A trigger link in GoHighLevel records each click on the patient's contact, so the practice can see who tapped the telehealth link, and the telehealth platform's own session log shows who actually joined. The bottom line: a click tells you the patient is trying, and a missing click tells you to call, but the platform log is the record of attendance.
Why track at all
Evidence on telehealth no shows is mixed. A study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine of 1,219,781 scheduled primary care visits at a large public health system found that video visits had higher non attendance than in person visits (adjusted odds ratios of 4.37 early and 2.02 later), while telephone visits had lower non attendance later (0.82). A separate analysis of encounters across specialties found telehealth associated with lower no show odds overall (odds ratio 0.28), and higher odds for patients in mental health and for Black, Hispanic, and Medicaid patients. Vendors report large reductions, but those figures are not peer reviewed. The sensible reading is that results depend on the population and the platform, so a practice should measure its own video no shows separately.
What each tool shows
| Source | Shows | Does not show |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger link click | The patient tapped the link and when | Whether the patient joined the call |
| Telehealth platform log | Who joined, when, and for how long | Whether the patient saw the reminder |
| Appointment status | What staff marked | The reason for a miss |
GoHighLevel's help pages say a click on a trigger link is recorded on the contact's activity timeline, that the link must be in the message body, and that a Trigger Link Clicked trigger can start a workflow. The telehealth vendor needs its own agreement if it handles patient information, and the link itself should carry no health detail.
Build it in GoHighLevel
- Create a trigger link that points to the telehealth platform's join page for each appointment, or to a short page that forwards to it.
- Build a workflow with the Customer Booked Appointment trigger for telehealth calendars.
- Add reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before, with the trigger link in the message body and generic wording.
- Build a second workflow with the Trigger Link Clicked trigger that adds the tag Link clicked.
- At 5 minutes after the start time, add an If/Else on the tag Link clicked. If it is missing, create a task for the front desk to call the patient.
- After the visit, have the clinician or staff mark the status from the telehealth log, not from the click.
Reminder timing for video visits
| When | Message | Why |
|---|---|---|
| At booking | Confirmation, with a note on what device and connection to use | Sets expectations for a first video visit |
| 24 hours before | Reminder with the link | Gives time to test the device |
| 1 hour before | Reminder with the link | Catches the forgetful |
| 10 minutes before | Short text: your visit starts soon, tap to join | Reduces friction at the start |
| 5 minutes after the start | Call task for the front desk if no click | Reaches the patient while the slot is open |
Before video visits, a missed appointment meant an empty room and a lost slot. With video, a clinician is often waiting on a screen, and a patient who is trying but cannot join is a different problem from one who forgot. The click record helps the front desk tell them apart, because a patient who clicked but did not join may need help with the device, and a patient who never clicked needs a reminder.
Worked example
For example, a practice with 200 telehealth visits a month and a 15 percent miss rate has 30 misses (200 times 0.15). If the call task reaches 10 of those patients in time and 6 join, that is 6 visits saved (10 times 0.6).
Mistakes to avoid
- Treating a click as attendance. Use the platform log.
- Putting the visit reason in the text. Keep it generic.
- Skipping the vendor agreement. The video platform handles patient information.
- Mixing video and phone visits in one rate. Measure them separately.
How this was handled before
A nurse called patients who did not appear on the video platform's waiting room, often several minutes into the slot. A click record gives the practice a signal before the visit starts.
What to measure after launch
Track telehealth visits, link clicks, joins from the platform log, and misses after a call. Compare video and phone no show rates separately.
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. Confirm the telehealth vendor's agreement and that the reminder wording is approved by your privacy officer. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Do telehealth visits have fewer no shows?
Evidence is mixed. One large primary care study found higher non attendance for video visits, and another across specialties found lower odds for telehealth.
Does a click mean the patient joined?
No. A click shows the patient tapped the link. The telehealth platform's log shows who joined.
Where is a click recorded?
On the contact's activity timeline, according to GoHighLevel's help pages.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.