Notification Settings
This guide covers every notification in CareLaunch — what it is, who receives it, when it fires, and how to configure it. Use it to answer questions like: "Providers are getting too many reminder emails — can we reduce or disable those?"
How the Notification System Works
CareLaunch has two separate layers of notification control:
- Organization-level settings — Admins control which notification types are active, what the templates say, and when reminders fire. These are the defaults for everyone in the organization.
- User-level preferences — Individual users (patients and staff alike) can opt in or out of specific notification types, and choose which channels they want (Email, SMS, In-App, Browser Push).
These two layers work together: if an org admin disables a notification type entirely, it won't fire for anyone regardless of individual preferences. If the org has it enabled, individual users control their own subscriptions. Appointment reminders are the exception: they follow the organization's settings only, not individual preferences.
Notification Channels
| Channel | Description |
|---|---|
| Sent to the user's registered email address | |
| SMS | Sent as a text message to the user's verified phone number |
| In-App | Appears in the notification bell inside the CareLaunch platform |
| Browser Push | Real-time browser alert, even when the app tab is not active |
Not all channels are available for every notification type — see the event tables below for channel availability per event.
Appointment Notifications
This section covers every notification related to scheduling, reminders, and appointment status changes.
Patient Appointment Notifications
| Event | When It Fires | Channels | Configurable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointment Scheduled | An appointment is booked for the patient | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Per-user preferences |
| Appointment Reminder | At configured intervals before the appointment | Email, SMS, In-App | Yes — see Reminder Cadence |
| Appointment Cancelled | Patient's appointment is cancelled | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Per-user preferences |
| Appointment Cancellation Confirmation | Cancellation is processed | Email only | Turn the type on or off under Settings > Notifications |
| Appointment Reschedule Confirmation | Patient's appointment is rescheduled | Email only | Turn the type on or off under Settings > Notifications |
| Virtual Visit Invitation | A virtual visit is scheduled | Email only | Automatic when virtual visits are enabled |
| Late Reminder | Patient hasn't joined after appointment start time | Settings > Scheduling > General (Late/No-Show Management) |
Provider Appointment Notifications
Providers receive appointment reminders on the same cadence as patients, plus separate schedule-change notifications. All of these are independently configurable.
| Event | When It Fires | Channels | Configurable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointment Reminder | At configured intervals before the appointment | Email, SMS, In-App | Yes — see Reminder Cadence. Sent independently from the patient reminder. To stop provider reminders, turn off the admin Appointment Reminder row under Settings > Notifications. |
| Appointment Assigned | Provider added to an appointment (no confirmation needed) | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Per-user preferences |
| Appointment Confirmation Request | Provider added and confirmation is required | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Per-user preferences |
| Appointment Cancelled (Provider) | An appointment on the provider's schedule is cancelled | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Settings > Scheduling > Cancellation & Refunds > Notify Provider on Cancellation |
| Appointment Rescheduled (Provider) | An appointment on the provider's schedule is rescheduled | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Settings > Scheduling > Rescheduling > Notify Provider on Rescheduling |
| Patient Arrived (Virtual Visit) | Patient joins a virtual visit | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Per-user preferences |
Admin Appointment Notifications
| Event | When It Fires | Channels | Configurable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Appointment Request | Patient requests an appointment online | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Per-user preferences |
Appointment Reminder Cadence
Appointment reminders are sent to both patients and providers. The patient and provider sends happen independently — a failure or suppression on one side does not affect the other. For the full guide, including who receives each channel and troubleshooting, see Appointment Reminders.
Default Reminder Schedule
| Channel | Default Timing |
|---|---|
| 24 hours before appointment | |
| SMS | 2 hours before appointment |
| In-App | 1 hour before appointment (disabled by default) |
Available Timing Options
Admins can configure one or more reminder times per channel. Available options:
- 15 minutes before
- 30 minutes before
- 1 hour before
- 2 hours before
- 4 hours before
- 24 hours before
- 48 hours before
- 1 week before
Multiple timings can be active at once — for example, an org might send an email 48 hours before and 2 hours before.
