Module guide · Clinical

Communication

Secure messaging between staff, patients, and departments: compose from a template, send to the right people over the right channel, and track delivery, acknowledgement, and response time.

Overview Dashboard Inbox Outbox / Compose Thread & conversations Templates Preferences Broadcasts Stats & export Good practices

What this module is for

Inbox, Outbox, Conversations, Preferences and Stats are open to most clinical and administrative staff. Templates and Broadcasts are limited to management roles.

Who uses it

Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, social workers and care coordinators send and receive secure messages. Directors, department heads and nurse managers additionally manage templates and send broadcasts.

Where to find it

Open Communication from the sidebar. Nine screens: a dashboard, Inbox, Outbox, Conversations, Templates, Preferences, Broadcasts, and Stats & Export.

1
Compose
Pick a message type and priority, optionally start from a template, add recipients (staff, patients, or a whole role) and a channel.
2
Send or save as draft
Sent messages land in every recipient's inbox and this user's outbox, grouped into a thread.
3
Read, acknowledge, reply
Recipients read, star or archive it; messages requiring acknowledgement show an "Ack required" flag until confirmed.
4
Track and export
Delivery rate, response time, and PHI access are all tracked, with CSV/FHIR/PDF export tools for compliance.

A few terms you'll see throughout

Every message carries a priority — Routine, Urgent, ASAP, or STAT (highest) — and a message type such as Clinical Note, Consultation Request, or Code Blue. A message can be sent over 9 channels (In-App, Email, SMS, Phone, Fax, Push, Video, Patient Portal, EHR Direct), and can require a documented acknowledgement from the recipient.

Dashboard

A hub with quick stats, an urgent-message panel, and navigation into every other screen.

Stat tiles

Field	What it means
Unread	Unread inbox messages; flagged red if above zero.
Urgent / STAT	Messages at ASAP or STAT priority awaiting attention; flagged red if above zero.
Total Messages Sent, Total Video Sessions	Module-wide totals; video sessions are managed in the Telemedicine module, only counted here.

An "Urgent — Requires Attention" panel lists up to 6 urgent messages when any exist, each linking straight to its thread. Two charts break down the last 50 inbox messages by type and by priority.

Inbox

Messages addressed to you.

Row elements & actions

Field	What it means
Sender, subject, priority badge	Bold when unread.
Ack required badge	Amber; shown only if the message needs acknowledgement and hasn't received one yet.
Star / Archive	Quick-action icons on each row, don't open the thread.
Mark All Read	Header action, clears unread status on every inbox message.

Clicking a row opens its thread. Paginated 20 per page.

Outbox / Compose

Messages you've sent, and the full compose form for a new one.

Compose Message drawer

Field	What it means
Message Type*	28 types, e.g. Clinical Note, Discharge Summary, Code Blue, Rapid Response, Task Assignment. Defaults Patient Message.
Priority	Routine, Urgent, ASAP, or STAT. Defaults Routine.
Start from Template	Optional; only offers templates matching the chosen Message Type. Auto-fills Subject/Message, prompting for any {{placeholder}} values first.
Patient Context	Optional; ties the message to a patient record.
Channel	9 options (In-App, Email, SMS, Phone, Fax, Push, Video, Patient Portal, EHR Direct). Defaults In-App.
Subject, Message*
Requires acknowledgment, Confidential	Checkboxes.
Recipients*	At least one; each is Staff, Patient, or Role (a whole job title, e.g. all Nurses), with "Add Recipient" for more.

Save Draft keeps it unsent; Send delivers it to every recipient's inbox under a shared thread.

Thread & conversations

Two views onto the same messages: a classic full-thread page, and a chat-style two-pane Conversations screen.

Thread (classic view)

Opening a thread marks it read. Each bubble can be Acknowledged (if required) or Retracted (with a reason, sender only) and shows any attachments. A reply box keeps the conversation going; Export PDF downloads the whole thread.

Conversations (chat view)

Groups your inbox and outbox into one thread per person, refreshing every 10 seconds. The composer supports Enter-to-send and file attachments; "New Message" sends to a single staff or patient recipient without templates or priority controls.

Message templates

Reusable subject/body templates with {{placeholder}} variables. Management roles only.

New Template drawer

Field	What it means
Template Name, Subject Template, Body Template*	Subject and body each support an Edit/Preview toggle.
Message Type, Default Priority	Applied automatically when the template is used in Outbox.
Insert Variable	Drop-in menu for common placeholders (patientName, providerName, appointmentDate, appointmentTime, facilityName) or a custom name.
Category Tag	Optional free-text grouping label.

Preview mode substitutes sample values so you can check formatting before saving. Deactivating a template removes it from the Outbox picker without deleting its history.

Notification preferences

Each staff member's own settings for how and when they're notified.

Channels & categories

Toggle Email, SMS, Push, and In-App on or off, then set a per-category preference (Appointment Reminders, Lab Results, Messages, Telehealth) to one of 8 combinations, from "All" to "None."

Quiet hours & digest

Suppress non-urgent notifications during a set window, and optionally group them into a daily digest delivered at a chosen hour instead of arriving one by one.

Broadcasts

Send one announcement to everyone in a role or a department. Management roles only.

Send Broadcast form

Field	What it means
Target*	By Role (type a role name, e.g. NURSE) or By Department (type a department ID).
Priority	Defaults Routine.
Subject, Message*

Sending another broadcast

After a successful send, the audience and priority stay set so you can quickly send a follow-up, only Subject and Message clear.

Stats & export

Analytics over a 7/30/90-day window, plus compliance export tools.

Stat tiles

Field	What it means
Unread, Pending Acknowledgments	Flagged red if above zero.
Scheduled Messages, Notification Delivery Rate
PHI Access Events, Audit Log Entries	Compliance-tracking counts for this module.
Session Completion Rate, Avg Audio MOS, Avg Response Time (min)	MOS (Mean Opinion Score) reflects telehealth audio quality.

Export tools

Field	What it means
Export Communications	Scope: Patient, Thread, Inbox, Date Range, or Video Sessions. Format: PDF, CSV, JSON, or HL7 FHIR Bundle. Always requires a typed export reason; can redact PHI.
Export Patient FHIR Bundle	One patient's full communication history in FHIR format.
Export Audit Log (CSV)	PHI-access/audit trail for a date range, for compliance reporting.

Good practices

Use Templates for recurring messages

Only templates matching the selected Message Type appear in Outbox, keep templates' Message Type accurate so staff can find them.

Acknowledge messages that require it

"Ack required" is meant for messages where read-receipt alone isn't enough, it stays flagged until explicitly confirmed.

Always give a reason when exporting

Every export, general or FHIR, requires a typed reason, it's the compliance trail for who pulled PHI and why.

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