How do I view a patient's recall history?
In Dentally, go to the patient's record.
Click on the 'Recalls' tab. Here you can see the recall markers for the recalls that have been created for this patient.
A recall marker shows the date the patient is due, the recall type, the method by which they were contacted, and the status.
Any recalls generated in the 'Recalls' report when the patient meets the recall criteria will be shown here.
💡 Top tip: If you contact a recall patient, their recall marker will be stamped to say that you have contacted them, when and how many times, in the 'Contact History' column.
What is a recall marker?
📝 Please note: Recall markers are different from recall flags, which represent the stages of a recall workflow.
Recall markers are an indicator in the patient record that they are due for an appointment. A recall marker is generated in advance of their due date, based on the recall lead time you have set. Your recall lead time can be set in your recall settings:
Go to 'Settings', select 'Practice' and then click the 'Recalls' tab.
In the top right you will see the 'Run Recalls' field.
Click the dropdown to select how many weeks in advance you want a recall marker to be generated. This is known as the recall lead time.
A recall marker will be generated for any patient due for an appointment within the chosen lead time, under the 'Recalls' tab - showing that they are due for an appointment. Any patient with a recall marker will appear in the 'Recalls' report, and may then be picked up by automated recall workflows.
You can also generate a recall marker manually by clicking 'Create a recall' in the top right corner of the 'Recalls' tab. If you do this, the status will show as 'Unbooked' regardless of whether an existing appointment already satisfies the recall. The status would only change if relevant appointments are booked after the recall was manually created.
If automatic recalls are set up, a recall marker will then mean that the patient is included in recall correspondences that are sent, if the recall marker meets the criteria. Recall markers can be skipped or deleted, meaning the patient won't appear in that run of recall communications.
📝 Please note: Recalls are generated weekly. Each Monday, a recall is generated for anyone who is due to see the dentist or hygienist for an exam or scale and polish appointment, based on their next due date.
What does the status on a recall marker mean?
The recall status indicates the stage the patient is at in the booking process, based on that recall marker.
Unbooked - The patient is due but the recall appointment has not yet been booked.
Booked - The patient has booked an appointment of the correct type since a recall was generated.
Pre-booked - The patient already booked a future appointment (eg. at the end of their last appointment, while in practice).
Completed - The patient’s relevant appointment has been completed.
Skipped - A recall was generated for the patient, but this round of recall communications was skipped. The patient won't be contacted until their next due date is picked up.
Missed - This status is less common, this denotes a patient with an 'Unbooked' recall, who has been archived and then unarchived. That recall's status will change to 'Missed' in this instance. If the patient meets the criteria for a recall workflow in the future, they can still be picked up via a new recall marker.
📝 Please Note: If a patient already has an appointment (of the correct type) booked, but their due date is in the future, they will still be picked up by the 'Recalls' report and have a recall marker generated - but it will have the 'Pre-booked' status, as long as the appointment is of the correct type.
Find out more about setting up and managing recalls in our dedicated help section.