Where to Configure Reminder Cadence
Settings > Reminders
Reminders have their own page. Other scheduling options are on the tabs of Settings > Scheduling: General (including late/no-show handling), Confirmation, Booking & Limits, Cancellation & Refunds, Rescheduling, and Automations.
Each channel (Email, SMS, In-App) has:
- An enable/disable toggle
- A multi-select for which timing(s) to use
Changes apply to reminders for appointments created or rescheduled after the setting is saved. Reminders that have already been scheduled for existing upcoming appointments will continue using the cadence that was active when those appointments were booked. To apply the new cadence to an existing appointment, move it to a different time. Saving an appointment without changing its time does not reschedule its reminders.
Reminder Retry Behavior
If a reminder email fails to deliver (soft bounce or temporary failure), CareLaunch retries automatically:
- First retry: 1 hour after the original attempt
- Second retry: 4 hours after the first retry
After two retries, the reminder is marked as failed and logged. Text messages and in-app reminders are not retried.
Provider Notification Volume — Reducing Noise
A common question: "Providers are getting too many emails. Can we turn off some of those?"
Yes. Here are the main levers:
Option 1: Providers Manage Their Own Preferences
Each provider can open Notifications in the sidebar, click the Notification preferences icon at the top of the page, and toggle off any notification type on any channel. For example, a nurse who doesn't need cancellation emails can disable the "Appointment Cancelled" email while keeping in-app or SMS notifications.
This is per-user and non-destructive — other providers aren't affected.
Option 2: Org Admin Disables Provider Notifications for Cancellations/Reschedules
Under Settings > Scheduling > Cancellation & Refunds, the "Notify Provider on Cancellation" toggle controls whether providers receive any notification when an appointment is cancelled. The equivalent setting is Notify Provider on Rescheduling on the Rescheduling tab.
Turning these off organization-wide means no provider will receive these notifications, regardless of their individual preferences.
Option 3: Disable Specific Notification Types Org-Wide
Under Settings > Notifications, admins can disable any notification type globally. When a type is disabled, it is not sent to anyone in the organization — patients or providers.
Why Providers Receive High Email Volume
Providers receive appointment reminders on the same cadence as patients, plus a separate notification for every schedule change. For a busy provider this can add up quickly. The most common sources of volume are:
- Appointment Reminder — sent at every configured interval (e.g., 24h email, 2h SMS)
- Appointment Assigned / Confirmation Request — fired every time they are added to an appointment
- Appointment Cancelled (Provider) — fired on every cancellation
- Appointment Rescheduled (Provider) — fired on every reschedule
Appointment Assigned, Confirmation Request, and the cancellation and reschedule notices can be turned off at the provider level (individual preferences) or at the org level (Scheduling Settings). Appointment reminders do not follow individual preferences. There is currently no separate reminder cadence for providers — the same timing settings (24h, 2h, etc.) apply to both patients and providers. To stop providers from receiving reminders entirely, go to Settings > Notifications, open Appointments, and turn off the Appointment Reminder row whose recipient is admin.
Messaging Notifications
| Event | Recipients | Channels | When It Fires |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Message (Provider) | Recipient provider | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | When a message is sent to a provider |
| New Message (Patient) | Patient | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | When a provider sends a message to a patient |
These are configurable in individual notification preferences.
