Recall of Due Patients

What triggers this workflow: Recall of due patients is a continuously running workflow, not a periodic campaign. The trigger is not a calendar date, it is the existence of patients who are due for hygiene but do not have a scheduled appointment. That list exists every day. Working it is a daily or weekly function, not a monthly one.

The due patient population defined: A due patient, for this workflow, is a patient who: (1) has an active patient record in the PMS, (2) has a recommended recall interval (typically 3, 4, or 6 months), (3) is within their due window (their last visit date plus their recall interval falls within the next 60 days, or they are already past due), and (4) does not have an appointment scheduled.

Patients with scheduled appointments are excluded. Patients who have lapsed beyond 12 months are a different population (lapsed reactivation) and are handled separately.

Report generation: Pull the due patient report from the PMS. The report parameters matter: set the due window, exclude patients with existing appointments, and exclude patients who have asked to be removed from recall outreach. The report should be consistent month to month so the list can be compared over time.

First contact: First contact uses the practice’s preferred primary channel. For most practices, a text message is the preferred first touch because it has higher immediate response rates than a voicemail and does not require a live call. The text should be short, direct, and include an easy path to booking: either a reply option or an online booking link.

The contact script is a defined template, not freeform. It states who the message is from, that the patient is due for a visit, and how to book. It does not guilt the patient for being overdue.

The touch sequence: A recall effort is not one contact. It is a defined sequence with defined intervals:

• First touch: preferred channel (text or call)
• Second touch: alternate channel, after a defined number of days with no response
• Third touch: direct phone call with a live voice attempt

If no response after the full sequence, the patient is marked as non-responsive for this cycle and is not contacted again until the next cycle (typically 3 months).

Outcome logging: After every contact attempt, log the outcome in the patient record: date, channel, result (booked, no answer, declined, requested removal). This logging is how the practice measures its reappointment rate and identifies patients who need a different approach.

Booking: When a patient responds and is ready to book, offer slots in the hygiene schedule with the goal of filling the earliest available openings. If online booking is enabled, patients can book directly; log the source as the recall outreach.

The reappointment rate: The key metric for this workflow is the reappointment rate: the percentage of due patients who are successfully scheduled within their due window. This number should be reviewed monthly. It is the leading indicator for future hygiene schedule fullness.