Whether you need to turn off birthday texts or fix a reminder that isn't sending, this guide shows you how to manage patient alerts and reminders in ALOHA.
✨ When You Need This Guide
A patient wants to stop getting specific messages (like Birthdays or Feedback).
A patient isn't receiving their appointment reminders.
You see red phone numbers in your system.
You need to see a full list of everyone who has opted out of communications.
You need to opt-in or opt-out a large list of patients at once using a CSV file.
What This Covers (And What It Doesn't)
✅ Adjusting individual toggles, viewing opt-out lists, and bulk-updating preferences via CSV.
❌ Modifying the actual content or templates of the messages themselves.
Prerequisites/You'll Need:
Access to the Contacts tab in ALOHA.
Patient contact details or a prepared CSV file for bulk changes.
✅ How to Adjust Individual Patient Preferences
If a patient asks to change how they hear from you, follow these steps:
Go to Contacts: Click the CONTACTS tab and select Show Contacts.
Find the Patient: Use the search bar to find and click on the patient's name.
Open Settings: This opens their Contact Settings page.
Toggle Preferences: You will see a list of toggles for different types of communication (such as SMS, Email, Appointment Reminders, and Feedback Requests).
Save Your Changes: Turn a switch ON (checkmark) to send that message type, or OFF to stop it.
⚠️ Important: If the patient is not receiving messages they have enabled, call the patient and ask them to text your office the word START. You should also ask them to confirm they haven't accidentally blocked your office number on their personal device.
✅ View the Full Opt-Out List
To see everyone who has opted out so you can review your records:
Navigate to Contacts: Go to Contacts > Show Contacts.
Open Filters: Click the Filter icon on the top right of the screen.
Filter by Opt-Outs: Use the Opt-outs drop-down menu.
Select Your View: Choose Email Opted-out, Phone Opted-out, or both to see your filtered list.
✅ Manage Opt-Ins or Opt-Outs in Bulk (CSV Upload)
If you have a list from another system, you can update many patients at once. Just be sure the data matches your EHR exactly!
Prepare Your File: Create a spreadsheet with First Name, Last Name, Phone, and Email. Save it as a CSV (Comma Delimited) file.
Go to Import: Navigate to the CONTACTS tab and click on Import CSV.
Choose Data Type: Select Contact Data Only.
Apply Action: From the dropdown, select Opt-in Email/Phone or Opt-out Email/Phone.
Upload and Map: Click Pick CSV File to upload your document. Match your spreadsheet columns to the ALOHA fields.
Start Import: Click Import CSV to process the changes.
Check out this article for more details on CSV uploads.
💡 Common Questions
What You Might Notice | Why It's Happening | What to Do |
Manual texts work, but reminders don't. | The patient may opt out of "Auto" messages, but can still receive "Manual" ones. | Follow the "Re-Enable" steps above to turn auto-reminders back on. |
Contact info is highlighted in red. | The system has flagged the email or phone number as opted-out or invalid. | Check the patient's settings or verify the contact info is correct. |
A Patient is opted in to texting, but messages are still not arriving. | The patient may have blocked the number on their device or via their carrier. | Ask the patient to text START to your number and check their "Blocked" list. |
🎉 You'll Know It's Working When:
The toggles stay in the correct position after you refresh the page.
Patients confirm they are only receiving the messages they asked for.
Your filtered Opt-out list gets shorter as you re-enable patients.
💬 Need Help? We're Here!
Still having trouble with patient reminders or need additional help?
Call us at (800) 563-0469 or email us at support@getaloha.com.