Recall List

Use the Recall List to send and track recall appointment reminders.

In the Appointment Lists, click Recall.

Every active patient appears in the recall list for the default recall types. Once a patient has recall procedures completed, the patient's next recall due date is calculated and the list is updated. As patients are sent a reminder (either automatically or manually from the list), they disappear from the list for a specified number of days. If the patient has not scheduled their appointment before the specified number of days is up, they are put back on the list for another reminder.

Also see our Recall Video Playlist

Setup

The following must be set up prior to scheduling recall appointments:

Filters

Use the filters to determine which patients display on the list. Patients must meet all criteria entered to display.

View:

Refresh List: Click to refresh the list based on selected filters.

Set Status: Change the recall status for one or more patients. Highlight one or more patients from the list, select a status from the dropdown, then click Set.

Email From: Select an email address to use for sending email reminders. The default is Practice/Clinic set in Email Setup (for a single practice) or Clinic List (for clinics). If there is no clinic email, the practice default is used.

Recall List Grid

The interactive Recall List grid, shows patients due for a recall and their recall information.

The columns displayed in the Recall List can be customized from Display Fields, Recall List. The following are descriptions of available columns:

Navigation:

Options

Reminders

Regardless of which method a reminder was sent to a patient, a commlog will be generated with a type of Recall. Once a commlog has been generated, the patient disappears from the list for a specified number of days (set in Setup Recall). After the specified number of days has past, and if the patient has not scheduled an appointment, they reappear on the list for another attempt. After the maximum number of recall reminders have been sent, the patient will no longer reappear on the list.

To continue sending reminders to patients who have reached the maximum sent, check Include Reminded to populate them on the list.

Web Sched Recall Reminders

When signed up for Web Sched Recall, email and/or text reminders can be sent manually or automatically. The recall reminder includes a link for the patient to schedule their appointment online. See Web Sched Recall to set up Web Sched Recall.

If Web Sched Recall messages have not been sent in three days, an Alert will display.

To manually send Web Sched Recall messages:

  1. Select patients to send a recall reminder.
    • If no patients are manually selected, patients with email or text message as their Preferred Recall Method are automatically selected.
    • If Group Families is checked, the guarantor's email/phone is used, even if only one patient from the family is selected.
  2. Click Web Sched.
  3. A confirmation message will display. Click OK to send the recall reminders to the Authorized Representatives of the selected patients.
    • When multiple family members are sent a web sched recall reminder, the message will be aggregated into one and a commlog will be generated for each patient.
    • Only openings available within the next three months are considered. If no openings are available, an alert will appear.
  4. The selected patients are sent a text message, email, or both, depending on if a valid email address and wireless phone number are entered for the patient.

Also see Web Sched Recall: What Patient Sees.

Automatic Reminders

To send automated text message or email recall reminders without allowing patients to schedule their appointments online, follow the steps below.

Note:
  • This method uses a portion of the Web Sched Recall system, but does not require the practice to be signed up for that service. The only fees incurred would be for the text messages sent.
  • Users will still need to check the recall list periodically, as some patients may not meet the criteria for automated reminders. Users can verify that reminders are going out by looking at the Reminders Tab where the automated reminders sent will show.
  • For Clinics users, this setup is not clinic-specific.

  1. Remove all [URL] and [FamilyListURLs] tags from all Web Sched messages in Recall Setup. Customize the messages to indicate how patients should contact the office to schedule.
  2. Configure the Recall Types, Send Email Messages Automatically To and Send Text Messages Automatically To options from Web Sched Recall.
    • Other WebSched Recall setting do not need to be configured.
    • Do not sign up for the eService.
  3. Set Start and End times for Automated eServices Schedule from eServices Misc to determine when recall notifications will be sent.
  4. Wait 10 minutes or restart the eConnector. Verify reminders are sending by going to the Reminders tab in the Recall List.

When automatic reminders are sent, patients are removed from the recall list for the specified number of days. If the patient has not scheduled their appointment before the specified number of days is up, they are put back on the list for another reminder. Because these reminders are automatic, users may not see the patient on the list before their next reminder is sent.

Once the maximum number of automated reminders have been sent for a patient, they must be manually contacted instead. To view patients who need to be contacted manually (e.g., by phone):

  1. In the Recall List, check Show Reminded.
  2. Set the Show Reminders dropdown to the maximum number of reminders allowed.
    • Users may need to do this for multiple reminder numbers as the patient may have already been manually contacted.
  3. Click Refresh. Patients who meet the criteria and have had a reminder sent will list.
  4. Contact the patient and update their recall status.

Note: When an automatic recall reminder is sent to an invalid phone number, the message will fail and the patient will remain on the Recall List. They will not be marked as reminded and they will be queued for another reminder the following day. Open Dental will continue to attempt to send automatic reminders each day until one or more of the following occurs:
  • The patient is manually marked as reminded (e.g., Mailed Postcard).
  • The patient's recall is disabled.
  • The patient's phone number or email is updated and they are successfully sent an automatic reminder.
  • The patient's recall due date is outside of the default date range.
  • Enable Exclude Automated Msgs in Edit Patient Information.

Email Reminders

Manually email recall reminders from the recall list. Regular email and text messaging are not secure methods of sending PHI.

  1. Select an email address to use for sending email in the Email From dropdown menu.
  2. Select patients to send a recall reminder. If no patients are manually selected, patients with email as their Preferred Recall Method (set in the Edit Patient Information window) are automatically selected.
  3. Click Email.
  4. A confirmation message will display. Click OK to send the recall reminders to the selected patients.
    • If Group Families is checked, the guarantor email is used, even if only one patient from the family is selected.
  5. A record of the email is saved to the patient's progress notes.

Phone Reminders

For patients that prefer recall reminders by phone, contact the patient using the phone number listed.

If an appointment is scheduled click Sched Patient or Sched Family. Recall appointments will be created, with recall procedures attached, and placed on the pinboard to be moved to an operatory on the schedule. The calendar will not jump to the recall due date, so remember the appointment due date to locate it on the schedule.

If no appointment is scheduled click Comm to enter a custom note or highlight the patient from the list and select a recall status from the Set Status dropdown that corresponds with the result of the phone call.

Postcard Reminders

For patients that prefer mailed postcard reminders:

  1. Check Group Families to print one postcard for the entire family.
  2. Select patients to create a postcard for.
    • If no patients are manually selected, every patient who does not have a Preferred Recall Method set, or whose Preferred Recall Method is Mail are automatically selected.
  3. Click Postcard Preview. A preview of the postcards for all selected patients is generated.
  4. In the Preview window, click Print to send the postcards to the Default Printer for postcards.
  5. If the postcards printed successfully, click Yes on the next prompt to finish, otherwise click No to start over.

To customize the wording of Recall Postcards, see Setup Recall.

Troubleshooting

When trying to send Web Sched Recall emails, I receive a message that emails can't be sent because there are no available time slots.

Why might a patient not show in the recall list?

Why might patients not be removed from the Recall List even though I have Automatic Reminders turned on?

The Send Text Messages Automatically To and Send Email Messages Automatically To settings may not be enabled in Web Sched Recall.

A Web Sched URL is included in the Automated Reminder but Operatories are not set up correctly, so there is nowhere to schedule the appointment. If there are no Operatories set as Is Recall and there is Web Sched URL in the Automated Reminder, the recall text or email will not go out and the patient will need to be contacted another way.