Task and Form Notifications
| Event | Recipients | Channels | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task Assignment (Provider) | Assigned provider | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Not sent if assigner = assignee. Duplicates suppressed within 1 hour for related parent/child tasks. |
| Task Assignment (Patient) | Patient | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Sent when a task is assigned to a patient |
| Form Assignment | Patient | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Sent when a form or questionnaire is assigned |
Patient Events
| Event | Recipients | Channels | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient Welcome | Patient | Email only | Sent when a patient account is created with portal access. Not sent for records without portal logins. |
| New Patient Registration | Admin users | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Fired for both self-registration and admin-created patients |
Other Events
| Event | Recipients | Channels | When It Fires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab Results Available | Patient | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Meant for when a patient's lab results are ready to view |
| Lab Results Ready for Review | Staff | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Meant for when lab results are ready for clinical review |
| Urgent Patient Alert | Staff | Email, SMS, In-App, Push | Meant for high-priority alerts about urgent patient matters |
These three types appear in notification preferences, but no built-in CareLaunch event sends them today. Turning them on doesn't produce notifications on its own.
Configuring Notification Templates
Admins can customize the message content for any notification type at the organization level.
Where to Configure Templates
Settings > Notifications > Notification Types
From this screen you can:
- View all notification types, filtered by audience (All / Admin / Patient)
- Enable or disable any notification type for your organization
- Edit the email subject, email body, SMS message, and in-app message
- Use dynamic variables in templates (see below)
- Send a test notification to verify your configuration
Dynamic Template Variables
Use these placeholders in your templates — they are replaced with real values at send time. Both {variableName} and {{variableName}} syntax are supported.
Available variables depend on the notification type. The tables below show exactly which variables are populated for each event.
Available in all notification types
These variables are always injected, regardless of event type:
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{organizationName} | Your organization's name |
{instanceName} | Your platform instance name (patient-facing) |
{instanceUrl} | Your patient portal URL |
{patientName} | Patient's full name (empty in provider/admin notifications for HIPAA compliance) |
{providerName} | Provider's full name |
Appointment Reminders
Sent on the configured reminder schedule before an appointment. Has the most complete variable set.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{patientName} | Patient's full name. Left empty in the Message Body of provider reminder emails. |
{firstName} | Patient's first name only |
{providerName} | Provider's full name |
{reminderTimeframe} | How far out the appointment is (e.g., "in 30 minutes", "in 2 hours", "tomorrow" for a 24-hour reminder, "in 2 days") |
{appointmentDate} | Appointment date (e.g., "May 4, 2026") |
{appointmentTime} | Appointment time with timezone (e.g., "2:30 PM EST") |
{appointmentDateTime} | Combined date and time |
{appointmentDuration} | Duration (e.g., "30 minutes") |
{appointmentType} | Type of appointment |
{appointmentId} | Appointment ID |
{location} | Appointment location or room |
{joinUrl} / {meetingUrl} | Virtual visit join link (when applicable) |
{detailsUrl} | Link to the appointment in the patient portal |
{confirmUrl} / {confirmationUrl} / {rescheduleUrl} / {declineUrl} | Also open the appointment in the patient portal |
{unsubscribeUrl} | Unsubscribe link for your organization's emails. Unsubscribing does not stop appointment reminder emails. |
{contactPhone} / {supportPhone} | Organization's phone number |
{contactEmail} / {supportEmail} | Organization's email address |
{organizationWebsite} | Organization's portal URL |
{currentYear} | Current four-digit year (e.g., "2026") |
Appointment Scheduled (Patient)
Sent when an appointment is booked.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{patientName} | Patient's full name |
{providerName} | Provider's full name |
{appointmentDate} | Appointment date |
{appointmentTime} | Appointment time with timezone |
{appointmentDateTime} | Combined date and time |
{appointmentDuration} | Duration |
{appointmentType} | Type of appointment |
{appointmentId} | Appointment ID |
{location} | Appointment location |
{confirmationUrl} / {confirmUrl} | Link to confirm |
{rescheduleUrl} | Link to reschedule |
{contactPhone} | Organization's phone number |
{contactEmail} | Organization's email address |
{joinUrl} / {meetingUrl} | Virtual visit join link (virtual visits only) |
