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 direct debit and non-direct 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:
- Direct Debit Payment Reminders
- Non-Direct 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.
- Under Campaign > select Operations.
- Filter by Campaign Type and select Payment.
- Click Apply.
- Direct Debit and Non Direct 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.
- Direct Debit Payment Reminder: Payments are automatically deducted from the patient's account on the due date.
- Non-Direct Debit Payment Reminder: Patients are required to make payments manually.
- These System Campaigns are pre-defined by CareStack, while you cannot create new ones of these types, you can customise their templates and settings.
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 medium.
- 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 Due
- Payment Due Date
- (For Non-Direct 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,
- You will 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 and Enable to activate the campaign.
Here is the primary difference between the Direct Debit Payment Reminders and Non-Direct Debit Payment Reminders campaigns:
- Direct Debit: Reminds patients about upcoming deductions (e.g., to ensure sufficient balance) or informs them if an direct debit failed.
- Non-Direct Debit: Reminds patients to manually make an upcoming payment or notifies them of an overdue manual payment. Non-Direct 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.