How active-patient limits work

The three tests

Clause 4.6 of the Terms sets each plan's maximum number of active patients. A patient record counts as active when all three of these are true:

• The record is active. Its status is active and it has not been deleted, so archived patients do not count.
• The patient can still be contacted on at least one channel. By SMS, that means SMS consent is recorded, the patient has not opted out of SMS, and the record holds a valid Australian mobile number. By email, it means email consent is recorded, the patient has not opted out of email, the record holds an email address, and email sending is switched on for your practice.
• The last visit is recent. The last recorded visit is within the preceding 24 months, or no last visit date is recorded.

If a patient has a preferred channel set, only that channel is assessed. Records that fail any test are stored but not counted, so your active count is usually lower than the number of records you have uploaded.

Which patients count

What to check before you import

Include the last-visit date column if your export has one. A patient with no last visit date recorded passes the recency test, so leaving the column out can bring long-lapsed patients into your count. Re-importing later refreshes each matched patient's last-visit date, never backwards, which can move a returning patient back inside 24 months. Contact columns matter too: SMS consent is recorded only against a valid Australian mobile number, and email consent only where an address is present (see the patient CSV import guide).

Why one opt-out does not remove a patient

Opt-outs are recorded per channel. A patient who opts out of SMS but can still receive email recalls keeps counting, because RecallQ can still contact them. Only a patient who has opted out of every channel, or for whom no usable contact details are held, stops counting. SMS vs email patient recalls explains how opt-outs work on each channel.

When the limit is applied

The limit is enforced when you import patients. RecallQ uses the same calculation to show your usage and to apply the limit, so the figure on the Import patients page (“Active patients” against your plan's limit) is the figure applied. The check happens before the import is applied. It adds up patients already active, new patients in the file who would count, and existing patients whose older last-visit date the import would bring back inside 24 months.

Under clause 4.7 of the Terms, an import that would take you beyond your plan's limit may be rejected in whole or in part. At present the portal declines the whole file and shows “No patients were imported”; nothing in your existing records changes. That describes how the portal behaves today and could change. The Terms say RecallQ will tell you by email and in the Service. Today, the email notice goes to the billing contact where one is set, at most once a day.

RecallQ does not delete patients, deactivate them or stop your recalls because your count is at or over the limit. Your count can also move without any action from you: a patient stops counting once their last visit passes 24 months, and a returning patient can start counting again, so your count can sit above the limit between imports.

Your options over the limit

Where an import would take you past your limit, the Terms say you may choose to:

• upgrade to a plan with a higher limit. The pricing page lists each plan's limit and price, and Enterprise arrangements are by agreement;
• remove specific patient records so that your count returns within your limit. In the portal you can archive patients one at a time: archiving stops their recall reminders, including any already scheduled, and removes them from your active count. Archived patients are kept and can be restored, and your practice software is not changed. If you later re-import a file that still lists archived patients, include a patient-number column; otherwise archived patients are added again as new patients. Removing records is your decision and your responsibility, including any obligation you have to retain patient records elsewhere; or
• contact RecallQ to discuss your situation, including whether an alternative arrangement is appropriate.

RecallQ may change the definition on reasonable prior notice, and the Terms are the binding wording.

Sources: RecallQ Terms of Service, clauses 4.6 to 4.8.