Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[Brandon Coale]

Thanks very much to everyone for their ideas for my original posting.  
You've all given me much to consider and think about.


Thanks again,
Brandon

On 5/2/2013 8:54 AM, Lenz Emilitri wrote:
We did something like that - see 
http://blog.wombatdialer.com/post/24187267017/drstrangelove
You can use the free version of the dialer if you have low traffic or 
just want to run a test.

l.


2013/4/26 Ron Wheeler >


Good comment.
Another feature suggestion
You might to ask the person to press 1 to confirm or 2 to leave a
message if the appointment is not going to be kept or 0 to reach
the receptionist to reschedule the appointment.

Ron


On 26/04/2013 7:06 AM, Chris Bagnall wrote:

On 26/4/13 10:38 am, jg wrote:

they are currently calling patients. I think these calls
apply only to a
certain fraction of the patients, who are difficult to
contact by other
methods.


I suspect there will be different requirements depending on
how 'helpful' to patients you wish to be. At the very simplest
end of the scale, you could simply call the patient's number
and remind them of their appointment on , then
disconnect.

However, the OP probably wants something a little more
sophisticated than that. At the very least, you would want
some method of handling shared numbers (e.g. a shared dwelling
with a single phone), so you didn't inadvertently advertise a
patient's appointment to someone else who answered the phone.
So you would at the very minimum want a simple IVR that says
"We are trying to reach Mr. Joe Bloggs. If this is he, press 1
now, otherwise please hang up."

Going beyond that, you might want your reception staff, when
booking appointments, to ask the patient when they would like
their reminder call - the day before, an hour before, etc.
etc. (and if the day before, would they prefer it in the
morning, afternoon, or evening).

As others have said, the OP might be best advised to request
(paid) assistance with the project on the [asterisk-biz] list.

Kind regards,

Chris



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President
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email: rwhee...@artifact-software.com

skype: ronaldmwheeler
phone: 866-970-2435, ext 102 



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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[Lenz Emilitri]

We did something like that - see
http://blog.wombatdialer.com/post/24187267017/drstrangelove
You can use the free version of the dialer if you have low traffic or just
want to run a test.
l.


2013/4/26 Ron Wheeler 

> Good comment.
> Another feature suggestion
> You might to ask the person to press 1 to confirm or 2 to leave a message
> if the appointment is not going to be kept or 0 to reach the receptionist
> to reschedule the appointment.
>
> Ron
>
>
> On 26/04/2013 7:06 AM, Chris Bagnall wrote:
>
>> On 26/4/13 10:38 am, jg wrote:
>>
>>> they are currently calling patients. I think these calls apply only to a
>>> certain fraction of the patients, who are difficult to contact by other
>>> methods.
>>>
>>
>> I suspect there will be different requirements depending on how 'helpful'
>> to patients you wish to be. At the very simplest end of the scale, you
>> could simply call the patient's number and remind them of their appointment
>> on , then disconnect.
>>
>> However, the OP probably wants something a little more sophisticated than
>> that. At the very least, you would want some method of handling shared
>> numbers (e.g. a shared dwelling with a single phone), so you didn't
>> inadvertently advertise a patient's appointment to someone else who
>> answered the phone. So you would at the very minimum want a simple IVR that
>> says "We are trying to reach Mr. Joe Bloggs. If this is he, press 1 now,
>> otherwise please hang up."
>>
>> Going beyond that, you might want your reception staff, when booking
>> appointments, to ask the patient when they would like their reminder call -
>> the day before, an hour before, etc. etc. (and if the day before, would
>> they prefer it in the morning, afternoon, or evening).
>>
>> As others have said, the OP might be best advised to request (paid)
>> assistance with the project on the [asterisk-biz] list.
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> Chris
>>
>
>
> --
> Ron Wheeler
> President
> Artifact Software Inc
> email: rwhee...@artifact-software.com
> skype: ronaldmwheeler
> phone: 866-970-2435, ext 102
>
>
>
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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[David stahl]

Would love too hear more about this, as we are looking for a solution too. 

