Patient Messaging

With BloomText, you can initiate 2-way, HIPAA-compliant conversations with your patients via text message or email, and they don’t have to download an app or remember a password.

This guide demonstrates how to use this feature, and includes interactive, step-by-step videos. You can click on any video to view it in full-screen mode.

Sections in this article

Upgrade to a Paid Plan

Using this feature requires a paid plan. If you’d like to evaluate BloomText Patient Messaging, you can activate a 7-day trial by sending us a message here.

You can also learn more about the pricing for BloomText Patient Messaging by following the link here.

Selecting a phone number

The first thing BloomText will ask you to do is select a phone number for your organization. We recommend choosing a phone number that contains an area code in your local region.

A BloomText representative will help you select your number when you upgrade to BloomText pro or start your free trial.

Assigning coworkers to a phone number

In BloomText, your phone number is linked to a team. You can control which users have access to your phone number by adding or removing them from that team.

Users with access to your phone number will be able to message patients, as well as view all existing patient conversations linked to that phone number.

Add patients to BloomText

Before you can message a patient, you need to add them to BloomText. There are multiple ways to add a patient to BloomText:

  • Through the Directory tab
  • The Create Conversation box
  • By importing a CSV

Adding via the Directory tab

To add a patient via the BloomText directory, navigate to the directory section, select the patients tab, and then click the create new button.

You can optionally add the following details to a patient in BloomText:

  • Date of birth (DOB)
  • MRN number (MRN)
  • First & Last name
  • Email address
  • Phone number

Create a conversation

You can also add a patient through the Create Conversation dialogue by typing in their phone number or email address and selecting “patient.”

Import a CSV

Coming soon, you’ll be able to import a CSV file of all your patients at once. In the meantime, you can reach out to BloomText support, and we can import your patient list for you.

Sending a message

In BloomText, there are three options for sending a patient a message: secure SMS, normal SMS, and secure email. Each option has it’s own strengths, discussed below.

Send a normal SMS

Use the normal SMS option when sending messages that don’t contain any protected health information (PHI), such as appointment reminders. With this option, the patient simply receives a text message from your organization’s phone number.

Send a secure SMS

You should use the “secure” option when you know your message will contain Patient Health Information (PHI). With this option, the patient will receive a message containing a link. Clicking the link will redirect them to a secure portal where they can view documents, and respond to your messages.

Send a secure email

Sometimes, a patient prefers to receive their messages via email. If you included the patient’s email address in their profile and selected the “secure” message option when creating a conversation, the patient will receive a secure email that will direct them to the same messaging portal as shown above.

Know when a patient views the message

When a patient clicks on a link to view a secure conversation, you will see their profile icon appear below the message they viewed. This allows you to confirm that a patient received a message.

Viewing & auditing patient conversations

In BloomText, you can adjust your inbox so that you are only viewing conversations related to your phone number. To do this, click on the inbox icon and switch to the team associated with your phone number.

Broadcast an update

BloomText also allows you to broadcast an update to a group of patients all at the same time. Each message will be sent in a separate conversation, allowing every patient to respond privately.

To learn more about Broadcast Message, read the guide here.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading about BloomText Patient messaging. If you have additional questions about this feature, you can send us a message here.

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