Appointment Reminder Ideas for Texas Surgeons to Cut No-Shows
Updated: Oct 18
Once a patient books a consult or surgery with a surgeon or plastic surgeon in Texas, send appointment reminders at set intervals. In a Cochrane review of eight trials, attendance rose from 67.8% with no reminder to 78.6% with text reminders.
Reminders protect calls you already worked to win. A Dallas plastic surgery practice we work with takes about 150 patient calls a month from Google search, across ten procedure lines and with no ads. Each of those calls is a consult that needs a reminder.
How Often Should Texas Surgeons Send Appointment Reminders?
For Texas surgeons, the best appointment reminder ideas come down to seven reminders from booking to the post-op visit:
A confirmation when the consult or surgery is booked
A reminder one week before, with pre-op instructions
A reminder two days before
An evening-before text with fasting rules and arrival time
A morning-of reminder with directions
A follow-up message after a missed appointment
A reminder before the post-op visit
Post-op visits need the most attention: in one plastic surgery clinic, post-op patients were nearly twice as likely to miss appointments as new patients. That is why these appointment reminder ideas put extra weight on post-op visits and patient retention.
Appointment reminder schedule for Texas surgical patients | ||
When | Channel | What to include |
At booking | Text and email | Date, time, address, how to reschedule |
1 week before | Pre-op instructions and what to bring | |
2 days before | Text | Date, time, reply to confirm |
Evening before | Text | Fasting rules, arrival time, ride home |
Morning of | Text | Directions and parking |
After a missed visit | Text, then call | Number or link to rebook |
Before the post-op visit | Text | Date, time, reply to confirm |
Ways to Send Appointment Reminders to Surgical Patients
Each channel does a different job for a surgeon’s practice. Texts and calls work best for confirmations, and email carries the pre-op packet.
Appointment reminder channels compared | ||
Channel | Attendance in trials | Best for |
No reminder | 67.8% | Nothing: always remind |
Text message | 78.6% | Confirmations and evening-before instructions |
Phone call | 80.3% | Surgery confirmations and patients who don't reply |
Not measured | Pre-op packets and forms | |
Voicemail | Not measured | Name, number and a call-back request only |
Email Reminders for Consults and Surgery
Email reminders work well for details patients need to keep: pre-op instructions, what to bring and directions to the surgeon’s office. You can also use them to reschedule patients who miss appointments.
What a Surgeon’s Email Reminder Should Include
A clear subject line, such as Your consultation on (date)
The patient’s first name
The date, time and location
Pre-op instructions as an attachment or link
How to reschedule
The surgeon’s name and the practice phone number
Email Reminder Templates for Surgeons
Email reminder templates for surgical practices | ||
Purpose | Subject line | Message |
Consult | Your consultation on (date) | Hi (first name), this is a reminder of your consultation with Dr. (name) on (date) at (time) at (address). Need to change it? Call (phone). |
Pre-op | Your instructions for (date) | Hi (first name), your pre-op instructions are attached, including when to stop eating and drinking. Please arrange a ride home and call (phone) with questions. |
Post-op | Your follow-up visit on (date) | Hi (first name), Dr. (name) would like to see you on (date) at (time) to check your recovery. Reply or call (phone) to confirm. |
Text Message Reminders Before Surgery
For Texas surgeons, text reminders are cheap and stay on the patient’s phone. In the same Cochrane review, texts worked about as well as phone calls, at 55% to 65% lower cost per attended appointment.
How Often to Text Surgical Patients
Send text reminders in this order:
When the consult or surgery is booked
When the patient confirms
Two days before
The evening before surgery, with fasting rules and arrival time
The morning of the appointment
If a patient misses the appointment, send two more texts:
A same-day follow-up
A rescheduling text with a phone number or booking link
Every text should include the practice name, the surgeon’s name, the patient’s first name, the date and time, and how to reschedule.
Text Reminder Templates for Surgical Patients
Keep each text under 160 characters so it arrives as one message, and personalize it with the patient’s name and the surgeon’s name.
Even if your plastic surgery practice runs specials, leave offers and discounts out of pre-op reminders. Patients should see only what they need to do. In Texas, a marketing message that uses patient information also needs the patient's permission in writing or electronic form.
