FAQ 372: Using Custom Fields in Appointment Reminders (and other rules)

[Support]

Since build 1104, it’s possible to include custom fields in appointment reminders and other patient contact rules.

You’ve probably already used the standard merge codes such as <AppDate>, <AppTime> and <AppStaff> which are accessible from the INSERT… drop down menu on the screen where you enter the message text.

Here are some other advanced codes that you can manually enter on that screen by enclosing them inside <…> tags…

---

<per.xxx> where “xxx” is a field in the per (PERson) table e.g.
<per.code> or <per.patstatus_id>

<custom_patient_fields.xxx> where “xxx” is a custom field that you have created in the Patient Editor e.g.
<custom_patient_fields.my_custom_pt_field>

For appointment-related rules, you can also use:

<custom_appointment_fields.xxx> where “xxx” is a custom field that you have created in the Appointment Editor e.g.
<custom_appointment_fields.my_custom_appt_field>

Lastly, note that you can abbreviate <custom_patient_fields…> to <cpf..> and <custom_appointment_fields…> to <caf…> e.g.

<cpf.my_custom_pt_field>
<caf.my_custom_appt_field>

---

If you intend to create a Patient Contact Rule with advanced custom codes like this, please makes sure you test your rule on some sample patient/appointment records to make sure it works as expected.

Please also remember that if you rename or delete custom fields at a later date, you could invalidate Patient Contact Rules which rely on them.

Please feel free to post here with any questions/queries – many thanks!

[Author]

Posts