> Good comment.
> Another feature suggestion
> You might to ask the person to press 1 to confirm or 2 to leave a message if 
> the appointment is not going to be kept or 0 to reach the receptionist to 
> reschedule the appointment.
> 
> Ron
> 
> On 26/04/2013 7:06 AM, Chris Bagnall wrote:
>> On 26/4/13 10:38 am, jg wrote:
>>> they are currently calling patients. I think these calls apply only to a
>>> certain fraction of the patients, who are difficult to contact by other
>>> methods.
>> 
>> I suspect there will be different requirements depending on how 'helpful' to 
>> patients you wish to be. At the very simplest end of the scale, you could 
>> simply call the patient's number and remind them of their appointment on > hhmm>, then disconnect.
>> 
>> However, the OP probably wants something a little more sophisticated than 
>> that. At the very least, you would want some method of handling shared 
>> numbers (e.g. a shared dwelling with a single phone), so you didn't 
>> inadvertently advertise a patient's appointment to someone else who answered 
>> the phone. So you would at the very minimum want a simple IVR that says "We 
>> are trying to reach Mr. Joe Bloggs. If this is he, press 1 now, otherwise 
>> please hang up."
>> 
>> Going beyond that, you might want your reception staff, when booking 
>> appointments, to ask the patient when they would like their reminder call - 
>> the day before, an hour before, etc. etc. (and if the day before, would they 
>> prefer it in the morning, afternoon, or evening).
>> 
>> As others have said, the OP might be best advised to request (paid) 
>> assistance with the project on the [asterisk-biz] list.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> Chris
> 
> 
> -- 
> Ron Wheeler
> President
> Artifact Software Inc
> email: rwhee...@artifact-software.com
> skype: ronaldmwheeler
> phone: 866-970-2435, ext 102
> 
> 
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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[Ron Wheeler]

Good comment.
Another feature suggestion
You might to ask the person to press 1 to confirm or 2 to leave a 
message if the appointment is not going to be kept or 0 to reach the 
receptionist to reschedule the appointment.


Ron

On 26/04/2013 7:06 AM, Chris Bagnall wrote:

On 26/4/13 10:38 am, jg wrote:

they are currently calling patients. I think these calls apply only to a
certain fraction of the patients, who are difficult to contact by other
methods.


I suspect there will be different requirements depending on how 
'helpful' to patients you wish to be. At the very simplest end of the 
scale, you could simply call the patient's number and remind them of 
their appointment on , then disconnect.


However, the OP probably wants something a little more sophisticated 
than that. At the very least, you would want some method of handling 
shared numbers (e.g. a shared dwelling with a single phone), so you 
didn't inadvertently advertise a patient's appointment to someone else 
who answered the phone. So you would at the very minimum want a simple 
IVR that says "We are trying to reach Mr. Joe Bloggs. If this is he, 
press 1 now, otherwise please hang up."


Going beyond that, you might want your reception staff, when booking 
appointments, to ask the patient when they would like their reminder 
call - the day before, an hour before, etc. etc. (and if the day 
before, would they prefer it in the morning, afternoon, or evening).


As others have said, the OP might be best advised to request (paid) 
assistance with the project on the [asterisk-biz] list.


Kind regards,

Chris



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President
Artifact Software Inc
email: rwhee...@artifact-software.com
skype: ronaldmwheeler
phone: 866-970-2435, ext 102


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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[jg]

... Essentially, I suggested a predictive dialer 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictive_dialer). In this case this 
could be a reasonable thing to do.


jg

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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[Chris Bagnall]

On 26/4/13 12:24 pm, jg wrote:

This way the callees would always talk to a human being


If possible, this would definitely be a Good Thing. Many people (myself 
included) will disconnect a call as soon as they realise it's a recorded 
message. It also means the human caller can confirm they really are 
talking to the patient (perhaps by asking their DOB or similar).


It may be possible to outsource something like this to a Virtual PA 
service or similar.


Kind regards,

Chris
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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[jg]

Chris!

Brandon should probably be more specific about what he wants to achieve. 
It might even be preferable to have a semi-automated system that 
originates the calls based on a list of callees, available callers, and 
some timing heuristics. This way the callees would always talk to a 
human being, but the impact for the health center could be a lot less, 
because they don't have to dial anything or wait for a call to get answered.


jg

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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[Chris Bagnall]

On 26/4/13 10:14 am, Hans Witvliet wrote:

Only reasonable option is to send them an SMS.


Given the likelihood that a sizeable percentage of people attending a 
medical establishment are going to be at the upper end of the age scale, 
it's possible they may not have mobile phones, and even if they do, 
might not understand how to read SMS messages on their phone.


Probably would work okay for certain establishments, but I'd be wary of 
exclusively using SMS in a medical context, given the likely patient 
demographic.


Kind regards,

Chris
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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[Chris Bagnall]

On 26/4/13 10:38 am, jg wrote:

they are currently calling patients. I think these calls apply only to a
certain fraction of the patients, who are difficult to contact by other
methods.