Appointment Assigned / Confirmation Request (Provider)
Sent to providers when they are added to an appointment.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{appointmentTime} | Appointment time |
{appointmentId} | Appointment ID |
{instanceUrl} | Portal URL |
Appointment Cancellation Confirmation (Patient)
Sent to the patient when their appointment is cancelled.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{patientName} | Patient's full name |
{providerName} | Provider's full name |
{appointmentTime} | Original appointment time |
{cancellationReason} | Reason for cancellation |
{appointmentId} | Appointment ID |
Appointment Cancelled (Provider)
Sent to providers when an appointment on their schedule is cancelled. Patient name is omitted for HIPAA compliance.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{appointmentTime} | Original appointment time |
{cancellationReason} | Reason for cancellation |
{appointmentId} | Appointment ID |
Appointment Reschedule Confirmation (Patient)
Sent to the patient when their appointment is rescheduled.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{patientName} | Patient's full name |
{providerName} | Provider's full name |
{originalTime} | Original appointment time |
{newTime} | New appointment time |
{appointmentId} | Appointment ID |
Appointment Rescheduled (Provider)
Sent to providers when an appointment on their schedule is rescheduled. Patient name is omitted for HIPAA compliance.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{originalTime} | Original appointment time |
{newTime} | New appointment time |
{appointmentTime} | New appointment time |
{appointmentId} | Appointment ID |
Virtual Visit Invitation (Patient)
Sent when a virtual visit is scheduled.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{patientName} | Patient's full name |
{providerName} | Provider's full name |
{appointmentDateTime} | Combined date and time |
{appointmentDuration} | Duration |
{joinUrl} / {meetingUrl} | Virtual visit join link |
{appointmentId} | Appointment ID |
{contactPhone} / {supportPhone} | Organization's phone number |
{contactEmail} / {supportEmail} | Organization's email address |
{organizationWebsite} | Organization's portal URL |
Task Assignment (Provider)
Sent when a task is assigned to a provider.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{providerName} | Assigned provider's name |
{taskType} | Type or category of the task |
{taskDescription} | Task description or notes |
Patient Welcome
Sent when a patient account is created with portal access.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
{patientName} | Patient's first name |
{instanceUrl} | Patient portal URL |
Missing Template Behavior
If a notification type is enabled but no template is configured for a channel, that channel is silently skipped — no partial or malformed messages are sent. A warning is logged for administrators. This prevents noisy delivery errors without requiring every channel to be fully configured.
User Notification Preferences
Every user — patient or staff — can manage their own notification preferences.
How to Access
- Staff: open Notifications in the sidebar, then click the Notification preferences icon (a bell with a gear) at the top of the page. Administrators can also open a user's details and choose ⋮ > Notifications.
- Patients: open Profile in the patient portal and click Notification Settings. Patients can choose email and SMS notifications there.
Settings > Notifications is a different page: it's where organization admins turn notification types on or off and edit their templates.
What Users Can Control
- Enable or disable notifications per channel (Email, SMS, In-App, Browser Push) globally
- Toggle specific notification types on or off per channel
- Register a browser for push notifications (per-device)
Changes take effect immediately and only affect that user's notifications.
Late and No-Show Reminders
Under Settings > Scheduling > General, in Late/No-Show Management, you can configure:
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Late Reminder Resend | Sends another appointment reminder if the patient has not joined | Off |
| Late Reminder Delay (Minutes) | Minutes after the appointment start time to wait before resending | 5 minutes |
| Enable Auto No-Show | Marks an appointment as no-show after the appointment end time | Off |
| No-Show Delay (Minutes) | Minutes after the appointment end time to wait before marking as no-show | 0 minutes |
| Require No Join for No-Show | Only mark no-show when the patient never joined. Shown when auto no-show is on. | On |
Cancellation and Rescheduling Notifications
These settings live under Settings > Scheduling, on the Cancellation & Refunds and Rescheduling tabs.
Cancellation Policy Notifications
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Notify Provider on Cancellation | Notifies assigned providers when an appointment on their schedule is cancelled | On |
There is no Scheduling setting for the patient's cancellation confirmation email. It is sent whenever an appointment is cancelled, unless the Appointment Cancellation Confirmation notification type is turned off under Settings > Notifications.
