This article will walk you through how to set up email and text message communications for patient appointment confirmation. 

System Set-Up

1. Adjust the "Days Before Appointment Can Be Confirmed" System Setting

   1. In Super Admin -> System Settings -> 'General' tab -> expand the filter area -> in the 'Code' field search for "DaysBeforeAppointmentCanBeConfirmed"
      • Tip: Simply typing 'DaysBefore' will also filter for the desired result
   2. Set the 'Value' field to the desired number. 
      • This value determines how many days prior to a scheduled appointment that the Appointment Confirmation Text and/or Email will be sent to the patient and also how many days prior to the scheduled appointment that the appointment "Confirm" button will be available to the patient in their patient portal. 
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2. Edit the Appointment Confirmation Text Message Templates (optional)

   1. In the same System Settings Location, switch to the 'Text Message Templates' tab
   2. There are 3 text message templates associated with Appointment Confirmation Text Messaging:
      1. AppointmentConfirmationRequestSms
      2.  AppointmentConfirmationResponseSms
      3.  AppointmentCancellationResponseSms
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   3. You may edit the wording of each template if so desired
      • Tip: clicking the [+] icon will separate the Text into two separate.     messages. This is particularly helpful when sending long messages to Android phones. 

3. Turn on the Job Schedulers

   1. There are two jobs associated with Appointment Confirmation Communication:
      1. Appointment Confirmation SMS Job 
      2. Appointment Confirmation Email Job 
   2. To turn on the Jobs, go to SA -> Job Scheduler -> New -> choose the desired job -> set the desired cron expression and save
      
      • Tip: Free Cron Expressions Generators can be found using Google
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4. Turn on Twilio Integration

   1. SA -> Integrations -> find the line for Twilio -> if the 'Is Enabled' column for Twilio shows 'Disabled' in blue, simply click the word 'Disabled' and it should then change to 'Enabled' 
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5. Adjust the Appointment Subtype Settings (optional)

   1. In SA -> Dictionaries -> Appointment Subtypes -> click the desired Appointment Subtype in the grid -> in the 'Edit Appointment Subtype' modal toggle the settings to the desired state 
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Patient Setting Requirements 

1. 1. Receive SMS Alerts checkbox 
      1. In order for the patient to receive SMS alerts about appointments there must be a valid Mobile phone entered and the 'Receive SMS Alerts' checkbox must be selected and a valid email must be entered for the patient to receive appointment emails
         1. Staff View of these settings can be accessed in the Person Details page by going to Patient Dashboard -> Right Side Menu -> Person Details -> Person Details -> Edit
         2. The Patient can toggle the SMS Alerts checkbox on and off through their patient portal by following these steps after logging into their patient portal account:
            1. In the top right-hand corner of the screen, click the arrow to the right of the patient name and then click 'Edit Profile' 
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            2. Then, navigate to the Settings tab and toggle on the setting for receiving SMS alerts
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