A new dental patient should receive two messages right after booking: a short text with the date, time, address, and provider, and an email with the checklist of what to bring, a records release for prior X rays, the forms link, the cancellation policy, and the practice's Notice of Privacy Practices. The Customer Booked Appointment trigger in GoHighLevel sends both at once. The bottom line: a first dental visit has more paperwork than most, so the confirmation is where the practice prepares the patient.
What practices tell new patients
Dental practice and university clinic pages ask new patients to bring a photo ID, the insurance card, a list of current medications, and previous X rays or records, and to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for paperwork. Several describe a records release form that the patient sends to the previous dentist so the new office can receive X rays before the visit, and one says that without them the office will need to take new ones. Practices describe a first visit of about 60 to 90 minutes. The Pittsburgh dental school lists a records release line that asks for the patient's name, phone, address, and birthdate. These are practice norms, not a standard, so use the practice's own.
The HHS notice rule
HHS says a covered direct treatment provider must give the Notice of Privacy Practices no later than the date of first service delivery and make a good faith effort to obtain written acknowledgment, and that the notice must be posted on the practice's website. Sending it with the confirmation means the patient has it before the first visit.
| Message | Contents |
|---|---|
| Text, immediately | Practice name, date, time, address, dentist, and a link to the email |
| Email, immediately | What to bring, forms link, records release link, parking and directions, the cancellation policy, and the privacy notice link |
| Reminder, 3 days before | Short text with the time, and a reply to confirm |
| Morning of the visit | Short text with the address |
The records release is a HIPAA authorization for the previous dentist to send records, so it needs the required elements and a valid signature, which our consent signature guide covers.
Build it in GoHighLevel
HighLevel help center pages describe the Appointment Status trigger as firing when an appointment is created or its status changes, with statuses New, Confirmed, Cancelled, Showed Up, No Show, and Invalid, and with filters for calendar, calendar group, tag, user, and who made the change (customer, user, or API). The Update Appointment Status action can set the same statuses from inside a workflow. A third party agency guide adds that Appointment Status is now the main appointment trigger and the older Customer Booked Appointment trigger is being phased out, so use Appointment Status for new builds.
- Build a workflow with the Customer Booked Appointment trigger filtered to the new patient calendar.
- Send the short text and the longer email, with custom values for the dentist and the location.
- Link the forms and the records release in the email, and send them by text only if the patient has documented a texting preference.
- Include the Notice of Privacy Practices link, and add an acknowledgment to the forms.
- Add the reminder workflow from our no show guide.
- Create a task for the front desk to check, the day before, that forms are complete and prior X rays have been requested.
Worked example
For example, a practice that books 60 new patients a month and gets prior X rays for 30 of them avoids 30 new sets (60 times 0.5), which saves chair time and spares those patients extra radiation exposure.
Mistakes to avoid
- Sending the reason for the visit in the text. Keep it generic.
- Skipping the records release. The visit may need new X rays.
- Omitting the privacy notice. HHS expects it by the first visit.
- A long text. Put the checklist in the email.
How this was handled before
New patients were mailed a packet or told by phone what to bring, and many arrived without insurance cards or prior X rays. A confirmation email with a checklist and a records release moves that conversation to booking time.
What to measure after launch
Track confirmations sent, forms completed before the visit, records requests sent, and new X rays avoided. If forms are still late, send the link earlier.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. Have your privacy officer approve the confirmation wording, the forms, and the records release. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
What do dental practices ask new patients to bring?
A photo ID, insurance card, medication list, and previous X rays or records, and to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early.
When must a practice give its privacy notice?
No later than the date of first service delivery, and it must be posted on the website, according to HHS.
Why send a records release?
So the previous dentist can send X rays and records before the visit.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.