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Unable to Reach Patient Letter Template
An unable to reach patient letter asks a patient to call the practice by a set date, after calls and portal messages about a result or a missed follow-up go unanswered. Copy the letter or download it, with a repeat-test and a missed-appointment example, what to record for each attempt, and what to do if it comes back.
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- Word and text downloads
- Two filled examples
Blank unable to reach patient letter template
FreeIMPORTANT: PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE [Practice name] [Address] [Phone] [Date] PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL [Patient's full name] [Mailing address on file] Dear [Patient name], We have been trying to reach you. We called on [dates of calls] and sent a message by [portal, text, or email] on [date], but we have not been able to speak with you. [Clinician name] needs to talk with you about [a recent test, or a follow-up you were due for]. We have left the details out of this letter to protect your privacy. This is important for your health, so please do not wait for another call. Please call us by [date to call by] so we can [book a visit, arrange a repeat test, or rebook your appointment]. Phone: [Practice phone] Office hours: [Days and times] After hours: [After-hours line or on-call service] If you feel very unwell, go to the nearest emergency department or call [emergency number]. If you have moved, changed doctors, or already had this done somewhere else, please still call us. We will update your file and, with your permission, send what is needed to your new clinic. If you have already been in touch with us, thank you, and please disregard this letter. Sincerely, [Your name, credentials] [Practice name] [Signature] Sent by: [Regular mail, or tracked mail with proof of delivery] on [date sent]
Use it for
- Results that need follow-up
- Repeat tests not done
- Missed specialist appointments
- Unanswered calls and portal messages
- Patients who may have moved
Two filled examples. Every part, filled in.
Each one follows the template. Use them to judge how much detail every part needs.
Unable to reach patient letter: repeat blood test
Family practice; a blood count to repeat within 2 weeks, sent by tracked mail
Patient
52-year-old patient. The letter goes to the home address on file, in a sealed envelope with only the practice’s return address on the outside.
Attempts so far
We called you on Wednesday, October 7, and Friday, October 9, 2026, and left voicemails asking you to call us back. We also sent you a portal message on Thursday, October 8.
Why we’re writing
Your family doctor needs to speak with you about a recent blood test and arrange another one. We have kept the details out of this letter for your privacy. Please don’t wait for us to call again.
What to do
Call us by Monday, October 19, 2026, so we can book the blood test and a visit to go over it with you.
How to reach us
The office number above, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outside those hours, the same number connects you to the on-call doctor. If you feel very unwell, go to the nearest emergency department.
If your care has moved
If you now see another doctor or have moved away, call us anyway. We’ll update your file and, with your permission, send the result to your new clinic.
Sent and recorded
Signed by the family physician and sent by tracked mail on Monday, October 12, 2026. The chart holds a copy, the tracking number, and each attempt: October 7 at 9:40 a.m. and October 9 at 4:15 p.m., the mobile number on file, voicemail with no details, by the practice nurse; October 8, portal message, still unread. A reminder is set for October 19.
Unable to reach patient letter: missed specialist appointment
Family practice; the specialist’s office reports a no-show after a referral
Patient
67-year-old patient referred to a kidney specialist on Monday, September 21, 2026. On Wednesday, October 14, the specialist’s office faxed that the patient missed the appointment on Tuesday, October 13, and didn’t answer their 2 calls.
Attempts so far
We phoned you on Thursday, October 15, and Monday, October 19, 2026, and texted you on Friday, October 16, but haven’t heard back.
Why we’re writing
You missed a specialist appointment on Tuesday, October 13, that your doctor arranged for you. Your doctor still wants you to be seen, and the specialist’s office can offer a new date.
What to do
Please phone us by Tuesday, November 3, 2026. We’ll help you rebook, or talk through anything that made the date hard to keep.
How to reach us
Weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the number above. After hours, leave a message and a nurse will return it the next working day. If you feel very unwell, go to the nearest emergency department.
If your care has moved
If you’ve moved, changed doctors, or decided not to see the specialist, let us know. Your doctor can go over other options with you.
Sent and recorded
Signed by the family physician and mailed by regular mail on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, to the address the patient confirmed in August. The chart holds the specialist’s no-show report, a copy of the letter, and each attempt: October 15 at 11:05 a.m. and October 19 at 5:20 p.m., no answer and no voicemail set up, by the front desk; October 16, text. If there’s no reply, the physician reviews on November 3.
What official guidance says about patients you can’t reach. Checked October 2026.
No law sets out this letter. A provincial college, a federal health system, a state medical board, and a physicians’ defence organization say what to record, who stays responsible, and when a tracked letter fits. Check your own regulator’s policy too.
Ontario: test results
Physicians must document in the medical record every attempt to communicate a test result to the patient or to book a follow-up appointment. Ordering physicians must ensure that results they receive are followed up, and physicians must always communicate clinically significant results to the patient, in a timely way.
United States, VA health care
In VA medical facilities, results that need action must reach the patient within 7 calendar days of being available to the ordering provider or designee. If they can’t be communicated, for example because the patient hasn’t returned calls or secure messages, all attempts must be documented in the health record, and the ordering provider or designee may send a certified letter. The ordering provider or designee stays responsible even when other providers are copied on the result.
Washington
The Washington Medical Commission recommends a written system for communicating test results, in which the record shows who communicated each result, how, and when, and that the patient received it. Patients should get clear instructions to contact the practitioner and book follow-up, and a qualified designee takes over when the ordering practitioner is unavailable.
Across Canada: telling the patient
The CMPA’s checklist for test results asks whether you have verified the patient’s contact information, documented your attempts to contact them, considered other ways to notify them, and documented no-shows and arranged follow-up where needed.
