Artera customers can integrate an eCheck-In form link in their Appointment Triggers to create a paperless and virtual pre-visit process. When an appointment is booked in your EMR that contains an eCheck-In URL, this link will be passed into Artera and can be populated with the {eventPreVisitFormsLink} Smart Phrase. 
NOTE:The eCheck-In link will not be displayed in Artera and will only populate in messages sent to the patient using the Smart Phrase.  

eCheck-In Process

Configure eCheck-In

To use eCheck-In links within your Appointment Triggers, integration setup is required. During this process, your Artera Project Manager will work with you to:

1. Setup your Upcoming Appointment extract to include the eCheck-In link. 

2. Configure a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) to send the extract to Artera regularly (daily is recommended).

3. Update your Appointment Triggers to include the {eventPreVisitFormsLink} Smart Phrase.

NOTE: You will need to engage with your EMR Application Analyst to complete this setup.

{eventPreVisitFormsLink} Smart Phrase

This Smart Phrase can be used in manual and automated messages. 

• Manual Messages: Pulls in the eCheck-In link for the patient’s most upcoming appointment.

• Automated Messages: Pulls in the eCheck-In link for the appointment that initiated the Trigger to send. 

If there is no associated eCheck-In link for the appointment, the Smart Phrase space will be blank in the patient-facing message. If the patient does not have an upcoming appointment, the message will not send (this is standard behavior for any Event Smart Phrase).

Updating Appointment Triggers

Update your Appointment Triggers for the Practices implementing eCheck-In to include the eCheck-In language and Smart Phrase. We recommend updating the message for the Appointment Confirmation Acknowledgement and 1-Day Confirmed Triggers if you are following Artera's Leading Practices.

NOTE: One thing to consider about updating the Confirmation Acknowledgement message (e.g. the message sent to a patient when they confirm their appointment) is that the patient could be sent their eCheck-In link earlier than desired. For example, if the patient receives an appointment reminder 7 days prior to their appointment and they confirm, they would be sent the Confirmation Acknowledgement message containing the eCheck-In prompt a week before their visit. If that is not in alignment with your procedures, you can choose not to update the Confirmation Acknowledgement message and potentially create a separate Trigger for eCheck-In to capture patients who would not qualify for the 1 Day Confirmed message. 

Suggested Messaging

1. “Please complete eCheck-in prior to your appointment with this link: {eventPreVisitFormsLink}”

2. “Hello {clientFirstNameProperCase}, thank you for confirming your appointment. eCheck-In online or sign up for MyChart at {eventPreVisitFormsLink}” 

3. “Prior to your video visit, you must complete our eCheck-In process. Please use this link: {eventPreVisitFormsLink}”

MyChart Considerations (Epic-Specific)

Enrollment Status

Epic sends the link for all upcoming patient visits, regardless of a patient's MyChart enrollment status. Once the patient clicks on the eCheck-In link, MyChart patients are routed to their MyChart account to complete the eCheck-In process and non-MyChart patients verify their date of birth before being routed to the eCheck-In steps.

If you have a Trigger that prompts unenrolled portal patients to sign up for MyChart, you may want to consider disabling that Trigger for Practices implementing eCheck-In since the URL allows patients to check-in for their appointment and create a MyChart account. 

MyChart Proxy 

Patients with a MyChart proxy will not generate a link. This often impacts pediatric and geriatric patients, so it is important to ensure that Triggers are configured appropriately and age-based exclusions are used, as needed. It is likely that multiple Triggers will need to be built to accommodate Practices with large proxy populations. 

18 Years & Over 

17 Years & Under 

Example Trigger Build

In this example, we are going to configure a Trigger for a Practice implementing eCheck-In. The goal is to send the eCheck-In link to a patient when they confirm their appointment. 

1. Enter a name for the Trigger, select Appointment from the Module drop-down, and select the Resource to send the Trigger (most customers use "Location"):

2. Select the Practice(s) that will use this Trigger: 
   
   

3. Configure filters. If you are running eCheck-In workflows for a select subset of the Practice’s patients, which Event Types, Visit Methods, or Resources should be excluded?
   
   

4. Craft your Trigger's message and include translations, as needed. Text only is recommended as a link will be delivered to patients.
   
   

5. Next, configure the timing to send the Trigger to the patient after they have confirmed their appointment. We recommend using Patient Status Changes from "View", "Cancel", "Reschedule", "Unconfirmed" to"Confirm".
   

6. Determine if you would like to merge this message. Typically, Artera does not recommend merging messages that are sent instantly in response to a patient action. 

7. Select Create and Turn On. 

Quick Responses

You may find it helpful to build a few Quick Responses that allow users to quickly send the {eventPreVisitFormsLink} Smart Phrase to patients who have not completed their eCheck-In form prior to their visit. Click here for instructions on building Quick Responses.

Sample Language

• “Hi {clientFirstNameProperCase}, we look forward to seeing you! To expedite your visit, please complete your digital check-in before you arrive: {eventPreVisitFormsLink}”
• “To join your telehealth visit with {eventProviderName}, complete your eCheck-In using this link: {eventPreVisitFormsLink}”