Emails from a clinic to its patients usually fall into four types: an appointment reminder, a notice that an appointment has changed, a check-up reminder sent only to patients who have agreed to receive it, and a notice about holidays or opening hours. All four share one rule: the email carries information about the appointment, not about the patient's health. Below you will find sample texts for each type, the checks to make before sending, and the content that should not be mixed into these emails.
This article is a general framework. Promotion by healthcare providers and their communication with patients are subject to their own rules; when setting up your email routine, it is advisable to follow the requirements of the medical professional body you belong to and of the regulations in force, and to consult that body or a lawyer whenever you are unsure.
Information Emails and Promotional Emails Are Different Things
Reminding a patient of an appointment they have booked, letting them know its time has changed, or announcing the days the clinic will be closed is information about the existing relationship between patient and clinic. Once a service promotion or an offer is added at the bottom of the same email, however, the message can take on a commercial character. Commercial electronic messages generally require the recipient's prior consent.
The simplest way to keep this distinction is to use information emails for information only. For messages that may sit on the borderline, such as a check-up reminder, it is wise to obtain the patient's explicit consent and to record that consent together with its date.
What Belongs in the Email and What Does Not
Email is a channel that many people may see along the way: it can stay open on a shared computer, appear as a notification on a phone screen, or land in an inbox that a family member also checks. That is why the content is limited to the minimum information needed to manage the appointment.
- What may be included: the patient's name, the day and time of the appointment, the clinic's name and address, and a way to get in touch to change or cancel.
- What should be left out: diagnosis, treatment name, medication, the procedure to be carried out, or any wording that hints at the patient's complaint.
The subject line deserves particular care, because it can be seen without opening the email. A general subject such as "Appointment reminder: [Clinic Name]" is enough. If the clinic has departments, keeping in mind that a department name can also give a hint, only the clinic's name can be used in the subject line.
Four Sample Emails
The texts have been kept short and can be adjusted to your clinic's tone. The fields left in brackets are filled in at the time of sending with the details from the appointment record.
Appointment reminder
Subject: Appointment reminder: [Clinic Name]
"Dear [Full Name], we would like to remind you of your appointment on [day] at [time]. Our address: [address]. If you are unable to attend, you can let us know by calling [phone] or by replying to this email. Kind regards, [Clinic Name]"
Notice of an appointment change
Subject: [Clinic Name] change to your appointment time
"Hello [Full Name], the time of your appointment on [day] has been updated to [new time]. If this time does not suit you, please call us on [phone] and we can arrange another time. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the change. [Clinic Name]"
Check-up reminder (only for patients who have agreed)
Subject: Your check-up is coming up: [Clinic Name]
"Dear [Full Name], you previously asked to be reminded when your check-up is due. The check-up period recommended by your doctor is approaching; you can book a day that suits you by calling [phone]. If you no longer wish to receive these reminders, simply reply to this email with the word 'Stop'. [Clinic Name]"
Holiday and opening hours notice
Subject: [Clinic Name] opening hours
"Dear [Full Name], our clinic will be closed from [date range]. We are calling patients who have appointments during these dates individually to arrange a new time. In an emergency, please contact the nearest healthcare facility. [Clinic Name]"
If the change was made at the clinic's request, an email on its own may not be enough: the patient may not open it before the day of the appointment. In that case, reaching the patient by phone as well, and making a separate note of patients who could not be reached, can reduce the number of patients who turn up for an appointment that no longer exists.
None of the four texts says why the appointment was made. Even in the check-up reminder, "the check-up period recommended by your doctor" is enough; which treatment the check-up relates to does not go into the email.
Keeping Emails from Reaching the Wrong Person
Even an email with no health information reveals, if it reaches the wrong person, that someone is a patient at a clinic. A few habits are enough to reduce this risk:
- Hiding recipients in bulk sends: for emails that go to several patients, such as a notice, the addresses are entered in the "Bcc" field or each patient receives a separate email; patients do not see each other's addresses.
- Confirming the address at registration: the email address is read back to the patient or typed by the patient; it is not recorded by guesswork.
- Not relying on autocomplete: the email program may suggest similar names; the recipient field is read once more before sending.
- Sending a new template to yourself first: whenever a template is changed, the first test goes to the clinic's own address.
If an email still goes to the wrong address, the recipient is asked to delete it, the situation is explained openly to the patient concerned, the address in the record is corrected, and the incident is noted with its date. A lawyer's opinion can be sought on whether such an incident triggers a duty to notify.
What Should Not Be Mixed into These Emails
Promotion by healthcare providers is tightly restricted, and a reminder email is a place where those limits can easily be crossed. As a general guide, the following do not appear in these emails:
- Discounts, offers or "valid this month" announcements
- Wording that presents the clinic or the doctor as superior to others
- Prices or fee information
- Before and after images
- Patient reviews and thank-you messages
- Sentences that promise a treatment outcome or raise expectations about one
Common Missteps and What to Do Instead
| Common misstep | Instead |
|---|---|
| Sending reminders from the doctor's personal email address | Using the clinic's official address |
| Designing the reminder as an image-only poster | Writing plain, readable text |
| Sending from an address that cannot receive replies | Giving an address where replies are read, or a phone number |
| Using the clinic's internal abbreviations and department codes | Choosing plain words the patient will understand |
Pre-Send Checklist
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Does the sender name show the clinic's name? | The patient recognises the email and does not move it to junk |
| Do the date and time match the appointment record exactly? | The patient does not come on the wrong day |
| Is there a name left in the template from a previous patient? | One patient's name does not reach someone else |
| Are the address and floor details up to date? | After a move or a floor change, the patient does not get lost on the way |
| Has a patient who asked to stop reminders been flagged in the record? | No further email goes to a patient who does not want it |
| Does the sending time fall late at night or very early in the morning? | The notification does not disturb the patient at an awkward hour |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can lab or test results be sent by email?
Lab and test results are health data; sending them as an attachment to an ordinary email is not recommended. Sharing the result through an encrypted channel or the clinic's patient portal is preferable; the email can simply say "your result is ready". If the patient explicitly asks to receive the result by email, it is advisable to consult the clinic's lawyer on the conditions under which this can be done.
Who should receive the reminder for a child patient?
For child patients, the reminder is sent to the address of the parent or legal guardian stated in the record. Making clear at registration which address will be used can help keep the email from reaching the wrong family member.
What if the patient prefers SMS or WhatsApp to email?
The patient's preferred channel is marked in the record and reminders are sent through that channel. The same minimum-information principle applies on every channel; a short message is no reason to add more information to it.
What should be done if a patient reports a new email address?
The new address is entered in the record and the old one is deleted. If the old address stays in the record, reminders may keep going to an address the patient no longer uses or that now belongs to someone else.
Can appointment reminders be sent automatically?
Yes. A system linked to the appointment record can prepare the reminder on its own based on the day and time in the record. With automatic sending too, the content of the template and who receives it are decided by the clinic.
Appointment and follow-up messages do not have to be sent by hand
With Kılman's WhatsApp, Telegram and voice call automation, the assistant set up for your clinic can greet the patient's message, understand what they need and offer suitable options, create the appointment and record it in the calendar and email, and send a follow-up message after the visit. The clinic decides what information the messages contain and who receives them. You can see how the setup is adapted to your clinic on the WhatsApp, Telegram and Voice Call Automation page.
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