You can send reminders to clients via SMS that they have upcoming sessions and/or forms to fill out.
SMS reminders are available in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. If you'd like us to add another region, please reach out.
Consent to SMS reminders
You need consent from clients to send text messages to their phones. Our Notice of Privacy Policies template covers sending SMS communications within using PII, or personal identifying information, to manage your practice ("PII: We may use Upheal to [...] manage our practice"). If you'd like to ask your clients more explicitly, you can include this statement in your forms:
We may send you automated text messages regarding your care, including appointment reminders and links to clinical forms. Standard message and data rates may apply. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP.*
* Applies only to SMS recipients in the US and Canada. In other regions, you as the provider would need to withdraw the client's consent to receive text messages.
Please note: This information is for guidance only and does not constitute legal advice.
Confirming consent to SMS reminders
You can collect or confirm client consent to SMS reminders from the client's profile in one of two ways:
Email: choose this when your client will provide consent via a simple form in their Client Portal.
Manually collected: choose this when you've already collected consent outside of Upheal.
Collecting SMS reminder consent via email
To collect consent for SMS reminders via email:
Go to your client's profile.
On the right side, click the Consent section.
Beside SMS reminders, click Collect.
Select Collect consent via email.
If you want to preview the form your client will receive in their Client Portal, you can click the eye icon.Click Send form.
When your client confirms consent in the Client Portal, you will see a green check mark in the circle next to SMS reminders in the Consent section of their profile.
Manually collecting consent
To confirm that you have collected consent for SMS reminders outside of Upheal:
Go to your client's profile.
On the right side, click the Consent section.
Beside SMS reminders, click Collect.
Select Manually collected.
Click Mark as collected.
Your client can now receive SMS reminders.
Withdrawing your client's consent for SMS reminders
To remove a client's consent to receive text messages from your records, and therefore stop sending them SMS reminders:
Go to your client's profile.
On the right side, under Consent, click Manage beside SMS reminders.
Click Withdraw SMS consent.
To confirm, click Withdraw.
Your client won't receive SMS reminders anymore. You can always re-confirm consent later if your client changes their mind.
Your clients can also set their own preferences and give consent for SMS reminders in the Client Portal.
Setting up SMS reminders
You can send automated SMS reminders about upcoming sessions and/or forms that your clients need to fill out.
Session reminders via SMS: Your clients will receive reminders on the schedule you set. They won't receive an SMS when the session is initially scheduled, just an email.
Form reminders via SMS: Your clients will only receive the first reminder via SMS, and then following reminders will be sent by email (if selected). This is to prevent too many text messages.
To set up SMS reminders for upcoming sessions and forms:
In Settings, go to Client reminders.
Under Communication methods, check the SMS box(es) for the reminder type you'd like to send.
You need to have at least one communication method selected, email or SMS.
Your selection saves automatically.
Tip: Preview the reminder message by clicking the eye icon beside the checkbox.
How can my clients stop or restart SMS reminders?
If your clients are in the US or Canada, they can opt out and opt back in to SMS reminders themselves. Outside of those regions, you'll need to help by withdrawing their consent to receive text messages.
Your clients can always opt out of SMS reminders by replying STOP to any text message reminder they receive. CANCEL, END, OPTOUT, QUIT, REVOKE, STOPALL, and UNSUBSCRIBE will also work.
Clients can also restart the SMS reminders themselves by replying START, UNSTOP, or YES to the same number.
Your clients can also opt out of SMS reminders by setting their communication preferences in the Client Portal at any time.
What happens if my client doesn't have a phone number in Upheal?
If you have SMS reminders turned on, but a client hasn't provided a phone number or consent, Upheal will automatically send those reminders via email instead, even if you don't have email selected as a communication method. This makes sure your clients don't miss any important messages about sessions and forms.