How to Run a Patient Outreach Campaign, Step by Step
How to run a patient outreach campaign: set one goal, build and clean the list, check consent and calling hours, script the calls, and track every outcome.
The short answer
- 01A campaign reaches one defined group of patients for one purpose
- 02Clean the list and check consent and calling hours before anyone dials
- 03Every attempt should end with a recorded outcome you can learn from
A patient outreach campaign is a planned effort to reach a defined group of patients for one purpose, such as bringing in patients due for a wellness visit or following up on devices that have not been activated. It works when the goal is narrow, the list is clean, consent and calling hours are checked before anyone dials, and every attempt ends with a recorded outcome. The ten steps below take you from an idea to a finished campaign you can learn from.
Plan the campaign
Step 1: Write one goal, and one number to measure it
A campaign has one purpose. "Reach patients due for their Annual Wellness Visit and get them to call back" is a campaign. "Call everyone about everything" is not.
Write the goal in one sentence, then pick the one number that tells you it worked: patients reached, patients who completed the next step, or patients who said no. Decide now what counts as done for a single patient, so your team knows when to stop calling them.
If the campaign is about wellness visits, our annual wellness visit checklist covers which patients are eligible before you put them on the list.
Step 2: Build the audience
Define who is on the list by rules you can repeat, not by hand-picking.
- By record criteria. Patients or cases in a status, with a date in a range, or with a tag.
- From a file. A list exported from another system, matched to patients by an identifier.
- A list that grows. For criteria that change over time, such as "cases that reached this status", decide whether patients who start matching after launch join the campaign.
Write the rule down with the campaign. When someone asks in three months why a patient was called, the rule is the answer.
Prepare the list and the rules
Step 3: Clean the list before anyone dials
A list straight from a report needs cleaning before anyone calls. Remove or flag:
- Duplicates, so a patient listed twice is contacted once
- Patients on your Do Not Call list, or who asked not to be contacted
- Patients without the consent the campaign needs
- Patients contacted recently for the same reason
- Numbers that are missing, invalid or shared by more than one patient
- Patients who have died, or who have left the practice
Look at the exclusions, not only the total. A large number of exclusions for one reason, such as missing mobile numbers, is a data problem to fix at the source.
Step 4: Check consent, calling hours and contact limits
Rules for calls and texts depend on how they are placed and what they say. In general, under the TCPA, autodialed or prerecorded calls and texts to mobile numbers need the patient's prior express consent, and marketing needs written consent. State laws can add their own limits on hours and frequency. This is general guidance, not legal advice; talk to your counsel before you set the rules for your practice.
Before launch, decide and write down:
- Care or promotional. A campaign about a patient's care and a campaign offering a new service are treated differently. Keep them separate.
- Calling hours. The hours and days you contact patients, in the patient's own time zone.
- Contact limits. How many attempts per patient per day and per week, and how many in total before you stop.
- Opt-outs. What staff do when a patient says stop, on any channel. They go on the Do Not Call list straight away.
Our guide to patient text message consent explains consent, opt-outs and calling hours in more detail.
Set up the outreach
Step 5: Choose the channels and the order
Calls, texts and letters each do a different job. One workable order is a text first to patients who can receive one, a call to those who did not respond, and a letter to those you still could not reach. Our guide to patient outreach strategies explains when each channel fits.
Whatever order you choose, use the same patient list across channels, so a patient who answered the text is not called the next day about the same thing.
Step 6: Write the script and the outcomes
Give callers a short script: who they are, why they are calling, what they are asking the patient to do, and how to answer the two or three questions patients will ask. Keep clinical detail out of voicemails and texts.
Then set the outcomes callers must choose from after every call. A fixed list is what makes results comparable.
| Outcome | What happens next |
|---|---|
| Reached, goal met | Patient is done |
| Reached, asked to be called back | The patient goes on the team callback list |
| Left voicemail | Try again on a later day |
| No answer or busy | Try again later |
| Wrong number | Stop calling that number for this campaign |
| Asked not to be contacted | Add to Do Not Call, stop all outreach |
Require an outcome after every connected call. A call without one is a call you cannot learn from.
Step 7: Assign the team and how calls are placed
Assign named people, not "whoever is free". Each person should know which campaign they are working and during which hours.
Then choose how calls are placed:
- Manual. Callers work the list one patient at a time and press call themselves. Best for small lists, sensitive topics and new scripts.
- Automatic. The system dials and connects a caller when a patient answers. Best for larger lists once the script is settled. Automated dialing brings stricter consent rules and frequency limits, so confirm them with counsel first.
Prevent two people calling the same patient at once. Two calls in a minute look like a mistake to the patient.
Launch and run it
Step 8: Test on a small group, then launch
Run the campaign on a handful of patients first. Check that the list matched the patients you expected, that exclusions worked, that the caller ID shows your practice number, and that outcomes recorded correctly. Fix what you find, then launch to the full list.
Step 9: Track the campaign while it runs
Check the campaign at least daily while it runs:
- How many patients are left to call, and how many were reached today
- Which outcomes are coming in, and whether one is unexpectedly high
- Whether callers are available during calling hours
- Callbacks waiting, and how long they have waited
If the campaign stops calling, find out why the same day: no callers available, calling hours that do not overlap the team's hours, or a list that has run out.
Step 10: Close the campaign and follow up
When the list is worked, close the campaign and look at the number you picked in step 1. Then:
- Hand over every open callback to someone by name.
- Send letters to patients you could not reach, if the goal still needs them.
- Note what to change next time: the script, the hours, the order of channels.
- Keep the campaign and its results on record. They answer "who did we contact, when and why" long after it ends.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a patient outreach campaign run?
Until the list is worked or the goal no longer applies, with an end date set at the start. A campaign with no end keeps calling patients who have already been tried several times.
How many times should we call each patient?
Set a limit per day, per week and in total before launch, and stop as soon as the patient is reached or asks to stop. Automated dialing can carry stricter limits, so check them with counsel.
Do we need consent to run a calling campaign?
It depends on how the calls are placed and what they are about. Autodialed and prerecorded calls to mobile numbers generally need prior express consent under the TCPA, and marketing needs written consent. Ask your counsel how this applies to your campaign.
Should outreach campaigns use calls or texts?
Both can work together: a text first to patients who can receive one, then a call to those who did not respond. Use calls when the patient needs to talk or decide, and texts for short facts and requests.
Sources
- 47 CFR 64.1200, delivery restrictions (TCPA rules), eCFR text via Cornell LII