Create Appointment Confirmation Requests in TopsDPX

Confirmation Requests are different from scheduled Appointment Reminders and are sent independently. A Confirmation Request requires an action from the patient to confirm their appointment. While patients may view this as a reminder, it is a distinct message designed specifically to request confirmation. Scheduled Appointment Reminders are sent separately from Confirmation Requests and Confirmation Request reminders.

Access your Template Schedule Settings

You can customize your TopsDPX Confirmation Settings at any time!

Go to Comm > Tops Reminders.

Go to Settings > Templates > Schedule

On the left-hand side, click within the Templates list and scroll to view the Confirmation Request and Confirmation Reminder(s) settings that are in place.

Review or Modify the Content

If you wish to change the wording of the Confirmation templates, click Text, Family Text, Email and Family Email below the confirmation request or reminder.

Update the message details for the individual and family settings, using Variables where needed. The Preview will update to reflect your edits. When you are done, click Save.

Note: Please do not remove/edit the STOPToOptOut wording at the end. This language helps prevent carriers from flagging your text as Spam.

Review or Modify the Contact Method, Recipients and Timing

Click the gear wheel ⚙️ if you wish to change the contact method, add patient group filters or adjust the timing for the Confirmation Requests/Reminders.

Contact Methods

Contact Method option include Call, Text and Email.

To remove a contact method, uncheck the contact method and click the Save button. Tops will prompt you to confirm the changes.

To add a contact method, uncheck the contact method and click the Save button. Tops will prompt you to confirm the changes.

Tops Tip: If adding a contact method, make sure to customize or review the content of the individual and family methods.

Filters for specific Patient Groups

If it's necessary to specify recipients of the confirmation request or reminder based on their appointment type, add a Filter(s) to Only Send or Don't Send to a specific Patient Group.  For more information on Patient Groups, see the articles references at the bottom of this page.

Delivery Timing

Understanding Confirmation Requests

When updating the timing for Confirmation Requests and Confirmation Reminders, it’s important to understand how the timing window works.

The settings do not represent a single send date. Instead, they define a window of time during which an appointment is eligible to receive a confirmation request.

How the Timing Window Works

The “Starting X days before appointment” setting determines the earliest day an appointment becomes eligible to receive a confirmation request.

The “For a total of X days” setting determines how long that eligibility window remains open.

Example Scenario

A patient has an appointment scheduled for October 25.

The Confirmation Request is set to:

• Start 5 days before the appointment
• Run for a total of 1 day

This creates an eligibility window from:

• 5 days before the appointment
• Through 4 days before the appointment

In this example:

• Patients who scheduled their appointment on or before October 19 will receive a confirmation request 5 days before the appointment on October 20.
• Patients who schedule exactly 5 days before the appointment (on October 20) will receive the confirmation request after the system rolls over, which results in the request being sent 4 days prior to the appointment (October 21)
• Patients who schedule only 3 days before the appointment will not receive a confirmation request because they fall outside the 5–4 day eligibility window.

Why This Matters

This timing logic ensures that patients who schedule appointments close to their appointment date still receive a confirmation request, while preventing confirmations from being sent too late.

Weekday Settings

Unless you do not want messages to send to patients on certain days, we advise to have all days enabled.

How the Schedule Updates

When a patient replies with C, Confirm, Yes or OK to either an automated Confirmation Request or Confirmation Reminder, the "C" on their appointment in the Appointment Book will turn from red to green. See related article below to find out all the responses that confirm appointments. See the article below titled What Confirms an Appointment in TopsDPX.

Additional Customization

From the Schedule Template settings, scroll down to view the last settings listed.

There is a Thank you template and a Thank You Already Confirmed Template.

When a patient replies to an automated confirmation request or reminder, they will receive one of these two responses.