Every Automation is built from three building blocks: a Trigger (the event that starts it), optional Conditions (rules that must be met), and one or more Actions (what happens as a result). Understanding each piece helps you build Automations that run exactly when and how you need them.
Triggers
A Trigger is the event that kicks off an Automation. Every Automation must have exactly one Trigger.
Available Triggers
Appointment Cancelled: Triggered when an appointment is cancelled. Cancelling an appointment to rebook it at a different time will also fire this trigger.
Appointment Created: Triggered when an appointment is booked. Use an Appointment Source condition to target a specific booking channel, such as direct booking.
Appointment Reminder Sent: Triggered when an appointment reminder is sent to a pet owner. It fires once for each reminder that goes out, so an appointment with both an email and a text reminder will fire this trigger twice. Use a condition on the Delivery Method to narrow it to one or the other. Reminders that are skipped or fail to send won't fire the trigger.
Diagnostic Status Changed: Triggered when a chart diagnostic's review status changes.
Patient Check In: Triggered when a patient is checked in for a visit
Patient Check Out: Triggered when a patient is checked out of a visit
Prescription Dispensed: Triggered when a prescription is dispensed via the 'Prescribe' button in the Prescriptions panel.
Treatment Completed: Triggered when a treatment is added and completed on the patient's treatment sheet.
Note: Only one Trigger can be used per Automation. If you need to act on multiple events, create a separate Automation for each. |
Conditions
Conditions are optional rules that must all be met before the Action fires. You can add multiple Conditions to a single Automation—if you do, every Condition must be satisfied. Conditions are grouped into three categories.
Patient Conditions
Patient Alert — include or exclude patients who have a specific Patient Alert (e.g., Caution, Aggressive). Multiple alerts can be selected.
Deceased Status — include or exclude patients marked as deceased.
PIMS ID — match or exclude a specific patient by their exact PIMS ID. One ID per Condition; partial IDs are not accepted.
Product Conditions
Invoice Tags — include or exclude products with a specific Invoice Tag (e.g., Surgery). Multiple tags can be selected.
Name — include or exclude products whose name contains or does not contain specific text. This field is case-sensitive.
PIMS ID — match or exclude a specific product by its exact PIMS ID. One ID per Condition.
Visit Conditions
Alerts — include or exclude visits where the patient has a specific Visit Alert (e.g., a Belongings note). Multiple alerts can be selected.
Reason — include or exclude visits whose Reason for Visit contains specific text. This field is case-sensitive.
Service — include or exclude visits tied to a specific Service (e.g., Neurology). One Service per Condition.
Status — include or exclude patients who were placed on a specific Status Board (Outpatient, Inpatient, Boarding, or OTW) during the visit.
Appointment Conditions
Hours until start — appointment start time is within a certain number of hours.
Service — includes or excludes appointments tied to a specific Service. Multiple services can be chosen.
Source — includes or excludes appointments made from certain sources (e.g., Pet Portal)
Type — includes or excludes certain appointment types. Multiple appointment types can be chosen.
Note: Not all Conditions are available for every Trigger. Visit related conditions cannot be used with a Dispensed Prescription trigger, and product related conditions cannot be used with Patient Check In or Check Out triggers. |
Actions
Actions are what the Automation does once a Trigger fires (and any Conditions are met). You can add multiple Actions to a single Automation.
Available Actions
Send Comm Log Message — creates a Comm Log entry and sends an email to the Primary Contact and/or Referrers. The subject and message are fully customizable and support snippets. Requires a valid email address on the client's account.
Send Comm Log with Handouts (can only be used with the Prescription Dispensed trigger) — emails the Primary Contact with PDF drug handouts attached for a dispensed prescription. All handouts linked to the prescription's monograph are included. The subject and message are customizable and support snippets. This action sends to the Primary Contact only.
Create Task — creates and assigns a task to a specific user or group. An optional Due Duration field sets when the task is due (in hours) after the Automation fires.
Create Document from Template — generates a document from a template. If the Automation is tied to a visit, the document is added to that visit; otherwise, it is added to the patient's chart in the Non-Visit section.
Create Notification — Send an in-app notification to a recipient.
Tip: Conditions are entirely optional. A simple Trigger → Action Automation with no Conditions will fire for every instance of that Trigger—useful for broad, catch-all workflows. |
Frequently asked questions
Can I add more than one Condition to an Automation?
Yes. You can add multiple Conditions, but all of them must be met for the Action to fire. For example, if you add a Reason for Visit condition of "Surgery" and a Patient Alert condition of "Aggressive," the Automation will only run for aggressive surgery patients—not one or the other.
Are the Name and Reason fields case sensitive?
Yes. The Product Name and Reason for Visit Condition fields are case sensitive. Make sure the text you enter matches exactly what appears in the app (for example, "In-House" vs. "In-house" will produce different results).
Can I use Visit Conditions with a Dispensed Prescription trigger?
No. Visit Conditions are only available for Triggers that are visit-based (Patient Check In, Check Out, and Completed Treatment). Similarly, Product Conditions are not available for Patient Check In or Check Out triggers.
Can I use the Send Comm Log action if a client doesn’t have an email address on file?
No. The Send Comm Log Message action requires a valid email address on the client’s account. If no email is on file, the Automation will not be able to deliver the message.
What happens if I add multiple Actions?
All Actions in an Automation will fire when the Trigger (and any Conditions) are met. For example, you could send a Comm Log message and create a follow-up Task at the same time.
Can I limit the medication handout automation to specific medications?
Yes. You can use Product Conditions to target specific medications, such as Cerenia, ensuring that only relevant handouts are sent automatically.
Why isn't my medication handout being sent automatically?
The medication handout automation only triggers when medications are dispensed via the RX tab. Adding medications to the Treatment Sheet will not activate the handout-sending automation.
Submit feedback
Feel free to give us feedback on Automations by submitting a feature request. In the in-app chat, select Ask a Question → Submit a Ticket → New Feature Idea. All feedback is submitted to the Product and Engineering teams.
Still need help?
Contact support via live chat or email: [email protected].