No-shows are one of the biggest challenges for clinics using Athenahealth. Every missed appointment represents lost revenue and wasted provider time. For a practice averaging $150 per visit, even a 20% no-show rate can quickly add up to over $150,000 in annual losses. Staff are forced to scramble as schedules go underutilized. Patients who miss their visits often fall behind in their care plans.
One of the best tools for solving this problem is automated appointment reminders. Unlike generic notifications, automated reminders are timely, accurate, and personalized. They reduce patient forgetfulness and ensure clear communication of pre-visit instructions. They also allow for simple confirmation or rescheduling with just a tap.
This article explains how using appointment reminder system improves efficiency and reduces no-shows. We’ll explore in detail the following:
You’ll also see real-world examples of clinics that are succeeding using automated reminders. Finally, we’ll walk through how Curogram integrates directly with Athenahealth. Doing so lets you deliver customizable reminders that fit into your existing system.
Is your clinic struggling with high no-show rates, inconsistent attendance, or overwhelmed staff? Automated reminders may be the solution you’ve been looking for. Read on to know exactly how to reduce no-shows with Athenahealth using the right platform.
Every no-show directly impacts a clinic’s financial performance. For many Athenahealth users, missed appointments represent thousands in lost revenue each month. On average, U.S. healthcare providers lose between $150–$300 per missed visit. If a mid-sized practice sees 100 patients per week with a 20% no-show rate, that’s roughly $3,000 in weekly losses—or more than $150,000 annually. These financial leaks limit growth opportunities, reduce profitability, and put additional strain on providers and staff.
No-shows don’t just affect revenue—they also waste valuable staff and provider time. When a patient fails to show up, the scheduled provider’s time slot goes unused, even though overhead costs like staff wages, rent, and utilities continue to accrue. Staff members spend additional time chasing patients with phone calls or rescheduling missed visits, adding administrative burden without producing billable results. This wasted effort contributes to administrative burnout and lowers overall clinic efficiency.
Patient no-shows create gaps in care, delay diagnoses, and undermine treatment plans. Missed follow-up visits are especially harmful for patients managing chronic conditions, recovering from procedures, or requiring preventive screenings. Over time, these gaps can lead to worsening health outcomes and higher long-term costs. From the patient’s perspective, missing appointments can also erode engagement. Once a patient falls behind, they may become less likely to reschedule, attend future visits, or adhere to care plans. For clinics, this can lead to lower patient retention, more frequent turnover, and weaker satisfaction scores.
In short, no-shows create a ripple effect across the clinic: revenue is lost, staff are overburdened, providers are underutilized, and patients miss opportunities for timely care. This makes reducing no-shows with Athenahealth a top priority for administrators and providers alike. The next step is understanding how automated appointment reminders can address these challenges.
Automated appointment reminders in Athenahealth come in several formats: SMS, email, and voice calls. SMS reminders are often the most effective, with 90% of text messages read within three minutes of delivery. They provide patients with quick, convenient updates directly on their phones. Email reminders can be useful for patients who prefer digital documentation or need detailed instructions, while automated voice calls are valuable for patients who are less comfortable with texting or email. Offering multiple reminder channels ensures that patients receive updates in their preferred method, increasing the likelihood of attendance.
Many clinics still rely on staff to manually call patients before appointments. While this approach can be effective, it is also inefficient and error-prone. Manual calls consume hours of staff time, often go unanswered, and may not be consistently documented. Automated reminders, on the other hand, are sent at the right time, every time, with accurate information pulled directly from Athenahealth scheduling. Patients can confirm, cancel, or reschedule with minimal effort, reducing administrative workload and ensuring more predictable attendance rates.
In healthcare, compliance is critical. Automated reminders for Athenahealth users are designed to be HIPAA-compliant, ensuring that protected health information (PHI) is secure and properly documented. Every reminder—whether SMS, email, or voice—is encrypted, logged, and stored for audit purposes. This protects clinics from compliance risks while giving patients confidence that their information is secure. When combined with SOC 2 certification, automated reminders also meet broader data security and privacy standards. The result is a reminder system that not only improves efficiency but also safeguards compliance and patient trust.
Automated appointment reminders in Athenahealth are more than just convenience tools—they’re essential components of modern healthcare workflows. They help reduce no-shows, improve scheduling accuracy, and ensure compliance, all while reducing the burden on staff. In the next section, we’ll look at the benefits Athenahealth users can expect to see when reminders are integrated into their daily workflows.
Automated appointment reminders in Athenahealth cut no-shows significantly. By sending reminders 72 hours, 24 hours, and the morning of the visit, patients have multiple chances to confirm or reschedule. This improves attendance rates by 20–30%, saving clinics thousands each month.
When no-shows drop, providers see fuller schedules and fewer gaps. This improves resource utilization and stabilizes revenue. For multi-location groups, the Athenahealth appointment reminder system ensures that every location stays optimized.
Reminders aren’t just about attendance—they also ensure patients show up prepared. Whether it’s fasting before labs, bringing insurance cards, or joining a telehealth link, patients arrive informed and ready. This improves satisfaction and reduces delays in care.
