Enabling/Updating Automated Recalls

EXACT can be configured to automatically send recalls by SMS, Email and / or EasyPost.

You can either send a default recall template to all patients or customise recall templates to match custom groups of patients.

You can also simplify the recalls automation setup by not using Hygienists in automated recalls.

To open the Recall Automation screen

Open the Recall Manager.

Click the Configure Recalls button:

From the Recall Parameters Screen, click the Automation button.

This will display the Recall Automation window

To configure EXACT to automatically run recalls every day tick the Run Recalls Automatically checkbox

To configure EXACT to either include or exclude Hygienists in automated recalls

This is de-selected by default because the majority of practices do not send Hygienist recalls.

Once activated it will only send as per the Contact Points (When to contact) and methods (How to contact) shown on the screen. Below we look at how to set these up.

The broad steps to configure automated recalls are:

Specify WHEN to contact patients.
Specify the methods for HOW to contact patients, and which TEMPLATES to use for each method.
For patients who do not have a preferred method for contacts, specify the preferred ORDER of contact methods (for example, first try SMS, then Email, then posted letter).
Optionally add custom patient groups if you want specific people to be recalled by means of specific templates (for example, use a teen template for an Under 19s group).

When in the Recall automation screen you can when recalls configured to send and what methods are used.

You can setup multiple sequential custom recall actions. For example:

Next Month recalls all those due appointments next month,

This Month recalls all those who evaded recall last month, and are due appointments this month,

Last Month recalls all those who evaded recall in the first two actions action, and were due appointments last month.

6 Months Ago recalls all those who evaded recall in all of the above actions, and were due an appointment 6 months ago.

12 months ago is not a recall but a notification that the Practice will stop issuing recalls.

Specify WHEN:

Start by selecting when you will contact patients based on when their recalls become due.

The above screenshot displays Contact Points for Next Month, This Month and Last Month. However, you can easily create further Contact Points.

To create a Contact Point:
Click the Add Contact Point hyperlink:
Complete the details in the Contact Point Detail screen, and then click OK:

You will see a Select Contact Methods screen, for adding methods to the Contact Point (how EXACT will contact a patient):

Specify HOW:

Click a Contact Method on the left and click the >> button. For example, SMS:

A Select Templates screen immediately displays, from which you can specify which templates to send for single patient or for family:

(In the above example we are working with the default All Patients group, for which we will be adding templates. However, what if you want to use different templates for some people within that grouping? Or what if you want to use a custom template per Provider?
In this case you need to Add patient groups, and specify the particular templates per group. When EXACT then sends recalls it will first try the custom group before trying the All Patients group.

Specify templates for the Contact Method:

Any dropdown option that you leave blank will simply be ignored by EXACT.

As you highlight a dropdown, a selector appears next to it:

You then have the option to select a template from the dropdown menu or by clicking the selector

and opening the View Templates window:

Select appropriate templates, until you have identified the templates that you require (leave boxes blank where you do not need templates):

Click OK to return to the Select Contact Methods screen, with your Method now correctly positioned at right:

Repeat this procedure for further Contact Methods.

Check the ordering of your Contact Methods:

When recalling, EXACT will attempt contacts in the specified order of Contact Methods, unless the Patient has a preference registered in the Patient File, in which case EXACT will use that preferred contact method.

For a Patient without any registered preference, EXACT will try to contact a patient by means of the first method, and if this fails, it will try the next, and then the next if necessary:

To re-order the Automated recall Contact Methods

Select a Method and then use the up/down arrows:

To edit the Automated Recall Contact Method

Select it and then click the Edit (e|d) button:

or

You can also edit by clicking a contact method from the Recall Automation screen: