Chat: secure patient messaging
Send and receive secure messages with patients.
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- chatmessagingcommunication
Chat is HIPAA-compliant secure messaging. Patients message you from their portal; you reply from the Chat page or from within the patient chart. This article covers threads, attachments, and notification settings.
The chat inbox
Go to Chat to see all conversations. Threads are sorted by most recent message. Unread threads are bold with a blue dot. The left sidebar shows filters: All, Unread, My patients, Assigned to me. Click a thread to open it.
Replying
Type your message in the box at the bottom. Press Enter to send, Shift+Enter for a new line. You can format text with bold, *italic*, and code. Attach files with the paperclip icon (max 10 MB per file). Patients receive an email/SMS notification that they have a new message (they don't see the content in the notification).
Starting a new thread
Click New message and select a patient. You can only message patients who have activated their portal and not opted out of messaging. The first message should introduce yourself and set expectations for response time (e.g., "We typically reply within 1 business day").
Assigning and tagging
Assign a thread to a specific staff member with the dropdown at the top. Use tags like "Urgent", "Refill request", "Billing question" to categorize. Tags help with filtering and reporting. You can create custom tags under Chat → Settings.
Message templates
Save frequently used replies as templates. Click the template icon (or type "/") to insert. Examples: appointment reminders, lab result notifications, prescription ready. Templates can include placeholders like {{patient.first_name}} that auto-fill.
Notifications
You get a browser notification and email when a patient messages you (unless you're actively viewing that thread). Adjust notification preferences under Settings → Notifications. You can mute specific threads if a patient is overly chatty — you'll still see the messages when you check, but you won't get pinged.