Description
Send an SMS or email to a patient or non-patient from the Inbox with + Add Message, or from the patient card. Use a canned reply or type a message, send now or schedule it, and cancel a scheduled message with Remove. Non-patients need a first and last name. Their phone number and email must be unique. Messaging a non-patient does not create an EHR record.
Summary
You can send a text (SMS) or email from two places:
The Inbox, using + Add Message
The patient card, by clicking the patient’s name on a report or in Patient Search
Each send is one channel. Choose Text or Email - not both in the same send. Use a canned reply or type your own message. Send immediately, or schedule a date and time.
Patients come from the EHR/EMR. If the person is not in the EHR yet, choose Non-patient. That creates an Inbox-only contact. It does not add them to the EHR or to Patient Search.
Incoming messages appear grey. Outgoing messages appear blue. One person should have one conversation. If a reply shows on a second row, see Why there are two conversations for the same person.
Send from the Inbox
To [send a text or email from the Inbox]:
Open the Inbox.
Click + Add Message.
Choose Patient or Non-patient.
Enter the name and select the correct person from the list.
Choose Text (SMS) or Email.
Click Canned reply to use a saved template, or type a custom message.
Click the airplane icon to send now, or open the arrow next to it and choose Scheduled send.
You can also open an existing thread and reply there. That keeps the history on the same conversation.
Send from the patient card
To [message a patient from a report]:
Click the patient’s name in Patient Search or on any report.
Choose Text (SMS) or Email.
Select a canned reply or type a message.
Send now, or use Scheduled send.
This is the same composer as the Inbox. It is often faster when you are already working a report.
Message a person who is not a patient
Use this for a lead, attorney, or anyone who is not in the EHR yet.
In the Inbox, click + Add Message.
Select Non-patient.
Enter first name, last name, cell phone, and/or email.
Compose the text or email and send (or schedule).
Rules that block the Send button or create a second thread later:
First name and last name are required. If you do not have a last name, enter at least one character as a placeholder and update it later.
Phone numbers must be unique among non-patients.
Email addresses must be unique among non-patients.
The same phone cannot be reused on another non-patient, even if the name or email is different.
The same email cannot be reused on another non-patient, even if the name or phone is different.
What this does not do:
It does not create a patient in the EHR (ChiroTouch Classic, ClinicMind / Genesis / Billing Dynamix / Vericle, or others).
The non-patient does not appear in standard Patient Search.
The thread lives in the Inbox only. Search the Inbox by name or phone to find it again.
Non-patients show a circle icon with a person with a line through it on the Inbox row.
When that person is later added in the EHR, match first name, last name, cell phone (including format), and email exactly - capitalization and spacing included - or TrackStat will keep two conversations. See Why there are two conversations for the same person.
Do not send PHI by text or email.
Schedule a message and cancel it
Use Scheduled send when the message should go later - for example, after a patient returns from a trip, or first thing the next morning.
Write the text or email.
Open the arrow next to the airplane icon and choose Scheduled send.
Pick a preset time or a custom date and time.
To [see every scheduled message], set the Inbox filter to Scheduled.
To [cancel a scheduled message]:
Filter the Inbox to Scheduled.
Open that person.
Click the three dots.
Choose Remove.
Remove cancels that scheduled send. It does not delete the rest of the conversation.
Canned replies
Canned replies are saved templates you can insert instead of typing the same message each time.
In the composer, click Canned reply, choose a folder, and select the template.
To create or edit templates, use the Canned reply button in a thread, or go to Communications → Message Manager. Full steps are in How do I create a new canned reply in the Inbox? and Message Manager.
Leads in the Inbox
A lead may be someone who started online scheduling and did not pick a time, or an inquiry from the website or phone.
They show a circle icon with a person with a line through it because they are not an EHR patient yet.
Important (yellow icon) only flags the thread for later.
Add to Follow Up adds notes and a follow-up date and puts them on the Follow Up report.
Use Add to Follow Up when you need a date and a work list. Use Important only as a reminder flag. Details: Follow Up - Using the Follow Up Report.
Patients who should exist in the EHR still belong in the EHR. Do not use a non-patient contact as a long-term substitute for a patient record if they have been entered in the EHR.
After you send
The new outbound message is the latest bubble in that thread. The Inbox preview follows that last message.
If you use Exclude Campaign Messages as your working filter view, a later automated reminder in the same thread can hide the row from that view. The send still happened. Switch to Unread or All Messages, or search the name. See Why a patient text looks missing in the Inbox.
A patient who replied STOP cannot be texted again until they text START to your office number. Staff cannot override that. See How to handle unwanted texts, opt-outs, and disabling communications.
Long texts use more than one credit. Plan about 145 characters per credit.. See Text message character limits and why an SMS splits into segments.
There is no built-in download or print for a single Inbox message. Capture the screen with your device’s screenshot tool if you need a copy. See How do I print or download a message from the Inbox?
What not to do
Do not create a second non-patient with a phone or email that already exists.
Do not expect + Add Message (Non-patient) to add someone to the EHR or to Patient Search.
Do not use a blast or drip campaign to message people who are not patients. Campaigns require EHR patients. Inbox + Add Message is the one-off path for a non-patient.
Do not treat a scheduled message as sent until its time has passed. Check the Scheduled filter if you need to change or cancel it.
Quick answers
Where do I start a brand-new text?
Inbox → + Add Message → Patient or Non-patient → Text or Email.
Can I text someone who is not in our EHR?
Yes. Choose Non-patient. First and last name are required. Phone and email must be unique. This does not create an EHR patient.
How do I send at a later time?
Use Scheduled send. Find or cancel it under the Scheduled filter → three dots → Remove.
Why is Send greyed out on a non-patient?
Last name is empty, or the phone or email is already used on another non-patient.
I sent a message and their reply is on another line.
You likely have a patient row and a non-patient row, or two patient records with mismatched name or date of birth. See Why there are two conversations for the same person.
Can I restrict who uses the Inbox?
No. Every user can open the Inbox. See How the Inbox works.
Can I send from the mobile app?
Yes. Open the messaging window for that person. You cannot Open or Close a conversation on mobile.