Text Examples for Plastic Surgery Consults and Post-Op Visits
Text reminder templates for surgeons | |
Purpose | Text (under 160 characters) |
Consult | (Practice): Hi (name), reminder of your consult with Dr. (name) on (date) at (time). Reply C to confirm or call (phone) to reschedule. |
Evening before surgery | (Practice): Reminder for tomorrow. Nothing to eat or drink after (time). Arrive at (time) and bring a driver. Reply C to confirm. |
Post-op visit | (Practice): Hi (name), your follow-up with Dr. (name) is (date) at (time). Reply C to confirm or call (phone). |
Missed visit | (Practice): We missed you today, (name). Call (phone) or reply here and we'll find a new time. |
Spanish Appointment Reminders for Texas Patients
In Texas, plan a Spanish version of every reminder. 40.9% of Texans are Hispanic or Latino (Census QuickFacts), so ask each patient which language they want at booking and save it in the record, from Houston to El Paso. Accented letters such as á and ó can cut a text to 70 characters per message, so keep Spanish reminders short.
Spanish text reminder templates for Texas surgical practices | |
Purpose | Text in Spanish |
Consult | (Clínica): Hola (nombre), su consulta con el Dr. (nombre) es el (fecha) a las (hora). Responda C para confirmar o llame al (teléfono). |
Evening before surgery | (Clínica): Su cirugía es mañana. No coma ni beba nada después de las (hora). Llegue a las (hora). Venga con alguien que lo lleve a casa. Responda C. |
Post-op visit | (Clínica): Hola (nombre), su cita de seguimiento con el Dr. (nombre) es el (fecha) a las (hora). Responda C para confirmar. |
Missed visit | (Clínica): (nombre), hoy no pudimos verle. Llame al (teléfono) o responda aquí y le damos otra cita. |
HIPAA-Safe Voicemail Reminders for Plastic Surgeons in Texas
Automated voicemails can remind a surgeon’s patients about consults and surgery dates, but HIPAA calls for care. HHS guidance allows reminders on an answering machine but advises limiting them to your name, number and what’s needed to confirm the appointment.
For plastic surgeons especially, leave the procedure out of the message, because family members can hear a voicemail too.
Texas adds a notice rule. Under Texas Health and Safety Code §181.154, a practice must give patients notice when their health information is subject to electronic disclosure. A notice on your website or in your office counts as general notice.
Texas and federal rules for appointment reminders | ||
Rule | What to do | Source |
Voicemail | Name, number and a call-back request. Leave the procedure out. | |
Texts and email | Allowed with reasonable safeguards. Keep diagnosis details out. | |
Electronic disclosure notice | Post a notice on your website or in your office. | |
Offers in messages | Get written or electronic permission before using patient information for marketing. | |
Language | Offer Spanish. 40.9% of Texans are Hispanic or Latino. | |
Phone Call Reminders From the Surgical Coordinator
Phone call reminders had the highest attendance in the Cochrane review, at 80.3%. It is the surgeon’s office checking in directly. It is easy to reschedule if they don’t find time to visit you at the practice.
But there is one drawback. At times, you may not reach the patient through phone calls. Purposely or by mistake, they may not take your calls. There you fail to remind them about appointments.
A Reminder Call Script for Surgical Coordinators
A short script keeps reminder calls consistent. Confirm the patient’s name, the date and time, the pre-op instructions and the ride home, then ask whether they have questions for the surgeon.
When to Start Reminding Patients Before Surgery
Most surgeons can start about a week before surgery, when patients need their pre-op instructions, then remind them two days before and the evening before. Daily texts for weeks are more than most patients need.
The evening-before text matters most. Cincinnati Children’s sent texts the evening before surgery with fasting rules, arrival times and directions, and cut lost operating room time by 37%.
Appointment Reminder Software for Texas Surgical Practices
Appointment reminder software is used by surgeons and plastic surgeons to send scheduled appointment reminders. The following tools can send reminders to patients through text messages, emails, phone calls and all the other means. For a Texas practice, check that the tool can send Spanish templates.
Appointment reminder software for surgical practices | ||
Tool | Reminder channels | Notes |
ReminderCall.com | Calls, two-way texts, email | Record reminders in your own voice |
Doctible | Two-way texts, mass texts, MMS | Markets HIPAA-compliant reminders |
Mend | SMS reminders | Also handles scheduling and billing |
Acuity Scheduling | Texts and email | Syncs with Google Calendar, iCloud and Outlook |
Vagaro | Texts and email | Built mainly for salons and spas |
SimplePractice | Appointment reminders | Built mainly for therapy practices |
SimplyBook.me | Texts and email | Has a free version |
10 to 8 | SMS and email | Online booking and payments |
Appointy | Automated reminders | Integrates with Zapier and Square |
ReminderCall.com
ReminderCall is an automated appointment reminder platform for medical professionals. Surgeons and plastic surgeons can use it too. It helps in reducing no show rates. It has exclusive reminder features like,
sending reminder calls
2 way text reminders and
Email reminders.
