Let's explore how to configure and utilise the automated payment plan reminder campaigns in CareStack. These campaigns are designed to notify patients about upcoming or overdue payments for both auto-debit and non-auto-debit payment plans.
With these reminders, patients receive timely notifications about their payment plan installments, reducing missed payments and minimising the need for manual follow-ups by the practice.
CareStack has two new system campaigns:
- Auto-Debit Payment Reminders
- Non-Auto-Debit Payment Reminders
The following campaigns automate the notification process, improving payment collection and patient communication. Let's see how to configure Payment Plan Reminder Campaigns:
Navigate to the System Menu > select Patient Engagement.
- Select Campaign > Operations.
- Filter by Campaign Type and select Payment.
- Click Apply.
- Auto-Debit and Non Auto-Debit Payment Reminder campaigns come pre-configured as system campaigns. While you can not create new ones of these types, you can customise the templates and settings to fit your preferences.
- Auto-Debit Payment Reminder: Payments are automatically deducted from the patient's account on the due date.
- Non-Auto-Debit Payment Reminder: Patients are required to make payments manually.
- These System Campaigns are pre-defined by CareStack, while you can not create new ones of these types, you can customise their templates and settings.
- Select the desired campaign.
Once you have chosen your desired campaign, enter the following details on the Campaign Type & Details section:
- Campaign Name & Description: For system campaigns, this field comes pre-populated.
- Branding: Choose the appropriate branding for your communications.
- Location(s): Select the specific practice locations for which this campaign should be active.
- Click Next to proceed.
On the Template Creation section,
- Subject: Define the subject line for your email reminders.
- Schedule to Send: Choose whether to send the reminder before or after the payment due date.
- Specify the number of days (up to 30) for the reminder to be sent.
- You can add multiple templates:
- Click on +Add Email or +Add Text to add new mediums.
- You can create multiple email templates (e.g., one for 7 days before, another for 1 day before).
For each template, you can:
- Customise the message content.
- Utilise quick links to personalise the message with data like:
- Patient Name
- Amount to Pay
- Payment Due Date
- (For Non-Auto-Debit) A link for the patient to make a manual payment.
- You can also Remove the Medium chosen or even Send a Sample.
- Click Next to proceed.
- Click Previous to navigate to the earlier section.
On the Summary section,
- You can find a Preview of all your configurations on the right-hand side.
- To make changes to Campaign Type & Details or Template Creation sections, click on the pencil icon.
- Click Save & Enable to activate the campaign.
Here is the primary difference between the Auto-Debit Payment Reminders and Non-Auto-Debit Payment Reminders campaigns:
- Auto-Debit: Reminds patients about upcoming deductions (e.g., to ensure sufficient balance) or informs them if an auto-debit failed.
- Non-Auto-Debit: Reminds patients to manually make an upcoming payment or notifies them of an overdue manual payment. Non-Auto-Debit campaigns will include quick links relevant to manual payments.
By leveraging these payment plan reminder campaigns, practices can significantly reduce manual follow-ups, improve cash flow, and enhance the patient experience by proactively communicating about their financial obligations.