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Client calendar feeds and appointment reminders

How client calendar feeds and automated email reminders help clients keep track of appointments without extra busywork.

PracticeRunner is calendar-first. Clinicians and clients can use private calendar feeds to keep appointments visible in Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, and other calendar apps. For clients who do not want to set up a calendar feed, automated email reminders provide a simple fallback.

Provider calendar feeds are managed separately, but they follow the same basic idea: private, read-only calendar links that make appointments easier to see without changing appointments outside PracticeRunner.

Calendar feeds are separate from PracticeRunner’s direct Google Calendar connection. For that feature, see Google Calendar sync. Google Calendar sync is also one-way. Changes made in Google Calendar do not update appointments in PracticeRunner.

What calendar feeds are

Calendar feeds are private, read-only links. A client can subscribe to their link in the calendar app they already use.

Client calendar feeds are often best for ongoing clients because future appointments can appear automatically in the client’s calendar app. PracticeRunner updates the feed when appointments change, but each calendar app decides how often it refreshes subscribed calendars, so updates may not appear immediately.

Calendar feeds do not let the client edit appointments in PracticeRunner. They also do not connect PracticeRunner directly to Apple, Google, Outlook, or another calendar account.

How to subscribe to a calendar feed

Use the feed link as a calendar subscription URL. Do not open the link as a downloaded .ics file unless you only want a one-time snapshot.

For Apple Calendar on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, clients can use the Subscribe in Apple Calendar link in the portal. That link is only for Apple devices. It is not the right way to add the feed to Google Calendar.

For Google Calendar, copy the subscription URL. In Google Calendar, choose Other calendars > From URL, paste the link, and add the calendar. Google decides how often it refreshes subscribed calendars, so changes may take time to appear.

For Outlook or another calendar app, copy the subscription URL and look for the app’s option to subscribe from the web, internet, or URL. The wording varies by app, but the important part is to subscribe to the URL rather than import a downloaded file.

For client-facing instructions, share Subscribe to Your Appointment Calendar.

What automated email reminders are

Automated email reminders are one-time appointment reminder emails sent before an upcoming appointment.

They are useful for brief care, new clients, or clients who do not use a calendar app. Reminder timing is controlled by practice settings, and client-level settings can decide whether a specific client uses email reminders, a calendar feed only, or no automated reminders.

Automated reminders are separate from reminders you send yourself from an appointment. You can send a manual email reminder even when the client uses No automated reminders or Calendar only, provided email communication is allowed for the recipient.

Customize appointment email templates

The Appointment Reminder template is used for both automated and manually sent email reminders. Editing a message in the send dialog changes only that send, not the saved template.

Open Settings → Templates, choose an appointment email from the Template list, and edit its subject or body. Use the field picker to insert details such as {{recipientPreferredName}}, {{appointmentDateTime}}, or {{appointmentDetails}}. The picker includes descriptions of common fields. Keep the variable names and double braces unchanged, and edit the wording around them.

Use Preview appointment type to check office, video, and phone wording. The phone preview includes both arrangements: the provider calls the client, or the client calls the practice. Click Save Template to keep your changes.

Let appointment details appear automatically

Field	What appears in the email
{{appointmentDetails}}	The matching office, video, or phone details, subject to the email’s location and video settings.
{{appointmentChangeLink}}	A labeled link when appointment changes are available through that email.
{{appointmentCalendarLink}}	A labeled calendar link when one is available.
{{appointmentAttachmentNote}}	A note when a calendar file is attached.
{{appointmentReplyInstructions}}	Reply instructions with the practice phone number when available.

The appointment details include the office address, the resolved video meeting link, or the appropriate phone number and who calls whom. Video links appear as a button with a smaller, copyable meeting URL underneath. Appointment-management links show a clickable text label, keeping the long portal URL out of the email’s visible text. Plain-text reminders include the full links. Phone numbers in instructions such as “Please call…” and “reply or call…” are clickable. Numbers in “I will call you…” remain plain text; you do not need to add phone-link markup to the template.

Unavailable links and attachment notes are left out automatically.

Access instructions, including door codes, gate codes, and passwords, are omitted from appointment emails and client calendar files by default. To share them, edit the location under Settings → Practice → Locations and select Include access instructions in appointment emails and client calendars. The default appointment details section then includes the instructions when the email’s location or video settings allow them. Custom templates must include the appointment details or access-instruction field. See Sharing location access instructions.

The location’s sharing checkbox is separate from the video link. Video appointments use the appointment-specific link first, then the case’s link, then the provider’s link. Under Settings → Practice → Portal → Appointment Email Reminders, Include video link when one exists controls video links in automatic reminders and their attached calendar files. It is on by default. Manually sent reminders include the resolved video link independently of that setting, provided the template includes it.

Choose the text shown on a link

For a link you include directly in an appointment template, put the label in square brackets and the URL variable in parentheses:

[Request a change]({{appointmentManagementUrl}})

You can change the words inside the square brackets while keeping the destination variable intact. Use a URL field that is available for that email. Keep {{appointmentChangeLink}} when you want the complete appointment-change link to be omitted automatically if no URL is available.

Available fields and other templates

Automatic appointment sections and editable link labels are available in appointment reminders, confirmations, location-change decisions, cancellation decisions, and appointment intake emails. Fields vary by template. Other email templates and the shared signature use ordinary fields such as {{providerPhone}}; they do not support conditional syntax.

To replace a saved appointment body with the current default, choose Revert, then Save Template.

How they work together

Calendar feeds do not require email reminders. Email reminders also do not require a calendar feed.

A practice may use calendar feeds, email reminders, or both depending on client preference. Some clients may want appointments to appear in their calendar and still receive email reminders. Others may rely on their calendar feed only.

