SMS Appointment Reminders & Confirmations

Effective communication with patients plays a critical role in reducing no‑shows and keeping appointment schedules accurate. MediRecords allows practices to configure SMS appointment reminders that notify patients of upcoming appointments and, if enabled, allow them to confirm or cancel in real time. This helps keep your appointment book up to date while saving administrative staff valuable time.

In this article, you’ll learn how to configure default reminder types for providers, set and customise SMS templates, add Coviu telehealth links, understand when SMS reminders are sent, and enable two‑way SMS confirmations and cancellations.

Contents:

1. Configuring the Default Appointment Reminder Type
2. Setting a Default SMS Template
3. Configuring Reminders Per Appointment Type
4. Adding Coviu Links to an SMS Template
5. When Are SMS Reminders Sent?
6. Two‑Way SMS Appointment Confirmations & Cancellations

Setting a Default SMS Template

Once you have created an SMS template for appointment reminders, you can set it as the default.

To set a default SMS template:

1. Go to More > Settings > SMS Templates.
    
2. Select the template you want to use for appointment reminders and click the edit icon.
    
3. Tick the Default checkbox and then click Save.
    

This template will now be used unless overridden by user or appointment‑type settings.

Configuring Reminders Per Appointment Type

Appointment Types can now be configured with an SMS template to enable automated, appointment type-specific messaging to patients. This enhancement allows different appointment types to send tailored instructions (such as fasting requirements or preparation notes), improving automation and reducing manual communication. 

MediRecords now follows a priority order when sending SMS reminders: user-level template overrides take precedence first, followed by the appointment type template, and finally the tenant default template as a fallback.

1. Go to Settings
2. Select Appointment
   
    
3. Select the Practice
   
    
4. Click Appointment Types
   
    
5. Click the Appointment Type you wish to configure
   
    
6. This will open a window of the Appointment Type you selected
   
    
7. Locate SMS Template dropdown
   
    
8. Select your desired Template
   
    
9. Click Save

Upon initial creation of an appointment and selection of the configured appointment type, the patient should automatically receive an SMS reminder based on the template assigned to that appointment type.

When Are SMS Reminders Sent?

SMS appointment reminders are sent by the system every two hours, based on each appointment’s reminder settings.

You can view or confirm this by opening an appointment and checking its reminder configuration.

Two‑Way SMS Appointment Confirmations & Cancellations

Two‑way SMS allows patients to confirm or cancel appointments directly from their reminder message, updating your appointment book in real time.

• Enabling two‑way SMS confirmations

  To enable confirmations and cancellations, you need to add the appointment confirmation link to your SMS template.

  1. Go to More > Settings > SMS Templates.
     
      
  2. Edit your Default SMS Template by clicking the edit icon.
     
      
  3. Add the merge field {sms-template.AppConfirm} to the message and then click Save.
     

• What patients see
  1. Patients receive an SMS containing a confirmation link.
     
  2. When opened, the link allows them to Confirm or Cancel the appointment.
     

• How this appears in MediRecords

  Booked appointments appear in blue (depending on filters).

Additional notes

• Once a patient confirms or cancels, they cannot access the link again and must contact the practice for further changes.
• If the appointment is marked as Completed, it will appear green, and the confirmation link will indicate that the appointment has already occurred.