Patients appreciate clear, timely updates. SMS reminders for Athenahealth users give patients confidence in their clinic and reduce confusion. Over time, this builds stronger relationships and loyalty.
Appointment reminder workflows in clinics cut repetitive phone calls and manual logging. Staff manage confirmations from a shared inbox, reducing stress and boosting productivity. Automated reminders for healthcare practices replace hours of phone work each week.
Automated reminders with telehealth links ensure patients join virtual visits on time. Specialty reminders include prep instructions for imaging or procedures, reducing same-day cancellations.
Every reminder is encrypted, logged, and attached to the patient record, ensuring HIPAA compliance. Clinics gain audit-ready documentation without additional work.
By integrating recalls into the reminder workflow, Athenahealth users can nudge patients to schedule annual wellness visits or screenings. This closes care gaps and improves payer performance metrics.
Consistent attendance, preparedness, and follow-through all improve patient satisfaction scores. Satisfied patients are more likely to leave positive reviews, strengthening the clinic’s reputation and attracting new patients.
The most common cadence for appointment reminders is sending them 24–48 hours before a scheduled visit. This timeframe gives patients adequate notice while still being close enough to the appointment to jog their memory. Athenahealth scheduling reminders allow staff to automate this step, ensuring consistency without relying on manual calls. These reminders are especially effective for routine checkups and follow-up visits.
Some patients need an additional nudge on the day of the appointment. Same-day or morning-of reminders address this need, particularly for high no-show specialties like imaging or therapy. These reminders catch last-minute conflicts and give patients a chance to confirm or reschedule without leaving providers with empty slots. By layering these reminders with earlier ones, clinics create a safety net that minimizes missed appointments.
Not all appointments are the same, and some require specific preparation. Automated reminders for healthcare practices can include links to digital intake forms, fasting instructions, or directions for procedures. For example, an imaging center may include hydration guidance, while a primary care office may attach pre-visit questionnaires. By embedding these instructions in Athenahealth appointment reminder system workflows, patients show up better prepared and check-in processes move faster.
With telehealth now a standard offering, reminders often include secure links to virtual visits. These reminders also confirm that patients have tested their devices, reducing technical difficulties during the appointment. Specialty-specific reminders—like holding medications before lab work or bringing a driver after sedation—are also critical. Automated appointment reminders in Athenahealth make it easy to include these tailored instructions for each type of visit, improving outcomes and patient satisfaction.
An imaging center noticed high same-day cancellation rates due to patients not following prep instructions. By sending automated reminders that included hydration and fasting guidelines, cancellations dropped significantly. Patients arrived better prepared, resulting in higher throughput and less wasted time for providers and staff.
A primary care practice implemented SMS reminders for Athenahealth users with a three-message cadence—72 hours, 24 hours, and 2 hours before appointments. Within three months, the clinic reduced no-shows by 25%, stabilized provider schedules, and recovered thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Patients also reported appreciating the convenience of text confirmations.
A multi-location group struggled with inconsistent attendance across sites. By customizing reminder workflows by location and provider, they reduced variability and improved scheduling consistency. The result was higher provider utilization, smoother operations across locations, and a measurable increase in monthly revenue.
Curogram pulls appointment details directly from Athenahealth, ensuring reminders are always accurate and up to date. If a patient cancels or reschedules, the reminders automatically update to reflect the change. This eliminates errors and saves staff from manually tracking updates. For clinics asking how to reduce no-shows in Athenahealth, syncing directly with scheduling data is the foundation for consistent results.
Not all patients—or clinics—are the same. With Curogram, Athenahealth appointment reminder system workflows can be customized by location, provider, and patient language. A multi-location group can send location-specific directions, while a pediatric office can craft child-friendly reminders. Multilingual reminders ensure patients receive instructions in their preferred language, reducing confusion and improving compliance.
Every reminder sent through Curogram is encrypted, logged, and stored securely to maintain HIPAA compliance. This protects clinics from regulatory risks while creating a permanent audit trail. SOC 2 certification adds another layer of assurance for data security. By fully automating the process, staff no longer spend hours making calls or manually logging reminders. Instead, they focus on delivering care while the system manages communication reliably in the background.
These integrations transform automated appointment reminders in Athenahealth from a convenience into a strategic advantage. Clinics reduce no-shows, improve scheduling, and enhance patient trust—all without adding workload to already busy staff.
Automated appointment reminders in Athenahealth are a proven strategy for any clinic. They reduce no-shows, improve patient preparedness, and streamline workflows. Real-world clinics—from imaging centers to multi-location groups—are already seeing measurable benefits. They're enjoying 25% fewer no-shows to fuller provider schedules and higher patient satisfaction.
Automated reminders are scalable, customizable, and secure. This makes them a must-have for any clinic serious about improving care quality.
Want to reduce no-shows with Athenahealth? See how Curogram integrates automated reminders to boost attendance and satisfaction. Schedule a demo today.