I suspect there will be different requirements depending on how 
'helpful' to patients you wish to be. At the very simplest end of the 
scale, you could simply call the patient's number and remind them of 
their appointment on , then disconnect.


However, the OP probably wants something a little more sophisticated 
than that. At the very least, you would want some method of handling 
shared numbers (e.g. a shared dwelling with a single phone), so you 
didn't inadvertently advertise a patient's appointment to someone else 
who answered the phone. So you would at the very minimum want a simple 
IVR that says "We are trying to reach Mr. Joe Bloggs. If this is he, 
press 1 now, otherwise please hang up."


Going beyond that, you might want your reception staff, when booking 
appointments, to ask the patient when they would like their reminder 
call - the day before, an hour before, etc. etc. (and if the day before, 
would they prefer it in the morning, afternoon, or evening).


As others have said, the OP might be best advised to request (paid) 
assistance with the project on the [asterisk-biz] list.


Kind regards,

Chris
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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[jg]

Hans,

they are currently calling patients. I think these calls apply only to a 
certain fraction of the patients, who are difficult to contact by other 
methods.


jg

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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[Hans Witvliet]

-Original Message-
From: jg 
Reply-to: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion

To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion

Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment
reminders
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:33:42 +0200

Hi Brandon!

I have a "wakeup call" system based on "call files" that are generated 
by an external C program. The call files can be triggered by dialing a 
phone number (e.g. for waking up the hotel guest in room 333 at 6:15 am: 
*77*3330615) or from outside via a web interface, or whatever.

It looks like your task has the same basic requirements. Setting up a 
call file based system is not very difficult, but details like 
pronunciation of the guest's or patient's name may involve some 
additional work.

-Original Message-
I dare to disagree.

Phone call as a reminder won't work.
When would you call them? An hour in advance?
They will probably never make it in time, or you disturb them at an
inconveniant moment.

Only reasonable option is to send them an SMS.

hw


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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[jg]

Hi Brandon!

I have a "wakeup call" system based on "call files" that are generated 
by an external C program. The call files can be triggered by dialing a 
phone number (e.g. for waking up the hotel guest in room 333 at 6:15 am: 
*77*3330615) or from outside via a web interface, or whatever.


It looks like your task has the same basic requirements. Setting up a 
call file based system is not very difficult, but details like 
pronunciation of the guest's or patient's name may involve some 
additional work.


jg

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Re: [asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[Yves A.]

Hi Brandon,

as you are asking for professional help for a commercial project, I 
would recommend you to place a bounty.
You can contact me directly if you want my professional help... I have 
developed exactly what you´re looking
for and this solution is running in a high-call-volume installation 
without any issues.

regards,
yves

Am 26.04.2013 03:55, schrieb Brandon Coale:

Hello,

My health care organization is looking for a way to do appointment 
reminders.  We currently have staff members who spend part of each day 
manually calling patients to remind them of their upcoming 
appointments, and we would like to automate this process.


Our electronic health record software would provide such information 
as the patient's name, phone number, and day and time of the 
appointment, and Asterisk could take this information and place an 
automated call to the patient.  We would like the reminder call to use 
text-to-speech to personalize the call, such as "We have an 
appointment reminder for [first name].  The appointment is on [date] 
at [time].


I am wondering if anyone has experience with using Asterisk for this 
type of application, and would be willing to share any details of how 
you implemented it?  I am interested in any ideas, from very simple to 
feature-rich.  We would be doing a new installation of Asterisk for 
this purpose, so we could use any version of Asterisk you would 
recommend.


Thank you!
Brandon


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[asterisk-users] looking for a way to do appointment reminders

[Brandon Coale]

Hello,

My health care organization is looking for a way to do appointment 
reminders.  We currently have staff members who spend part of each day 
manually calling patients to remind them of their upcoming appointments, 
and we would like to automate this process.


Our electronic health record software would provide such information as 
the patient's name, phone number, and day and time of the appointment, 
and Asterisk could take this information and place an automated call to 
the patient.  We would like the reminder call to use text-to-speech to 
personalize the call, such as "We have an appointment reminder for 
[first name].  The appointment is on [date] at [time].


I am wondering if anyone has experience with using Asterisk for this 
type of application, and would be willing to share any details of how 
you implemented it?  I am interested in any ideas, from very simple to 
feature-rich.  We would be doing a new installation of Asterisk for this 
purpose, so we could use any version of Asterisk you would recommend.


Thank you!
Brandon


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