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Set up patient recalls

An overview on everything you need to know about setting up patient recalls.

Rachel Harkness avatar
Written by Rachel Harkness
Updated over a week ago

Need to follow-up with a patient after their appointment? Recalls in Cliniko will help you manage and maintain a consistent follow-up schedule.

To get started, create your own recall types, and apply them to your patients as needed. It makes recalling a breeze—just run a recalls report to spot who needs to come back, why, and when.

Overall, recalls can greatly improve patient outcomes and retention, so we’ve created a quick guide to kickstart your recalls process:


Step one: Create recall types

Before assigning recalls to your patients, you first need to create recall types.

Note: Only Administrators and Power receptionists have the necessary permissions to create recall types.

These are the broad categories that organize the purposes of the follow-up. Examples include appointment reminders, post-visit follow-ups, patient/client anniversaries, etc. Keep in mind, you can create as many recall types as you need, and you'll be able to set the duration from 1 to 100 days, weeks, or even months.

Head to Settings, and then select Recall types:

Settings page with recall types highlighted

From here, you can choose a previously created category or make a new one by selecting the button labelled + Add recall type:

Next, title your recall type with an appropriate Name (ex: 2 week follow up).

Finally, set the duration under the Recall in section to establish when the recall should be made. Once you Create recall type, you're all set.

Now that you've created your recall types, it's time to apply them to your patients.


Step two: Apply recalls to patients

Once you’ve established your recall types, you can begin assigning them to your patient files. It’s a simple process, and all users have this ability except bookkeepers.

First, head to the patient and select Recalls within their file:

From here, select the + Add recall button:

Within the drop-down menu, select the ‘Recall type’ you’d like to apply:

The date is auto-filled based on the duration settings of the recall type. But, if needed, you can manually make adjustments under Recall at.

Finally, write any necessary Notes in the space provided and once you select Create recall, you'll see it show up in the patient's list of recalls:

Tip: Some Cliniko users prefer to add these steps to their post-appointment workflow. That way, they can immediately set the recall date to inquire about the quality of the visit and give the patient a chance to ask additional questions.


Step three: Follow-up with patients

When it comes time to recall your patients, you have a few options for selecting the correct patients and documenting the recall. You can head directly to the patient’s file and make the call from there. Or, you can generate a recall report.

Recalls report

Head to Reports, and then Recalls:

Set your report criteria and select the button Create report. You can search by:

  1. Date range for scheduled recalls

  2. The assigned Recall type

  3. Which Practitioner last saw the patient

  4. The most recent Business location visited

Once your report is generated, you can begin the follow-up with your list of patients. Follow-up could include sending a letter or calling the patient (which is why the phone numbers listed are always the patient’s mobile number).

To mark a patient as recalled right from the list, tick the box next to "Recalled." This will also display on the patient's details page, so you can know who recalled the patient, and when.

If you need to alter the recall date for any reason, simply select the date in question and make the adjustments.

Patients without upcoming appointments report

When you compile a list of all patients who do not have a scheduled appointment, you can also filter out those who are already on your recall list 🎉 This allows you to quickly determine who needs to be contacted for booking their next visit.


To generate a filtered report, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Reports page and select Patients without upcoming appointments;

  2. When generating the report, tick the box to Hide patients with scheduled recalls;

  3. Select the button to Create report.


As always, if you have any questions about Recalls, our support team is here to help 🙌

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