Check-In Emails Between Sessions: 9 Short Templates (Under 2 Minutes)

Your patient left motivated. They understood the plan. They promised to follow through.

Two weeks later? Radio silence until the next appointment—when you discover nothing changed.

The problem isn't patient motivation. It's the gap between sessions.

A short check-in email bridges that gap. It takes under 2 minutes to send, costs nothing, and dramatically improves adherence. Yet most clinicians skip it because they don't have time to write personalized messages after every consultation.

Here are 9 ready-to-use templates that solve this.

Why Check-In Emails Matter (The Data)

Patients forget 40-80% of medical information immediately after leaving the consultation room. By day three, they've reconstructed their own version of your recommendations—often inaccurately.

A simple check-in email:

Reinforces the care plan at the moment it matters
Surfaces obstacles early (before they derail progress)
Builds trust without adding billable time
Differentiates your clinic from practices that only communicate at booking

For multi-practitioner clinics, standardized check-ins also solve a hidden problem: inconsistent patient experience. When follow-up quality depends on which clinician saw the patient, your clinic brand suffers.

How to Use These Templates

Copy the template that matches your situation
Replace bracketed text with patient-specific details
Send from your clinic email (or automate with your follow-up system)
Time it right: 3-7 days post-session works best for most specialties

Pro tip: These templates work even better when paired with the recap and care plan you sent after the session. The check-in becomes a natural continuation, not a random touchpoint.

General Templates (Any Specialty)

Template 1: The Simple Progress Check

Subject: Quick check-in: How's it going, [First Name]?

Hi [First Name],

Just a quick note to see how things are going since our session on [date].

Have you had a chance to start on [specific action from care plan]? Any obstacles coming up?

No need for a long reply—even a one-liner helps me prepare for our next appointment.

[Your name]

When to use: Universal. Works for any patient, any specialty. Send 5-7 days after the session.

Template 2: The Obstacle Anticipator

Subject: [First Name] — checking in on [specific goal]

Hi [First Name],

I know [specific change/action] can be tricky to maintain in the first week. How's it feeling so far?

If something's getting in the way, let me know—we can adjust the approach before our next session rather than starting over.

Talk soon, [Your name]

When to use: When you've prescribed a behavioral change that typically has early drop-off (new habits, exercises, dietary changes).

Template 3: The Encouragement Boost

Subject: One week in — how are you feeling?

Hi [First Name],

It's been a week since we met, and I wanted to check in.

Even small progress counts. What's one thing that's gone well so far?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[Your name]

When to use: For patients who need positive reinforcement, or after sessions where they expressed doubt about their ability to follow through.

Nutrition & Dietetics Templates

Template 4: The Food Plan Check-In

Subject: How's the meal plan working, [First Name]?

Hi [First Name],

Quick check-in on the nutrition plan we discussed.

A few questions to help me prepare for next time:

Were the portions realistic for your schedule?

Any meals that felt too complicated or unsatisfying?

How's [specific focus area, e.g., "the protein at breakfast"] going?

Even a quick "going well" or "struggling with X" helps.

[Your name]

When to use: 5-7 days after providing a new meal plan or dietary protocol.

Template 5: The Behavior-Focused Nutrition Check

Subject: Checking in: [specific behavior goal]

Hi [First Name],

I hope the week's treating you well.

We talked about focusing on [specific behavior: e.g., "eating without screens" or "adding vegetables to lunch"]. How's that going in practice?

Remember: consistency matters more than perfection. Even 3 out of 7 days is progress.

Let me know how you're doing.

[Your name]

When to use: When the session focused on behavioral goals rather than strict dietary protocols.

Mental Health & Therapy Templates

Template 6: The Coping Skills Check

Subject: [First Name] — how did [technique] work this week?

Hi [First Name],

I wanted to check in on the [specific technique: e.g., "breathing exercise" or "thought record"] we practiced.

Were you able to try it? What came up when you did?

These early observations will help us fine-tune the approach in our next session.

Take care, [Your name]

When to use: After introducing a new coping strategy, exercise, or therapeutic technique.

Template 7: The Gentle Accountability

Subject: Just checking in

Hi [First Name],

No agenda here—just wanted to see how you're doing this week.

If anything's come up that you'd like to discuss next time, feel free to jot it down so we don't forget.

See you on [next appointment date].

Warmly, [Your name]

When to use: For ongoing therapy patients, particularly during difficult phases or when you want to maintain connection without pressure.

Dental & Clinical Procedure Templates

Template 8: The Post-Procedure Check

Subject: How are you feeling after [procedure]?

Hi [First Name],

Just checking in after your [procedure] on [date].

Quick questions:

Any unexpected discomfort or sensitivity?

Have you been able to follow the care instructions?

Any concerns before your follow-up?

If something doesn't feel right, don't hesitate to call us at [phone].

[Your name / Clinic name]

When to use: 24-72 hours after dental procedures, minor surgeries, or any clinical intervention requiring home care.

Template 9: The Treatment Plan Progress

Subject: Your treatment plan — quick check-in

Hi [First Name],

We're now [timeframe] into your treatment plan for [condition/goal].

Before your next visit, I'd like to know:

How are you finding the [specific aspect: e.g., "night guard" or "home care routine"]?

Any changes or symptoms to report?

This helps me prepare so we can make the most of your appointment time.

Best, [Your name]

When to use: Mid-way through multi-visit treatment plans to catch issues early.

Making Check-Ins Sustainable for Your Clinic

Here's the reality: these templates take 2 minutes to personalize and send.

But in a busy multi-practitioner clinic, even 2 minutes per patient adds up. And when check-ins depend on individual clinician habits, quality varies wildly.

The solution isn't "try harder." It's systematizing the follow-up workflow.

Modern clinics are moving toward post-consultation automation: generating the recap, care plan, and follow-up sequence directly from session notes. The clinician's job is the consultation. Everything after—the patient-facing summary, the check-in timing, the document formatting—can be standardized.

The result:

Every patient gets consistent follow-up, regardless of which clinician they saw
Clinicians reclaim admin time they can't bill for anyway
Patient adherence improves because communication doesn't depend on who remembered to send what

The Bottom Line

Check-in emails aren't a nice-to-have. They're the bridge between "patient understood the plan" and "patient actually followed it."

The templates above give you a starting point. But the real win comes when follow-up stops being a manual task that falls through the cracks—and becomes a reliable system that runs alongside your clinical workflow.

Your patients leave your office motivated. A good follow-up system keeps them that way.

Looking to standardize post-consultation follow-up across your clinic? See how Dya generates patient recaps, care plans, and check-in sequences from your session notes →

Related articles:

How to Write a Patient Care Plan That Actually Gets Followed
Post-Consultation Admin: What Can (and Can't) Be Automated
Why Multi-Practitioner Clinics Need Standardized Patient Communication