Across Canada: who follows up
Except for tests with formal recall programs, such as Pap tests, stool tests for blood, and mammograms, responsibility for following up rests with the ordering physician. The CMPA suggests a policy on how many follow-up calls your office makes and when to try other methods, such as contacting next of kin or a substitute decision-maker with the patient’s prior consent.
Ontario: referrals
Referring physicians must have a way to track urgent referrals, to see whether they are received and acknowledged, and must involve patients, for example by telling them they can contact the referring office if they haven’t heard anything within a set time.
What goes in each part.
Attempts so far
Tells the patient you have tried to reach them, and when. In the copy you keep, it also shows the letter came after other attempts.
- The date of each call and message
- How you tried: phone, voicemail, portal, text, or email
- In the chart, not the letter: the time, the number or address used, and who made each attempt
Avoid: Repeating what each voicemail said. The dates are enough here; the detail belongs in the chart.
Why you’re writing
That a clinician needs to speak with the patient about a test or a follow-up, and that it matters. Someone else at the address may open the letter, so the result and the diagnosis stay out.
- Who needs to speak with them
- “A recent test” or “a follow-up you were due for,” in general words
- That it’s important for their health
Avoid: Naming the test, the result, or a clinic whose name gives the reason away, such as a cancer or sexual health clinic.
What to do, and by when
One action and one date, so the patient knows exactly what you need from them.
- A date to call by, set by how soon the clinician needs them seen
- What the call is for: a visit, a repeat test, or a new appointment
- That they shouldn’t wait for another call
Avoid: “At your earliest convenience.” Give a date.
How to reach us
Every way the patient can get through, including outside office hours.
- The phone number that reaches your team, and the office hours
- The after-hours line or on-call service
- Where to go if they feel very unwell
- The portal or email, if your team reads it daily
Avoid: Office hours only. A patient who works days may only be able to call in the evening.
If care has moved
Patients move and change clinics. Ask them to call anyway, so the follow-up reaches whoever looks after them now.
- Moved, changed doctors, or had it done elsewhere
- That you will update your records
- That you can send what’s needed to their new clinic, with their permission
Avoid: Assuming the patient has left. Until you hear otherwise, the follow-up is still yours.
Signature and how it was sent
Who sent the letter, and how, so the chart shows what was done and when.
- The clinician’s name and credentials
- Regular mail, or a trackable method such as certified or registered mail when the follow-up is urgent
- A copy in the chart, with the date sent and any tracking number
- A reminder for the call-by date
Avoid: Sending it and closing the task. The letter is one step in the follow-up, not the end of it.
Common mistakes, and how to avoid them.
The result in the letter
A partner, parent, or roommate may open the mail. Say a clinician needs to speak with the patient about a test, and give the result on the phone or at the visit.
No date to act by
“Please call when you can” tells the patient nothing about urgency. Give a date that fits how soon the clinician needs them seen.
A threat to end care
A warning that the practice will discharge the patient can stop a worried person from calling. Keep this letter about getting back in touch; ending care is a separate decision, with its own rules.
Attempts no one recorded
If the chart doesn’t show who tried, when, and how, there’s no record anyone tried. Note each attempt as it happens: date, time, method, and who.
Sending it and moving on
A letter doesn’t end the follow-up. Set a reminder for the call-by date, and have the clinician decide what to try next if there’s no reply.
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Frequently asked questions.
What should an unable to reach patient letter say?
That you have tried to reach the patient, with the dates; that a clinician needs to speak with them about a test or a follow-up; a date to call by; your phone number, hours, and after-hours line; and what to do if they’ve moved or changed doctors. Leave out the result and the diagnosis.
How many times should we try to contact a patient before sending a letter?
There’s no single number. Set one in your practice policy, with when to switch to a portal message, a letter, or another contact, and let the clinician shorten the steps when the result is urgent. Record every attempt: date, time, method, and who made it.
Should the letter go by certified or registered mail?
For a result or follow-up that needs action soon, a trackable method shows when the letter went out and, with a signature, that it arrived. For a routine follow-up, regular mail is often enough. Your practice policy and the clinician’s judgment of urgency decide.
Can I put the test result in the letter?
Better not. Someone else at the address may open the mail. Say a clinician needs to speak with the patient about a recent test, and give the result on the phone or at the visit.
Who is responsible when a patient can’t be reached?
The clinician who ordered the test, or a named colleague covering for them, stays responsible for the follow-up. Sending a letter doesn’t hand it to the patient. If there’s no reply by the date, the clinician decides what to try next and records that decision.
What if the letter comes back undelivered?
Scan the returned envelope into the chart and tell the clinician. Check every number and address you have, and any newer contact details in records you’re allowed to see. If the patient agreed in advance that you could contact a family member or substitute decision-maker, ask them only to have the patient call you.
Show all questions
What should we do when a patient misses a specialist appointment?
Record the specialist’s no-show report, try to reach the patient, and send this letter if calls fail. The referring clinician decides how urgently to follow it up, based on why they referred.
Can the letter say we’ll discharge the patient if they don’t reply?
Don’t. A warning like that can stop a worried patient from calling. Ending care is a separate decision, with its own professional rules where you practise.
Is this unable to reach patient letter template free?
Yes. Copy it, or download it as a Word or text file. No account needed.
Can Vero write an unable to reach patient letter?
Yes. Paste this template into Vero, type the attempts and what the patient needs, and Vero drafts the letter. Check the dates and that no result slipped in, then export it to PDF or Word, or print it.
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