If your practice uses the setting to reduce reminder emails when a calendar feed is active, clients with an active calendar feed can default to calendar-feed-only reminders unless you choose a different setting for that client.

Which case members receive appointment information

For couple and family appointments, calendar feeds and reminders follow the people scheduled for that appointment. They do not automatically go to every active member of the case.

Appointment role	Calendar feed and reminder behavior
Scheduled participant	The appointment can appear in that person’s feed, and that person can receive reminders when the features and individual preferences are enabled
Case member marked Not scheduled	The appointment is excluded from that person’s feed and appointment reminders
Payer who is not scheduled to attend	Paying for the case does not add the appointment to the payer’s feed or reminder recipients
Verified appointment helper	Appointment access requires separate appointment-viewing or scheduling permission

The same participant list supplies the default recipients when a clinician manually sends an appointment reminder or messages people from the appointment. Billing remains controlled by the case’s billing arrangement rather than the appointment recipient list.

When to use a client calendar feed

Use a client calendar feed when:

• the client has recurring or ongoing appointments
• the client already uses a calendar app
• the client wants future appointments to appear without repeated emails
• the client understands that calendar apps control refresh timing

Calendar feeds are optional. Do not require a client to use one if email reminders are a better fit.

When to use email reminders

Use email reminders when:

• the client does not want to subscribe to a calendar feed
• the client is new to the practice
• care is brief or appointment-based
• a simple email reminder is clearer than calendar setup

Appointment reminder emails should stay privacy-safe and should not include clinical notes, diagnoses, billing details, or sensitive information.

Changing reminder settings for a client

Open the client’s profile and find Appointment reminders.

You can choose:

• Use practice default: follow the practice reminder setting
• Email: send automated email reminders when practice reminders are enabled
• Calendar only: use the calendar feed without automated reminders
• No automated reminders: turn off automated reminders

You can also use the client’s primary email address or enter a custom reminder email address.

Send a reminder yourself

Open the appointment in Calendar and choose Send Appointment Reminder. Review the recipients and message, then click Send Reminder.

You can send another reminder even if one was already sent. No automated reminders and Calendar only do not block an email reminder you send yourself. Email permission and recipient eligibility still apply.

The dialog shows the latest recorded reminder attempt for each selected recipient, including the method, time, and status. An email marked submitted for delivery has been accepted for sending; it does not confirm arrival in the recipient’s inbox.

Resetting a calendar feed link

Open the client’s profile and find Calendar Feed.

Use Reset calendar feed URL if the private link may have been shared with the wrong person. The old link will stop working, and the client will need the new link if they still want to subscribe.

Provider calendar feed links can be reset from Settings → Calendar.

When a calendar feed is reset or disabled, PracticeRunner returns an empty calendar at the old URL for a while. This gives calendar apps a chance to refresh the old subscription and remove events that came from that feed. Calendar apps still decide when they refresh subscribed calendars.

Privacy and calendar links

Client calendar feeds and appointment reminders use conservative appointment details by default.

They do not include:

• clinical notes
• diagnoses
• billing details
• couple, family, or household details
• client phone numbers
• other sensitive content

Anyone with a private calendar feed URL can view the appointment times and details included in that feed. Reset the link if it may have been shared.

If a location’s Include access instructions in appointment emails and client calendars checkbox is selected and the client feed includes locations, that location’s instructions also appear in the client’s calendar feed. This can include door codes, gate codes, or passwords. The checkbox is off by default and does not control instructions shown in the client portal. Provider feeds omit these access instructions. See Sharing location access instructions before enabling it.

Google Calendar feed not appearing

After subscribing to a calendar feed in Google Calendar, the calendar may not appear right away in every Google Calendar view. If the feed is missing, open Google Calendar sync settings and make sure the subscribed calendar is selected.

Using provider calendar feeds with Calendly

Calendly tip If you use Calendly for public scheduling, subscribe to the PracticeRunner provider feed in the calendar account Calendly already checks, such as Google Calendar, iCloud Calendar, or Outlook. Then confirm in Calendly that the subscribed calendar is included when Calendly checks for conflicts.

This does not connect Calendly directly to PracticeRunner. It gives Calendly another read-only calendar to consider through your existing calendar account.

The usual pattern is:

1. Copy the clinician’s provider calendar feed from Settings → Calendar.
2. Subscribe to that feed in the clinician’s main calendar account, such as Google Calendar, iCloud Calendar, or Outlook.
3. In Calendly, make sure that calendar account is connected and that the subscribed calendar is included anywhere Calendly lets you choose calendars to check for availability.
4. Create a test appointment in PracticeRunner and confirm that it appears in the calendar account Calendly is using.

This keeps the setup simple because PracticeRunner does not need a separate Calendly connection. It also keeps the feed one-way and read-only. Calendly and your calendar app decide how quickly subscribed calendar changes appear, so test the timing before relying on it for live booking.

Common questions

Do clients need to use a calendar feed?

No. Calendar feeds are optional. Automated email reminders can be used for clients who prefer not to set up a feed.

Will calendar feeds update instantly?

PracticeRunner updates the feed when appointments change, but each calendar app decides how often it refreshes subscribed calendars.

Can a client use both a calendar feed and email reminders?

Yes, depending on the practice and client reminder settings.

What if a calendar feed link is shared accidentally?

Reset the client’s calendar feed URL. The old link will stop working.

Do reminders include clinical information?

No. Appointment reminders should use privacy-safe details and should not include notes, diagnoses, billing information, or other clinical content.

Where to manage these settings

Clinicians can manage their provider feed in Settings → Calendar.

Practice owners can manage practice-level client calendar feed and appointment reminder settings in Settings → Portal.

A client’s individual calendar feed and appointment reminder settings are managed from that client’s profile.