SMS notifications for Patient portal
under review
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Kaitlyn Lackey
As someone who struggles with 5 email accounts myself, please enable SMS notifications. I would love for each message to have a 3 dot menu off to the side where we can select "notify via SMS that there's a portal message, client please check your email"
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Christopher Brehm
I use SpruceHealth for most of my messaging with clients. SMS text (with client consent) for basic appointment scheduling issues, and for anything more detailed, I ask them to either use IQ/PQ messaging or to install the SpruceHealth app on their phone for secure encrypted instant messaging.
Any chance that a SpruceHealth subscription could simply be integrated into IQ/PQ (among the other third party Integrations)? It would obviously take some research, and I'm guessing "no" since the messages are by definition encrypted, but thought I'd float the question. Tyson Edwards
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Cara Czarnecki
Any updates on this feature? This is sooo important as many of my clients are missing important messages because it’s getting lost in their email
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Heather Schumer
Tyson Edwards any update on this?
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Avigail Spetner
If interactive messaging via SMS is offered (not just an SMS notification of a portal message), I would like to be able to Opt Out. I find that since intakeQ's portal messaging is browser based, patients don't abuse/overuse it as much as an "oh, let me text my doctor" feature.
to clarify, I do support SMS notifications of portal messages:)
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Cara Czarnecki
I personally use this to send a bill message to clients whether I’m sick or vacation or updating on paperwork/ policies. An sms each time would be great in my situation bc I use another method of hipaa Compliant texting for back and forth messaging
Tyson Edwards
Hello, wanted to ask a question here. You wouldn't want a SMS to go to the client for each message posted right? That seems like it would be alot of SMS's if you are having a conversation.
Should it be after a set time?
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Shawn Faust
Tyson Edwards: I'd vote for each time. Personally, I do not have drawn out conversations with clients. If it requires this, I schedule a follow up to discuss. Usually, they reach out due to a side effect or need to schedule/reschedule, I give an answer or offer a time. They reply and that's it.
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William Schroeder
Tyson Edwards: I think I would allow that to be selected by the client (sms or email notification).
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Tammy Hulsey
Tyson Edwards: It would be great if we have the option when creating a message to send via SMS or email or both like we do when sending an appointment confirmation. Some clients do not check their email or the Patient Portal but just about everyone checks their phone for messages. This would help our providers from using their own phone to message clients via text which also provides their contact information. They could message from the portal and their personal phone numbers would not be shared. Our messages can be a mixture of both long and short.
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Dr. Tiffany Hwang
Tyson Edwards: I would want an SMS sent for each message.
To get more complicated, If I send 3 messages in a row within maybe 10 minutes without client response, then only 1 SMS needs to be sent. But if we’re having a conversation they should get an SMS with each of my messages so they know I’ve responded.
Tyson Edwards
William Schroeder: right but this would be more about the frequency. i.e. Send SMS to client after Each Portal Message is sent by provider. Or maybe there is a setting where a time period would have to pass before sending another SMS.
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William Schroeder
Tyson Edwards: the time period seems wise.
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Monika Sharma
Tyson Edwards: I'd love to use it like we tend to use text messaging services - real time and as much frequency as required.
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K. Waggoner (Admin)
Tyson Edwards: My vote is every time as well. When we use SMS/text through our phone service, the exchanges with each patient is maybe 2-3 messages, if that.
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Edward Stern
Tyson Edwards: I see a mixed answer here. I think some of my peers are thinking of moving from the portal to a "Text" solution. This is an entirely different product. I would say that we allow the client/patient to either choose SMS or email and BUT allow us to turn on that option for people to pick (much like with the appointment reminders). ALSO the problem is your portal system sees everything as a new message throughout the single day so this could get very expensive since we pay per message. I'm not sure I like that idea. While the best thing would be if we built out the product so it wasn't just one crazy long thread, had the ability to have multiple people manage the mesage string etc... (IMHO the higher priority) and if we had an App for the patients so they got notifications and not texts (it's 2023 and all the competition offers this)... I worry that it could get expensive to text they with each portal message... especially since the system is turned on to email them dailiy if they don't pick up the message.
I have patients that I ask follow-ups to some use this like a text box so they text a paragraph, then another etc... it could be insane to pay for texts
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Michelle
Tyson Edwards: maybe an option that we can select to notify patient via sms. As in they don't automatically get a notification but if we want one sent there is a button (send notification via sms)
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Dr. Jason Dixon
Tyson Edwards: I can see the value in both capabilities. In my practice it would make more sense to have a time frame for the notifications rather than for each and every message.
I.e. After the initial visit with a new patient, they receive 4-5 different portal "messages" within a 2-3 minute time frame. (Invoice/receipt, exam reports, care plan documents, and a link to review if finding videos, any resources I told them I would send, etc)
If I received 4-5 texts in a short period that are basically telling me to check the portal for important stuff, I would find it annoying and likely mute the texting feature.
If I was actively conversing through the portal and my phone was blowing up with texts, that would also be tedious.
I love the idea of a client notification from an app or pushed notifications from the website. Of course that is a whole different coding can of worms, though it may be a better long term solution in addition or instead of using SMS.
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MCL
Tyson Edwards: Having the option for practitioner to get sms notifications on the messenger would be incredibly useful
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Dr. Beau Casey
YES!!! This would make things so much more effective
Samantha Sellers, APRN-C
Curious about an update on this feature request as we are considering using a texting service instead of the portal even though I would prefer to use the portal. But client management is better with sms notifications. Even if a client could get a text saying there is a new message, that would be helpful. Clients don't check their emails enough.
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Lexi Schmidt
YES! Need time sensitive notifications on my end and the client's end
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