Understanding Pending Clients and Pending Appointments

This article explains how pending clients and pending appointments work at Rula, including when they appear on your calendar, how they’re managed, and what to do if changes are needed. It also covers communication rules, cancellation timelines, and provider best practices.

Quick Reference – Pending Appointments FAQ

The table below offers fast answers to common questions about pending clients and pending appointments, from scheduling rules to communication guidelines. For more details and examples, see the full article below.

What is a Pending Client?

A pending client is a patient who has scheduled an initial appointment but has not yet completed their required registration form.

When a patient books their first appointment, Rula creates a "pending appointment hold" on your calendar. This appointment remains pending until the registration process is complete.

Additional context regarding the patient experience during the registration process:

To complete the registration process, a patient must complete the registration form. This form is available for patients to complete immediately after selecting a therapist and the date/time of their initial appointment. If the patient does not complete the form during the sign-up session, they are sent multiple reminder emails with a link to complete it. If they no longer have the emails with the registration link, they can reach out to Support to get the link resent.

The form is required and includes the following information to be input by the patient:

• Interest in additional Rula services
• Patient address
• Subscriber ID and primary member on their insurance
• Sex assigned at birth
• Credit card information

Important:

• Patients are not required to complete their pre-appointment check-in survey as part of registration to confirm their initial appointment.
• Patients are not required to complete their consents as part of registration to confirm their initial appointment. They will be required to complete consents when in the waiting room before entering their first appointment.

Exceptions

In some cases, a client may have completed their registration form successfully, but the appointment does not automatically update from "pending" to "confirmed" due to insurance verification delays or an invalid credit card being entered. In these situations, Rula will reach out to the patient to resolve the issue, so nothing is needed from you as the patient's provider - the appointment status will automatically update to "confirmed" once benefits are verified and a valid credit card is on file. 

Key Facts About Pending Appointments

• The Pending Appointment flow only applies to initial appointments (not follow-ups).
• Pending Appointments can only be added to your calendar 25+ hours before the scheduled time
• Pending Appointments remain on your calendar until:
  • The appointment is confirmed as the client completes registration, OR
  • If no registration is completed, the pending appointment is automatically canceled:
    • If the initial appointment hold is booked less than 6 days before the appointment, the pending appointment is canceled 14 hours before the scheduled time.
    • If the initial appointment hold is booked more than 6 days before the appointment, the pending appointment is canceled 6 days after the last automated message.
      • If automatically canceled, the appointment will disappear from your calendar completely.

Canceling or Rescheduling a Pending Appointment

• You can cancel a pending appointment in the Rula provider portal.
• You cannot reschedule a pending appointment in the Rula provider portal.
  • If you need to reschedule a pending appointment before it’s confirmed, contact Support via the AI search bar to reschedule. A live Service Team member is available upon request.
• Once the appointment is confirmed, you can manage it directly in the Rula provider portal, as usual.

Viewing Canceled Pending Appointments

• Canceled Confirmed appointments remain visible in your calendar if you check the "Show canceled appointments" box.
• Canceled pending appointments do not appear—they are removed completely from your calendar view.
• If a pending appointment is canceled before confirmation, you'll not see any client information for that appointment.

Communication With Pending Clients

• Pending clients will appear on your Active clients list in the provider portal. If the initial appointment is canceled for any reason, the previously pending client will be moved to your Inactive client list.
• You can message pending clients directly via the Messaging tab in the Rula provider portal. However, messaging a pending client prior to the first appointment is not necessary. The Rula Patient Support Team handles all communication with pending clients. Once they've scheduled their initial appointment hold, pending clients receive reminder messages to complete registration via email and SMS every 48 hours. Any inbound inquiries are routed to Rula's Support team.

Rematch Requests for Pending Clients

• If you believe a pending client needs to be rematched, do not submit a Provider Referral Form. Instead, contact Support via the AI search bar to reschedule. A live Service Team member is available upon request.

How Providers Can Help With Pending Clients

• Keep your availability up-to-date in the Rula provider portal.
• Continue to monitor your calendar for new appointments.

Additional Resources

If you need additional information on what happens if a pending or confirmed initial appointment is canceled or rescheduled, including payment rules for pending appointments, please see the article: What happens if an initial appointment is canceled or rescheduled?

Updated May 13, 2026 16:54