Rescheduling Policy Notifications
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Notify Provider on Rescheduling | Notifies assigned providers when an appointment on their schedule is rescheduled | On |
There is no Scheduling setting for the patient's reschedule confirmation email. It is sent whenever an appointment is rescheduled, unless the Appointment Reschedule Confirmation notification type is turned off under Settings > Notifications.
Summary: Patient vs. Provider Notifications
| Notification | Patient | Provider | Admin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointment Scheduled | Yes | — | — |
| Appointment Reminder (24h, 2h, etc.) | Yes | Yes | — |
| Virtual Visit Invitation | Yes | — | — |
| Late Reminder (no-show check) | Yes | — | — |
| Appointment Cancellation Confirmation | Yes | — | — |
| Appointment Reschedule Confirmation | Yes | — | — |
| Appointment Assigned | — | Yes | — |
| Appointment Confirmation Request | — | Yes | — |
| Appointment Cancelled (Provider) | — | Yes | — |
| Appointment Rescheduled (Provider) | — | Yes | — |
| Patient Arrived (Virtual Visit) | — | Yes | — |
| New Appointment Request | — | — | Yes |
| New Patient Registration | — | — | Yes |
| New Message | Yes | Yes | — |
| Task Assignment | Yes | Yes | — |
| Form Assignment | Yes | — | — |
| Patient Welcome | Yes | — | — |
| Lab Results Available | Yes | — | — |
| Lab Results Ready for Review | — | Yes | — |
| Urgent Patient Alert | — | Yes | — |
Troubleshooting Missing Notifications
When a notification isn't arriving, work through this checklist in order. The first two checks resolve the vast majority of cases.
1. Check the organization-level toggle
Settings > Notifications > Notification Types
- Find the notification type and confirm it is enabled. A disabled type is suppressed for everyone in the organization — all channels, all users — regardless of individual preferences.
- Most notification types exist twice: once for the Admin (staff/provider) audience and once for the Patient audience. These are configured independently — disabling one does not affect the other. Use the audience filter to make sure you're looking at the right one.
- If the toggle was recently changed, ask your team — another admin may have disabled it intentionally (for example, to reduce email volume).
2. Check the user's own preferences
Affected user: sidebar Notifications, then the Notification preferences icon at the top of the page (or, for an admin checking someone else, the user's details ⋮ > Notifications)
- Confirm the notification type is toggled on for the channel that's missing (Email, SMS, In-App, Browser Push). Preferences are per-channel — email can be off while in-app is on.
- If multiple users are missing the same notification, compare a working user's preferences against a non-working one.
3. Check contact details and account status
- Email: is the address on the user's account correct? Check spam/junk folders and any inbox rules.
- SMS: does the user have a verified phone number on file? SMS is only sent when a phone number is present.
- Browser push: push must be registered per device/browser — re-register from Settings > Notifications if the user switched browsers or cleared site data.
- The user's account must be active — invited-but-never-confirmed accounts do not receive email/SMS.
4. Check feature-specific settings
Some notifications have their own switches outside the Notification Types screen:
- Provider cancellation/reschedule notices — Settings > Scheduling > Cancellation & Refunds and Rescheduling (Notify Provider toggles)
- Appointment reminders — Settings > Reminders (per-channel enable + timing). Remember that cadence changes only apply to appointments booked or rescheduled after the change.
- Late reminders / no-show — Settings > Scheduling > General, under Late/No-Show Management
5. Send a test notification
From Settings > Notifications, open the ⋮ menu at the top of the page, choose Send Test Notification, and select the affected notification type. If the test arrives, delivery works and the issue is in the settings above; if it doesn't, contact support.
6. Still stuck?
Email support@carelaunch.health with the notification type, the affected user(s), the channel (email/SMS/in-app/push), and roughly when it last worked. That timeline helps us pinpoint the cause quickly.
Related
Last updated: June 2026