FAQS | ACM Alerts
FAQS | ACM Alerts
Q: What time are the ACM Alerts notifications sent out?
A: Notifications are typically sent out at 5 PM, 7 PM and 10 AM the next business day in your time zone, unless your account has been configured differently. Contact Support to have the times updated.
Q: Can an ACM Alerts customer send appointment reminders at different intervals based on appointment type?
A: Reminders cannot be scheduled at different times based on appointment type. However, different days in advance can be configured by type, provider, location, or a combination of these factors. We have a number of configuration options available for days in advance.
Q: Can ACM Alerts customers configure priority based on appointment type?
A: Priority flow is at the customer account level. However, we can force certain providers, appointment types, locations, etc. to one specific medium, which would override the clinic default flow. For example, “Follow-Up” appointments can be set to prioritize text messages first, while “Consult” appointments can be set to prioritize email first. (Note: This is not generally recommended as it can cause confusion for the message receiver.)
Q: What constitutes a failed message in ACM Alerts, triggering a retry via another method?
A: A failed message is one that does not reach the recipient due to reasons such as an invalid or disconnected phone number. If a call fails, ACM Alerts will attempt to reach the patient through other available communication methods.
Q: Can ACM Alerts display an organization name instead of “noreply“ in email reminders?
A: Yes, customers can customize email reminders to display the organization name instead of “noreply”.
Q: Can ACM Alerts send an automated message to patients who miss their appointments?
A: Yes, if the organization updates the appointment status to “No Show,” a message can be triggered to inform patients on how to reschedule.
Q: Can ACM Alerts customers verify event bookings independently?
A: Yes, bookings can be verified in the EMR/EHR communication/document logs.
Q: Can ACM Alerts remove Resident/Patient Contacts and Staff from the Recipient Type list?
A: This is not a supported feature. However, recipient filters can be configured per facility/clinic/department upon request.
Q: Can ACM Alerts send appointment reminders based on resources rather than providers in an EMR/EHR?
A: No, ACM Alerts are configured on appointment type, provider, and location. Resource scheduling may not be visible in the EMR/EHR’s API for mapping. (Note: Exception with PointClickCare EHR, we can configure resources such as a van, a room, a piece of equipment, etc. as they are visible)
Q: When multiple appointments are combined in one reminder, which provider is charged?
A: The provider with the earliest appointment of the day will be billed for the reminder.
Q: When multiple appointments are combined in one reminder, which provider is charged?
A: The provider with the earliest appointment of the day will be billed for the reminder.
Q: Can ACM Alerts send notifications to both the resident and the facility calendar?
A: Yes, ACM Alerts can send automated messages based on both organization and resident/patient event calendars. The system will determine which contacts to notify based on event type.
Q: Can ACM Alerts prevent sending authorization request emails to all System Admins?
A: Currently, ACM Alerts does not allow authorization emails to be sent to just one person. The emails are sent at a user level, but a potential future feature may enable more control over this process.
Q: Can ACM Alerts integrate with Outlook for appointment reminders?
A: There is no direct Outlook integration. However, customers can export Outlook appointments into a CSV file in order for appointments to be sent a notification.
Q: Can ACM Alerts integrate with multiple calendar fields (e.g., Description and Notes)?
A: Yes, ACM Alerts can pull data from both the Description and Notes fields in the appointment calendar. Customers must specify which field to use for different event types.
Q: Can ACM Alerts be used for prescription renewal reminders?
A: Yes, prescription renewal reminders can be sent using placeholder appointments. Clinics/facilities/departments can schedule these reminders for a day when no actual appointments are booked.
Q: Can ACM Alerts prevent voicemails from being left for privacy-sensitive patients?
A: Yes, the system can be configured to avoid leaving voicemails and instead default to email or SMS. Some customers have used individual opt-out preferences for privacy-sensitive cases.
Q: Can ACM Alerts be used by an organization that wants stricter privacy controls?
A: You should always seek legal advice and follow the policies in place by your organization. If you wish to minimize the chance of the wrong person receiving a message not intended for them, ACM Alerts can be set to attempt calls without leaving a voicemail, and/or customers can configure their system to only send texts or emails.
Q: Are text messages sent via ACM Alerts subject to anti-spam laws like CASL?
A: Appointment reminders are generally considered transactional messages, not marketing and sales. However, you should always confirm with legal advice.
Q: Can ACM Alerts ignore reminders for last-minute appointments?
A: Yes, reminders can be excluded for same-day appointments using scheduling rules. Customers can also set reminders to ignore already confirmed appointments.
Q: Can ACM Alerts send multiple reminders—one far in advance and another close to the appointment date?
A: Yes, ACM Alerts can be configured to send a notification one month in advance and a final reminder a few days before.
Q: Can ACM Alerts be used for customers with different EMRs/EHRs?
A: Yes, ACM Alerts can work with multiple EMR/EHR systems within a single organization, but settings need to be configured per database set up.
Q: Can ACM Alerts prevent sending reminders for newly created appointments?
A: Yes, ACM Alerts can use minDaysSinceCreated to delay messages for new appointments, preventing immediate notifications for last-minute scheduling.
Q: Can ACM Alerts be set to send a phone reminder only if no email is on file?
A: Yes, this setup is possible.
Q: Can we change days in advance?
A: Yes. Contact Support to have the days in advance updated.
Q: Can we add an additional reminder for a specific event?
A: Yes. Contact Support to have the days in additional reminder updated.
Q: Can we add/remove event types from receiving notifications?
A: Yes. Contact Support to have this updated.
Q: Can we add ACM Alerts to another location?
A: Yes. Contact Support to have the additional facility configured.
Q: Can we add in ‘Notes’?
A: Yes. Contact Support to have “Notes” updated to the facility.
Q: A specific contact was not contacted, why?
A: Verify if the note field doesn’t have a PR:N (do not contact) Verify the contact type and confirm if it’s in the preferred contact list. If you are still unsure, please contact Support to verify.
Q: Why was someone contacted in a form other than expected (ex: voice rather than email)?
A: Verify the contact type and confirm if it’s in the preferred contact list. Contact Support to verify.
Q: Can we change the contact flow (voice/email/SMS)
A: Yes. Contact Support to have the modalities updated.
Q: Can we remove the provider’s name from an appointment reminder message?
A: Yes, the provider’s name can be removed, so the message would state: “You have an appointment with [the clinic]” instead of mentioning the provider’s name.
Q: Can we automate a “last resort“ reminder if the appointment is approaching but is not confirmed?
A: Yes, many clinics send two or four hours ahead same-day or day-before reminders in cases where the appointment status is not confirmed. Clinics can send to any status, confirmed, LM, NA for same day reminders.
Q: Can we see the “Reason or Notes“ field in the EMR/EHR and customize logic based on it?
A: Yes, this is possible.
Q: Can we include links to external Forms in appointment reminder messages?
A: Yes, links can be added to both email and text reminders, and attachments can be included in email reminders.
Q: Can an organization take action to resend a reminder?
A: Yes, a reminder can be re-triggered if the system is configured to do so. For example, a status called “resend” can be created to initiate another reminder.
Q: Can we change the current messaging of a specific event?
A: Yes. Contact Support to have the messaging updated.
Q: How does ACM Alerts handle HIPAA compliance regarding data storage?
A: ACM Alerts only stores obfuscated patient names and contact details for report generation. These details automatically expire after a certain time, but the exact timeframe may vary based on system caching.