How to Clean Your Clinic Database Before Running a Campaign
Short answer: Before a campaign, clean your patient database safely: export a backup, remove or merge duplicates, confirm consent and opt-out status, correct obvious contact errors, and exclude patients who shouldn't be contacted. Log every change and reconcile counts before and after, so you know exactly who will receive the message.
Key takeaways
- Back up data before making changes.
- Merge duplicates and confirm consent status.
- Log every change.
- Reconcile counts before sending.
Why clean data before a campaign?
Messy data causes duplicate messages, messages to opted-out patients, and bounced emails or texts. It also makes results harder to measure.
A short cleanup before each campaign protects patient trust and compliance.
What should the cleanup include?
- Backup or export of the current list
- Remove or merge duplicate records
- Confirm consent and opt-out status
- Check contact details for obvious errors
- Exclude deceased, complaint holds or clinical holds
- Change log: what changed and why
- Final count: starting list, removed, final audience
How does the pre-campaign data hygiene checklist help?
The data hygiene checklist covers safe preparation, a change log and final count reconciliation.
Resource 096 is organized into these sections:
- Prepare safely
- Change log
- Final count reconciliation
Download Resource 096: Pre-campaign data hygiene checklist →
Frequently asked questions
Can we delete old patient records?
Follow record-retention rules for your profession and jurisdiction. Excluding from campaigns is different from deleting.
How do we confirm consent?
Check your system's consent fields and records. If unclear, treat as no consent.
Should we clean data before every campaign?
A light check before each, with a fuller cleanup quarterly.
What should you do next?
Download the free pre-campaign data hygiene checklist and complete it with your team this week.
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Related reading
- How to Audit Your Automations for Missed or Duplicate Messages (Resource 095)
- Where AI Can Help Your Clinic Team, and Where Human Review Matters (Resource 097)
- How to Calculate Your Clinic’s Break-Even Point (Resource 006)
About Aesthetic Intelligence. Aesthetic Intelligence helps aesthetic clinic owners and managers in Canada and the United States find missed revenue and turn it into practical action through strategy, operations systems, front-desk workflows and training. Founded by Chantel Allen, a former clinic COO with more than seven years of operations, AI and business-systems experience in Canadian medical aesthetics and longevity clinics.
Examples in this article are hypothetical. This is general operational guidance, not legal, financial, tax or medical advice. Clinical decisions belong with qualified clinicians, and advertising, privacy and consent requirements vary by province and state.