Patient Email & Recall Marketing

Yes, with the right foundations. Reminders about a patient’s own care are treated differently to marketing emails, which need consent and an easy way to unsubscribe under the Spam Act. We help you set up your lists and consent properly before anything is sent.

Two sets of rules usually apply. The Spam Act 2003 covers commercial emails: they need consent, must clearly identify your practice as the sender and must include a working unsubscribe option. The Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles cover how you collect, use and store patient information, including email addresses and health details.

In practice, that means being clear with patients about how you’ll use their details, keeping marketing and care reminders separate, and keeping consent records you can rely on. Your emails also count as advertising under the AHPRA guidelines. We’re not lawyers, so if your situation is complex we’d suggest checking with a health lawyer or your indemnity insurer. We’ll help with the practical setup either way.

A recall campaign reminds patients when they’re due for their next check-up, review or follow-up appointment. Done well, it’s one of the simplest ways to keep your schedule full, because these patients already know and trust your practice.

Recalls are usually based on information already in your system, such as a patient’s last visit or a review date set by their practitioner. When that date approaches, the patient receives a reminder with a simple way to book. Many practices run recalls manually or not at all, so patients who intended to come back simply forget.

Because recalls relate to a patient’s own care, they’re treated differently to promotional emails, but they still need careful handling. We keep health details out of the message, write in a clear and friendly tone and make booking easy. We’ll look at what your practice management system can do, agree the recall types and timing with you, and set them up so they run reliably in the background.

We work with the practice management and booking systems clinics commonly use, and with email platforms like Mailchimp and Klaviyo. In your audit we’ll check how your current systems connect and recommend the simplest setup that works.

Some practice management systems have recall and reminder features built in, which may be all you need for care reminders. Others work best alongside a separate email platform for newsletters and practice news. The right setup depends on what your system can do, how your patient data is structured and how much your team wants to manage day to day.

We look at how patient details and consent move between systems, because that affects both how well emails work and how well your data is protected under the Privacy Act. Where possible, we avoid copying more patient information than necessary into marketing tools. If your current tools can’t do what you need, we’ll explain the options and trade-offs before suggesting any change, so you can decide with the full picture.

Every marketing email includes a clear unsubscribe link, and opt-outs are processed automatically. Patients who unsubscribe from marketing can still receive the reminders they need about their care.

The Spam Act 2003 requires a working unsubscribe option in every commercial email, and opt-outs must be honoured promptly. We make the link easy to find, usually in the footer, and test it before campaigns go live. Once someone unsubscribes, they’re removed from marketing lists without anyone at your practice needing to do anything.

Keeping marketing and care communications separate is what allows patients to opt out of one without losing the other. A patient may not want your newsletter but still needs a reminder that their review is due, so we set your lists up so those two streams don’t get mixed. If a patient contacts your practice directly to opt out, your team can update their preferences too, and we’ll agree a simple process with you so requests are handled consistently.

There is no minimum. Even a few hundred patients can generate steady recall bookings, because the value comes from relevance and timing, not volume.

A recall reminder works because it reaches the right patient at the right moment, when they’re due for a check-up or review and already know your practice. That holds for a small list as much as a large one. What matters more is the quality of your data: accurate email addresses, clear consent for marketing emails and reliable recall dates.

Smaller lists also have advantages. They’re easier to keep clean, simpler to segment and less likely to include old or unengaged contacts that can affect whether emails reach the inbox. As your list grows through new registrations and bookings, the same setup continues to work. In your audit, we’ll look at the size and condition of your current patient list and tell you honestly what’s realistic. If your data needs cleaning up first, we’ll start there.

Not for promotional emails. Consent is the starting point, and we help you collect it properly at booking and sign-up. Existing records are reviewed before anything is sent.

Under the Spam Act 2003, commercial emails such as newsletters, practice news or promotions need the recipient’s consent. That consent can be express, where a patient actively opts in, or in limited circumstances inferred from an existing relationship, but inferred consent has narrow boundaries and is easy to get wrong. We generally recommend relying on clear, recorded opt-ins.

Reminders about a patient’s own care, such as a recall or appointment reminder, are treated differently, though they still need to be handled in line with the Privacy Act. When we review your existing records, we look at how and when email addresses were collected and what patients were told at the time. Some contacts may be fine to include, while others may need to be asked first. We’re not lawyers, so for borderline cases we’d suggest a health lawyer or your indemnity insurer.

