We’ve released a new enhancement to recall skipping called Smart Skip. This makes Hippo better at understanding which patients should be skipped and which should still be invited, especially in practices where patients attend frequently for unrelated reasons.
This update gives you two clear options for how to handle patients with upcoming appointments:
✔ Safe Skip (the original broad skipping rule)
✔ Smart Skip (our new, precise skipping rule)
Here’s everything you need to know.
🔒 Option 1: Safe Skip
Skip patients with any upcoming appointment
This is the original behaviour that practices already use.
If Safe Skip is ON:
Hippo excludes any patient with any future appointment, regardless of reason
This avoids double bookings and unnecessary messages
But… it can also skip patients who have frequent non-recall appointments (e.g. wound dressings, monitoring, phlebotomy)
Best for: practices that want the broadest protection against duplicate appointments.
🧠 Option 2: Smart Skip (NEW)
Skip patients who are already booked for this recall
Smart Skip makes skipping far more precise. It only excludes a patient if we have evidence that they’ve already booked for the same type of care you’re recalling them for.
Hippo now checks two things:
1️⃣ Did the patient use the Hippo booking link the last time we invited them?
2️⃣ Do they still have an upcoming appointment of the same slot type as this recall?
If both are true → Skip them.
If either is false → Recall them.
This means patients with lots of unrelated appointments will no longer be skipped accidentally.
Best for: maximising recall reach while still preventing duplication.
🔍 How Smart Skip Works (Simple Logic)
Smart Skip follows a step-by-step process for each patient:
1️⃣ Are they eligible for the indicator?
No → ❌ Don’t recall
Yes → Continue
2️⃣ Is this the patient’s first-ever Hippo recall?
Yes → 📩 Always recall
No → Continue
3️⃣ Did they use the Hippo booking link last time?
No → 📩 Recall again
Yes → Continue
4️⃣ Do they have an upcoming appointment of the same slot type?
Yes → ✅ Smart Skip (they’re already booked for this recall)
No → 📩 Recall again
🧠 What this means in practice
✔ Patients with unrelated appointments
(e.g. dressings, INR, blood tests)
WILL be recalled again.
✔ Patients who booked by phone
MIGHT be recalled again.
✔ Patients who used the Hippo booking link for this care
and have an upcoming appointment
WILL be skipped.
✔ First-time recalls
Always sent.
This ensures you don’t miss high-need patients while still avoiding duplicate messages.
⚙️ How to Enable Smart Skip or Safe Skip
You can find both options in your Recall Configuration screen:
1️⃣ Click your initial in the top-right of Hippo and select Recall Config
2️⃣ Scroll to Appointment Skip Settings
3️⃣ Toggle on Skip Patients with Upcoming Appointments (if not already toggled on)
4️⃣ Enter the number of days to look ahead (e.g. 60)
5️⃣ Under Skip Mode, choose one of the following:
Safe Skip – Skip any patient with any upcoming appointment
Smart Skip – Skip only when they’re already booked for this recall
💾 All changes are saved automatically.
💬 Which option should I use?
Safe Skip → Best for practices who want to minimise risk and avoid sending recalls to anyone with any future appointment.
Smart Skip → Best for practices who want to maximise reach and avoid skipping patients who only have unrelated appointments.