Appointment Reminders

Category: Privacy

Date: March 2003

Reviewed/Revised: April 2013

Purpose

Appointment reminders must be made in a manner that reduces the risk of an unintentional disclosure of protected health information. Each clinical department has a responsibility to let the patient know how appointment reminders are made for his or her clinical provider.

1. Telephone reminders - Reminder calls are made to patients typically the day before a scheduled appointment. These calls can be accomplished by printing out a patient list or via an onscreen review of the next day's appointments.
   1. It is recommended to talk directly to the patient concerning his or her appointment time to ensure the patient's privacy.
   2. A reminder message may also be left on the patient's messaging system or with another adult if the patient is not home. It is considered to be a breach of confidentiality to provide any details about the patient's appointment without proper written patient authorization.
   3. A reminder message should be limited to some or all of the following:
      • name of the patient
      • appointment time and date
      • department name (or physician name) and telephone number
2. Appointment cards
   1. Appointment cards may be mailed to patients as a reminder about an upcoming visit. These cards should be either sealed or folded in a manner that inhibits unintentional disclosure of the reminder information.
   2. Each department should verify the address of the patient before appointment cards are mailed.