Patient reactivation that brings past patients back to the schedule.
Patient reactivation means inviting back people who already know your clinic but have not been in for a while. We write to them by email in the doctor's own voice, time each message to their care, ask for a review after a good visit, and report rebooked visits every Monday. No discounts, and no ad spend.
What we do, in order.
Find who has drifted away
From your own patient list: people not seen in 12 months or more, and people who stopped partway through a plan of care. Most clinics have years of them, and nobody has asked them back.
Write in the doctor's voice
A short, personal note from the doctor, not a newsletter. No discount, and nothing in the message that reveals what the patient was treated for.
Time it to their care
Recall for patients who are due, such as a six-month cleaning or a touch-up, and a separate invitation for past patients who have been gone a long time. Each list gets its own message.
Make booking one click
Every email links straight to a booking page, and every reply gets an answer within minutes, so a patient who is ready does not have to chase you.
Ask for a review after a good visit
Patients who come back and have a good visit get one short request to review you on Google. It builds the reputation new patients check before they book.
Report rebooked visits every Monday
How many were invited, how many booked, how many came in, and how many reviews followed. First results usually come within the first month.
A real reactivation campaign, in numbers.
See the full case →A reactivation campaign to 640 patients not seen in 12+ months, written in the doctor's voice, with a review request after every completed visit.
31 rebooked in month one, 19 new Google reviews, zero ad spend.
“Patients we assumed had moved away. They just hadn't been asked.”
Also on our results page: a recall campaign for 412 dormant patients was part of the system behind 184 new patients for a Dallas dental practice. Read the case →
Who it suits, and who it doesn’t.
Reactivation suits you if
- You have been open a few years and have past patients who have not been back.
- There are gaps in the schedule you would rather fill without paying for ads.
- Someone, your front desk or our follow-up, can answer replies the same day.
It is the wrong place to start if
- The practice is new and there are few past patients to invite back. Paid ads come first.
- You want a discount blast to everyone on the list. We do not send those.
- Nobody can take the replies and bookings when patients answer.
What clinic owners ask us.
What is patient reactivation?
Inviting back patients who already know your clinic but have not been in for a while, usually 12 months or more, or who stopped partway through care. Recall is the routine part: reminding patients who are due for their next visit, such as a cleaning or a maintenance check. We run both, as separate lists with separate messages.
How many past patients actually come back?
It depends on the list and the specialty. For our Tampa client we sent a reactivation campaign to 640 patients not seen in 12+ months, with a review request after every completed visit. The result: 31 rebooked in month one, 19 new Google reviews, zero ad spend. In the owner's words: “Patients we assumed had moved away. They just hadn't been asked.”
Are we allowed to email past patients?
In general, a clinic may write to its own patients about their own care, such as a reminder that they are due for a visit. Every email has an unsubscribe link, and none says what the patient was treated for. The rules vary by state and by specialty, so we check the plan with you before anything is sent.
Do we need to offer a discount to get patients back?
No. We write a personal invitation from the doctor, not a promotion. A discount teaches patients to wait for the next one and lowers what each visit is worth.
How soon do rebooked visits start?
The lists and the booking link are set up first, then the emails go out. First results usually come within the first month, and recall then keeps running in the background as patients come due.
What do you report?
Every Monday: how many patients were invited, how many booked, how many came in, and how many reviews followed. Never opens or clicks on their own.
Reactivation by specialty.
All industries →Let's look at your past patients.
A free 30-minute strategy call. Bring your numbers, leave with a plan.