You can give voice messages using your voice. It offers free trials to try. But it has no free version to avail.
Doctible
Doctible is appointment reminder software for medical professionals. It can send customized flexible reminders. It helps largely to reduce no shows and rescheduling.
It markets HIPAA-compliant appointment reminders, with features like
2 way messaging
Mass texting
Message personalization
Messaging
MMS and
Confirmation/reminders.
This software provides free trials to try. No free version is available for this software.
Mend
Mend is medical practice management software solution. It also does scheduling. It has features like
Appointment scheduling
Automated scheduling
Calendar sync
Billing & invoicing
online payments
patients records managements
No show tracking and SMS reminders.
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity scheduling is online appointment scheduling software. It can send automatic reminders to patients on upcoming appointments. This also sends reminders through all means like texts, emails and other social media platforms. It can organize schedules by auto adjusting to your working hours. Acuity Scheduling can manage multiple locations and staff. You can also store patients’ details and reports with this scheduling software. It has integration with Google calendar, iCloud, outlook.com, Exchange, Office 365 and 500+ other apps.
You can embed scheduler on website. Making payments, showing analysis of appointments, mobile optimization help you to have better scheduling. It gives 7 days of free trial.
Vagaro
Vagaro is cloud based appointment scheduling software. It gives easy access comparing other medical scheduling software. It does auto drafting, session tracking and billing. It sends automatic text and email notifications on booked appointments.
You can list available appointment slots that can be viewed by patients. It supports in devices like androids, ios and smart phones. It allows you to have customized features for specific needs.
You can stay connected through email and all social media platforms. It allows you to have patients’ details. It also shows reports and graphs on booked appointments and increasing show up rate.
SimplePractice
SimplePractice is a cloud-based practice management tool built mainly for therapy and wellness practices. It also offers practice management system. This software is easy to use that anyone can access it without having any prior knowledge. It does automated scheduling.
It does scheduling, payment processing, documentation and other such process. It has key features like free unlimited appointment reminders, insurance claim management, online appointment request and patients portal.
Scheduled appointments are controlled, tracked and managed through this software.
SimplyBook.me
SimplyBook.me is online booking system. It has two differing serving systems: patients and admin app. This can be used for patients and doctors in medical field. It allows you to have customized scheduling features.
This software reminds patients on booked appointments through texts, emails, and social media platforms. Payment option helps you to have increasing show up rate of patients. It uses API interface. This scheduling system has free version to use.
Timify
Timify is online scheduling solution and management software. It suits small clinics to large hospitals. It is cloud based software. You can view and access appointments with your hospital staff. Timify has free basic version to avail.
Features like API integration, alerts/notifications on booked appointments, calendar management, contact management, reporting/analytics, booking management, calendar sync, and website integration help easy scheduling.
10 to 8
10 to 8 is all in one appointment scheduling software. It sends SMS and email reminders. It allows you to have customized scheduling. It offers online booking page, online payment, calendar sync, group bookings. It has integration with 1,500+ apps.
It can be accessed on any device. You can also view appointment history and track patients’ appointments. It does appointment scheduling, automated scheduling, collecting patient database, and communication management. It has free version to use.
Appointy
Appointy is automated scheduling software. It gives appointment management, payments, staff and patient management options in scheduling. It offers simple and functional appointment scheduling to your clinic or hospital.
It has features like online scheduling, scheduling management, automated bookings, website integration and automated reminders. Appointy has integration with Zapier, Square, and Point of sale.
This software supports all mobile apps. No free version to use. But you have free trials to know features.
Fill Your Texas Surgery Schedule With Intellius Medical
Appointment reminder ideas like these protect the consults a Texas surgeon has already booked. To fill the calendar in the first place, pair them with local SEO for surgeons. It’s how one rhinoplasty practice reached 100+ patients a month.
Texas results, from Google search and Maps with no ads: Southwest Regional Wound Care in Lubbock took 1,260 patient calls from Google Maps alone, and Rozier MD in Mansfield gets 150 to 200 calls a month from Google Maps. See how we work with practices in Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth.
