eReminder and eConfirmation Troubleshooting

Below are common questions about eReminders, as well as some troubleshooting steps.

How can I prevent an eReminder or eConfirmation being sent for a specific appointment?

Set the appointment status to one that does not allow eReminders. See Automated Messaging Advanced Settings to determine which appointment statuses allow eReminders.

How can I prevent an eReminder or eConfirmation being sent for a specific patient?

Set the Exclude Automated Msgs setting in the Edit Patient Information. If text or email is selected, the patient is not sent automated messages via the selected method. Select both to exclude all.

I have clinics, and my eReminders and eConfirmations are not sending.

Check that you have assigned clinics to patients, appointments, and operatories. In addition, in Automated Messaging Advanced Settings, check the option Allow Automated Messaging from Appts w/o Clinic. This ensures that automated messages are sent for all appointments, even those with no clinic assigned.

Automated eReminders or eConfirmations are not sending.

Solution 1: Ensure that all setup is correct. This can include:

Solution 2: When an automated message cannot be sent, an error is logged. Access this log to see which patients did not receive reminders. This can only be accessed on the computer with the eConnector installed.

  1. Navigate to the C: drive.
  2. Open the Program Files(x86) folder, then OpenDental\OpenDentaleConnector\Logger\ConfirmationRequests or AppointmentComm.

These folders are only available if an error was logged for eConfirmations or eReminders.

Delivery failure for eConfirmations that include a [ConfirmURL] field.

Some carriers block texts with a URL as spam. Use the [ConfirmCode] field instead.

What happens when a patient clicks the eConfirmation URL and selects Request Callback?

The appointment status changes to the status selected for Not Accepted and an Alert in Open Dental notifies staff (those subscribed to the Patient Requested Callback alert).

Note: The alert created when the patient selects Request Callback cannot be deleted but goes away once the appointment status is changed or marked complete.

What happens if a patient has multiple appointments on the same day?

When a patient has multiple appointments on the same day, only one eConfirmation is sent for the patient's first appointment of the day. If a patient then replies to the confirmation, the eConfirmation marks all appointments on that day as confirmed.

What happens if I have multiple eConfirmation rules and schedule an appointment inside the rule time frame?

When a new appointment is created and the send time for some rules have already passed, the rule closest to the appointment date/time is used.

Why did my patient receive a message stating, "Confirmation Failed - Please contact your provider to confirm this appointment." or "This appointment is no longer at this date and time." when trying to confirm their appointment?

Is it possible to send eConfirmations manually instead of having them sent out automatically?

Yes, to send eConfirmations manually instead of automatically, do the following:

  1. In Definitions: Appt Confirmed, create a new confirmation status named ReadyForSend.
  2. In Automated Messaging Advanced Settings, under the Send eConfirmation column, uncheck the X for each status except the status ReadyForSend.

When you are ready to send an eConfirmation to a patient, change the appointment status to ReadyForSend. This ensures eConfirmations are only sent for an appointment if the status has been specifically changed.

The eConfirmation is sent using the eConfirmation Rule Send Time. To send the eConfirmation immediately upon changing the appointment status, set the send time to 180 days.