If a patient has missed an appointment once, it's probably ok to let is slide with a gentle warning. But what if they keep DNA-ing? Here's how to change your wording as the number of DNAs in a given period of time increases.
When managing patient appointments, it's crucial to address the issue of missed appointments, or DNAs (Did Not Arrive), effectively.
Peptalkr allows you to tailor your recall messages based on whether it's a patient's first, second, third or more missed appointment, enabling you to escalate the seriousness of your message accordingly, gently nudging first-timers while adopting a firmer tone for repeat no-shows.
Here's how to set up a DNA recall via email in Peptalkr, noting that the steps described here are for the email version, but the process is very similar for SMS recalls.
What you need to do
To achieve this, you're going to need a few ingredients ready:
A DNA recall email template (we've provided one for you)
A transactional email created for each version - e.g. DNA 1, DNA 2, DNA 3 etc.
A trigger for each version you've made an email for.
Let's go through the specifics:
Step One: Create a Transactional email for DNA number 1
*Skip this step if sending an SMS
Head to the Send Email tab and click Transactional
Then click 
From here you can follow the usual steps to create a transactional email.
Step Two: Create a Trigger for DNA number 1
Head to the Triggers tab and press the 
button to add a new trigger.
Name: 1st DNA
Type: Automated Recurring
Kind: Non-marketing
Triggering event: When a patient has a certain number of appointments
Then you can select Over all time or Over a set period of time (e.g. 365 days)
Filters:
Make sure you enter Exactly 1
And select Did Not Arrive under appointment status
Frequency: Every time the conditions are met
Template: Assign the email you created in step one for DNA number 1.
If sending an SMS, you simply write what you want the SMS to say at this step.
Go ahead and hit Finish - your first DNA email is done!
Step Three: Create your next version for DNA count 2
It gets super easy from here.
Go back to the Send Email tab and click Transactional
Then click again.
This time, when you get to the Build your email step you can select the DNA email you already created from the Recent Emails tab - this will create a copy of it so you can now edit the wording without impacting the original DNA email.
Go ahead and make your changes and publish the template.
Step Four: Create your trigger DNA count 2
Back to the Triggers tab we go - now you can simply hit the
(copy) button to duplicate your 1st DNA Trigger.
All you need to do is:
Change the name to 2nd DNA
Change the appointment count from Exactly 1 to Exactly 2
Change the template to the new DNA email you just created.
Voila! That's done 🎉
Want to create more?
Simply repeat step Three and Four to go up to the count of your choice! Most of our users do not need more than 5 - as they generally have a direct conversation with the patient after this point, but you can keep going if you like.
We understand it would be cool to have an 'At least' option instead of just 'exactly' - but DNAs are tricky business (from a code/database perspective 🤓) - we have a pretty complex system in place to allow us to send these DNA emails as accurately as we do. We will add this feature in the future - we promise. But for now you must create an email for each DNA count. The alternative is to just do a blanket DNA instead of a count-based DNA.
💡 Remember, the key to a successful DNA recall is a balance between reminding patients of their missed appointment and offering a positive, easy path to rebooking. By following these steps, you'll enhance patient engagement and reduce no-shows, keeping your practice's schedule optimised and your patient relationships strong.