Good practice keeps the risk low: a clean list, properly authenticated sending, relevant content and easy unsubscribes. We set up the technical side so your emails are verified as coming from you.

Authentication means configuring records on your domain, known as SPF, DKIM and DMARC, that tell email providers your messages genuinely come from your practice. Without them, emails are more likely to be filtered or flagged, and someone could more easily impersonate your practice. We set these up with whoever manages your domain.

The rest comes down to how the list is managed and what you send. Old or invalid addresses, sudden large sends and emails people didn’t expect can all hurt delivery, while clear subject lines, useful content and a visible unsubscribe link help. No one can promise every email reaches every inbox, because each email provider applies its own filters, but we keep an eye on delivery and bounce rates and adjust if problems appear.

General health information can be included if it is accurate, balanced and not promoting a specific treatment or making outcome claims. We write it with the advertising rules in mind.

Seasonal reminders, practical advice and answers to common patient questions can make your emails genuinely useful, which helps people keep opening them. Examples might include tips for staying active over winter, looking after your back at work or what to bring to a first appointment.

Because your emails count as advertising under the AHPRA guidelines, the same standards apply as on your website: no testimonials, no misleading claims and nothing that creates unreasonable expectations of benefit. Prescription medicines can’t be promoted to the public, so we keep content general rather than tied to particular products. Where clinical detail is involved, we’ll ask a practitioner at your practice to review it for accuracy before it goes out. Tips are general information, not individual advice, and we make that clear where it matters.

Ask at booking or registration with a clear opt-in, and record when and how consent was given. Australian spam law requires consent and a working unsubscribe link in every email.

• Use a separate, unticked opt-in for marketing emails, not one bundled with care reminders.
• Explain in plain words what patients will receive and how often.
• Record the date, method and wording each patient agreed to.
• Link to your privacy policy wherever details are collected.

The same approach works on new patient forms, online booking, your website and at reception. Under the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles, patients should know why you’re collecting their details and how they’ll be used, so your privacy policy and collection notice should match what you actually do. We help you set up the forms and wording, and we review how consent has been collected in the past before anything is sent. We’re not lawyers, so complex questions are best taken to a health lawyer.

Recall reminders, appointment follow-ups, practice news and general educational content. We avoid promoting regulated treatments by email.

Recall reminders tend to be the most valuable because they reach patients who already know you, at the moment they’re due to return. Appointment follow-ups can check that a patient has what they need after a visit, such as aftercare information or how to book a review. Practice news covers things patients find useful: new practitioners, changed opening hours, holiday closures or a new location.

General educational content, such as practical advice or answers to common questions, gives patients a reason to keep reading. It has to be accurate and balanced, and it can’t make outcome claims or promote specific treatments. That’s why we steer clear of promotional emails about regulated treatments, where the AHPRA guidelines and TGA rules make the risks high. We’ll recommend a mix based on your services and patients, and agree the approach with you up front.

Where your system holds the data and the patient has consented, yes. We keep health details out of subject lines and email bodies.

Personalisation can be as simple as using a patient’s first name, their usual practitioner or their preferred location. It can also mean timing reminders around their last visit, so recalls arrive when they’re actually due. Done carefully, this makes emails more relevant without revealing anything sensitive.

Health information is sensitive information under the Privacy Act, and emails can be seen by others, forwarded or read on a shared device. That’s why we avoid naming conditions, treatments or test results in subject lines or message text. A recall might say a patient is due for their next appointment with their practitioner, rather than what the appointment is for. Any data used for personalisation should stay within what patients agreed to when they gave you their details. We’ll check what your system can do and agree the approach with you first.

Usually one newsletter a month plus automated recall reminders as they fall due. A few useful emails beat frequent ones that get ignored.

A monthly newsletter is usually enough to keep your practice front of mind without overwhelming patients. It gives you room to share practice news, seasonal reminders and general health information without stretching for content. Recall reminders run separately, so each patient only receives them when they’re due for a check-up or review.

Sending too often tends to increase unsubscribes and spam complaints, which can affect whether future emails reach the inbox. Sending too rarely can mean patients forget they signed up. We keep an eye on open rates, unsubscribes and bookings, and adjust the rhythm if the numbers suggest your patients want more or less from you. Every practice is different, so we’ll agree a schedule with you at the start, based on your services, your patients and how much news your practice has to share.