Workflows
Clinical workflows that run themselves
A workflow is follow-up work you write down once and the system runs from then on: chasing intake packets, contacting no-shows, sending screeners on schedule. In Valence, every step reads as a plain sentence. If you can read it, you can change it, without a flowchart or a consultant.
Nothing happens invisibly, either: every message, task, and skipped step lands in a per-patient log.
- thenAssign Consent, Intake, and PHQ-9, due in 7 days, and send the portal invite.
- waitUntil 3 days before the forms are due, unless they're already done.
- thenSend a gentle reminder for anything still incomplete.
- thenStill overdue a day later? Create a task for the clinician.
- Mon 2:14pEnrolled · added by front desk
- Mon 2:14p3 forms assigned · invite emailed
- Fri 9:00aReminder sent · 1 form left
- Fri 6:40pPHQ-9 done · nothing more to send
- Next TueClinician task, only if still incomplete
Workflows a behavioral health practice actually runs
Each one ships as a template. Start from it, adjust the timing, and publish, or write your own from a blank page.
New-patient intake
The moment a new patient is created, the workflow assigns the consent form, the intake packet, and a baseline PHQ-9, and sends the portal invite. Three days before the paperwork is due, anyone who hasn't finished gets one reminder. If it's still overdue a day later, the workflow opens a task for the clinician instead of messaging the patient again.
Patients arrive at the first session with paperwork done, and nobody at the front desk keeps a spreadsheet of who still owes a form.
No-show recovery
When a patient misses an appointment, they get a text that afternoon with a link to rebook. If nothing happens by the next morning, an email follows. If a week passes with no new appointment on the calendar, the front desk gets a task with the outreach history attached, and a person takes it from there.
In behavioral health a missed session is often avoidance rather than forgetting, which is why the sequence ends with a phone call from a person instead of a third text.
Measurement-based care
The workflow sends a PHQ-9 or GAD-7 on the cadence you choose: every two weeks, monthly, or tied to appointments. Each administration scores itself, bands the severity, and adds the point to the trend line on the patient's chart. When a score rises, the clinician sees it before the next session.
The instruments are built in (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, EPDS, AUDIT-C, and others), so there is nothing to photocopy, hand out, or score between sessions.
Crisis follow-up
A self-harm answer or a high-risk score flags the screen the moment the patient submits it and alerts the clinician. From there the workflow can shorten the time to the next check-in and send crisis resources, but it never replaces clinical judgment. The alert goes to a person, and what happens next is that person's decision.
Patient re-engagement
When a patient has no future appointment sixty days after their last visit, the workflow sends a short text under your practice's name with a booking link, then one email a week later. Anyone who books drops out of the sequence automatically; anyone who has opted out of texting is skipped while the rest of the workflow continues.
The template stops after those two messages on purpose. Re-engagement is where automated outreach can shade into marketing under the TCPA, so keep it modest and collect consent for it at intake. Our guide to texting patients legally covers where that line sits.
Group session logistics
For every group on the roster: a reminder the day before, the join link an hour out, and materials attached where the group calls for them. Members who cancel are noted before the session starts, so the facilitator opens the room with the final roster instead of a morning of confirmation texts.
Annual paperwork renewal
Consent forms and insurance details go stale without anyone noticing. This workflow re-assigns them on each patient's anniversary, reminds once, and opens a task if the renewal stalls. The chart stays current without a yearly cleanup project.
Post-discharge check-in
Thirty days after a care episode ends, the workflow sends a brief check-in and a screener. A score in the expected range closes the loop with a short goodbye message. A score outside it alerts the clinician and gives the patient a link to book a return visit.
Quiet hours, caps, and opt-outs
Texts go out between 8am and 9pm in the patient's own time zone. Each patient has a weekly message cap that applies across all workflows combined. A patient who opts out of texting is skipped, and the rest of their workflow carries on through email and tasks.
Crisis response is never fully automated. A flagged safety answer alerts a clinician immediately, and what happens next is a clinical decision, not an automated one. The workflow's only job there is to make sure the alert is seen.
Common questions about workflows
- Do I need a consultant to build a workflow?
- No. Every step reads as a plain sentence, like "send a reminder three days before the forms are due", and editing the workflow means editing the sentence. Most practices start from a template and publish in a few minutes.
- Will workflows spam my patients?
- No. Texts go out between 8am and 9pm in the patient's own time zone, each patient has a weekly cap across all workflows, and a patient who has opted out of texting is skipped while the rest of the workflow continues. Every send and every skip is recorded in the log.
- Can a screener score start a workflow on its own?
- Yes. A high PHQ-9, GAD-7, or other instrument score (or a flagged safety answer) can enroll the patient in a workflow that alerts the clinician, shortens the next check-in, and sends resources. The screener and the follow-up live in the same system.
- What do workflows cost?
- Workflows are included with Valence at no extra charge. The only usage cost is texting: $0.03 per SMS a workflow sends. Email steps, task steps, and form assignments are free, and there is no monthly fee.
- Can I see what a workflow did for a specific patient?
- Yes. Every chart carries a timestamped log of every message sent, every task created, and every step skipped, so "did anyone follow up?" has an answer you can read back.
Set up your first workflow
Start from a template and keep your own wording. Workflows are included with Valence at no monthly fee; the only usage charge is $0.03 for each SMS that goes out.