow you to create templatized messages. For urgent care who are trying to create a brand experience across multiple locations, this is especially helpful to create a seamless patient experience. You create the custom messages, and your front desk staff can quickly communicate with patients—and stay on-brand.
- In the Solv Queue, you can message patients from Reserved, Active, or Done tab
- A message modal will appear
- Go to the left hand corner and click on Send quick reply
- From there you can select to send a Waitlist, Feedback, Follow up, or Paperwork
- Select which patient you want to send the quick reply link for (used for Paperwork) and click Send.
Hear why thousands of healthcare groups trust Solv to increase visits, improve staff efficiency, and deliver a 5-star patient experience. See Solv in Action.
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