How OMS Practices Can Maximize Appointment Reminders from Consultation to Follow-Up

For oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) practices, patient appointments involve multiple critical stages, from the initial consultation to post-operative follow-ups. Procedures often require detailed preparation, including fasting, medication adjustments, and arranging transportation. Missing an appointment due to miscommunication can lead to treatment delays and wasted resources. A strategic reminder system keeps patients engaged throughout their care journey, reducing the risk of cancellations and last-minute rescheduling. Plus, automated appointment reminders can contribute to increased time savings, freeing your staff up to focus on patient care. 

Maximize appointment reminders at each stage

Pre-consultation and pre-surgical reminders

The best way to prevent no-shows and ensure patient preparedness is to make sure the patient has the right information — before they come to their appointment! For the consultation, OMS practices should implement a multi-layered approach to appointment reminders. Sending an automated confirmation message via email or text immediately after booking reinforces appointment details, empowering the patient to come prepared. Provide detailed instructions, such as completing medical history forms or submitting insurance documentation. Try to communicate with the patient in their medium of choice, whether that text, phone, or email. This significantly contributes to compliance.

Before the surgery, remember that timing is everything. Forty-eight to 72 hours before the surgery, send a reminder emphasizing fasting requirements, medication instructions, and necessary paperwork. Remind patients to arrange a ride home if sedation is involved. Often, providing everything they need to know around 48-72 hours before the surgery in checklist form helps patients prepare effectively.

On the day of the surgery

It goes without saying that it’s important to send your patients a notification on the morning of the surgery. This should be a text or automated call confirming the appointment time. You can also include a reminder of the office location. Incorporate last-minute readiness checks, such as:

• Ensuring patients remember to bring required documents and ID
• Reminding them to continue fasting until the appointment (including a morning coffee!)
• Reminding the patient about any medication

Post-operative care reminders

To support a positive outcome after a procedure, continue to leverage appointment reminder functionality. That can start with a simple same-day follow-up: a brief check-in message ensures patients have made it home safely and reminds them of immediate aftercare steps. In addition, use reminders to give medication and recovery guidance. Scheduled reminders can help patients remember to take medications, follow dietary restrictions, and maintain oral hygiene.

Since the patient will likely need a follow-up appointment, encourage patients to book and confirm follow-up visits before they leave the office. Or, use reminders to reach out to the patient at home, giving them the flexibility to book and confirm at home.

Some best practices for optimizing appointment reminders

Here are a few tips to optimize appointment reminders at OMS practices:

• Automate where possible: use patient engagement software to streamline reminders across multiple communication channels.
• Personalize messaging: address patients by name and include specific details relevant to their procedure.
• Offer easy rescheduling options: provide patients with a simple way to modify their appointments if needed.
• Track and optimize performance: monitor no-show rates and adjust reminder timing or messaging based on effectiveness.

At Intiveo, we’re built for OMS

At Intiveo, we serve many dental specialties, but we were originally built with the needs of complex OMS procedures in mind! We offer a number of free resources to dental and oral surgery practices across Canada and the United States, including template packages, guides, and more. Check out our podcast, The Patient Experience Blueprint.

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