The "All Messages" view displays all of the Patient Channels that a user has access to across the Artera Enterprise. Patient Channels are sorted by the time of the most recent activity in a Patient's Channel. Users can sort these Patient Channels by “newest” or “oldest" and by Patient Channel status,“open” or “closed.”

To access the "All Messages" view: 

1. Select Inbox in the navigation bar.

2. By default, you will land on the "All Messages" view within the Inbox. The number displayed here indicates the amount of open Patient Channels. 
   
   

NOTE: The "All Messages" view displays Patient Channels, not patients. A patient will only appear in this view if they have a conversation history within Artera. Patients with no previous conversation history can be located using the Patient Search tool in the Patients Area. From there, a new conversation can be started by opening a new Patient Channel.

Sorting and Filtering in the All Messages View

Sorting

In the "All Messages" view, "open" Patient Channels are displayed by default. To display "closed" Patient Channels, select the Open tab below the search bar and choose "Closed".

By default, both the “open” and “closed” views sort Patient Channels from newest to oldest activity, meaning the Patient Channels with the most recent activity display at the top of the list. If you want to reverse the sorting order to view the oldest Patient Channels first, select the three-dot Actions menu below the search bar and choose "Oldest first." 

Filtering

Narrow the list of Patient Channels in this view using the search box and the filters panel. You can combine keyword searches with filters for a more precise search.

The search bar lets you find patients by their name, patient ID, or phone number. To access additional filtering options, open the filters panel by selecting the button to the right of the search bar. Here, you can filter by Practice, line, Location, Provider, Device, or General. 

Users can also filter their view to only see Patient Channels that have unresolved Internal Mentions and/or that they have starred or that are marked as “Needs Action.” Learn more about Internal Mentions and starred patients.

Once filters are selected, choose Apply Filters. A green “Filters applied” success message will appear, the filters panel will display the amount of filters you have applied, and you will automatically return to the “All Messages” view. This view will now display the list of Patient Channels that match your chosen criteria. 

It is very important to clear your filters when ready. To do this, select the filters panel, choose Clear All, then select Apply Filters.

Saved Views

Saved views offer a powerful way to quickly access your filtered lists of Patient Channels that you frequently use. Instead of reapplying the same filters repeatedly in the "All Messages" or "Scheduled" views, you can create and save a customized view, then reload it with a single click whenever needed. Click here to learn about how to create a saved view. 

Sending Communication from the All Messages View

Send one-off messages to individual patients from the "All Messages" view. To do so, follow the steps below:

• Navigate to the "All Messages" view.
  

• Locate the Patient Channel you want to message by conducting a patient search and using the available filters.

• Select the Patient Channel that you want to communicate with. 
  NOTE: Only one Patient Channel can be selected at a time with this form of outreach. For bulk outreach options, see the "Bulk Actions in All Messages View" section below.
  

• By default, text outreach is selected. Type your message in the communication box and leverage the appropriate Smart Phrase(s) to help personalize the outreach. 
  NOTE: You can also send call or email messages from the Patient Channel. To do so, select the Text drop-down menu and choose Call or Email.

• If your message does not contain any PHI, select the lock icon to "unsecure" the message. This means the text will be sent to the patient unsecured and will be delivered as a plain text. However, if your message does contain PHI, it is very important that it is sent securely to the patient. By default, all messages are sent as secured links. Click here to learn more. 
  

• When ready, click Send Secure or Send Unsecure, depending on whether the message contains PHI. 
  NOTE: The message will be sent to the patient from the line displayed in the top-left corner of the Patient's Channel, right under their name. To use a different line, click the drop-down menu and choose a different Practice & line combination. The options listed are Practice & line combinations that have been used to contact the patient before. To send the message to the patient from a new line not displayed in this menu (but that you have access to), select Open New Channel.
  
  

Actions in All Messages View

Use Bulk Actions to take action on up to 50 Patient Channels at once. The Actions menu is available beneath the search bar in the “All Messages” view. It is a three-dot menu with two available actions: "Close/Open Channels" and "Bulk Message". This article will focus on the bulk action of closing or opening Patient Channels. Click here to learn about Bulk Messaging from the "All Messages" view.

Close/Open Channels

The "Close Channels" or “Open Channels” Bulk Action allows users to efficiently close or open up to 50 Patient Channels at once. This feature is particularly useful when there are many open Patient Channels that no longer require further action, or there are closed Patient Channels that need to be re-opened for patient outreach.

.

To change a Patient Channels status in bulk, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to the All Messages view.

2. Select the three-dot Actions menu below the search bar and choose Close Channels. 
   

3. Choose the Patient Channels for which you want the bulk action to close. 
   NOTE: Up to 50 Patient Channels can be selected at once.
   

4. Select Close Channels or Open Channels. A green success message with the number of Patient Channels impacted will display.
   

To close or open a single Patient Channel, select that Patient Channel from the "All Messages" view, click the Open button located in the top-right corner of the Patient Channel, then select Close. This will set the Patient Channel status to "close" and only affects the individual Patient Channel you are viewing.

Channel Statuses

Within the "All Messages" view, you can navigate between Patient Channels placed in two different statuses, 
"open" or "closed." 

How do Channels Open Automatically?

Default or Practice Setting

Depending on how the Channel Opening Appointment Statuses setting is configured, specific appointment statuses, like "cancel," can cause the Patient Channel to open automatically. 

Patient Responses

Generally, inbound messages from patients will open Patient Channels that are closed. 
NOTE: If a Patient Channel is in a "needs action" status with an unresolved Mention, the Patient Channel will remain in this status even if the patient messages in. However, Patient Channels marked as "needs action" display within the "open" tab of the "All Messages" view.

Responses to Confirmation Messages

Generally, a patient confirming their appointment will not cause the Patient Channel to open automatically. 

Unless the patient sends in a message that falls outside of the keywords (as described below). Review the Appointment Confirmations article to learn more. 

Inbound Message Triggers

Inbound Message Triggers also impact why a Patient Channel may or may not open. During implementation, most Practices set up Alternative Language Confirmations that allow patients to text in responses other than "Y" (e.g. “sounds good”). These Triggers are configured to confirm the visit and automatically close the Patient Channel. 

If a patient responds with anything other than a simple confirmation covered by your Inbound Message Triggers, then the Patient Channel will open. For example, if a patient responds "John will be at his appointment," the Patient Channel will open. Although it is a confirmation, this Patient Channel opens to ensure that staff receives any additional information included in the message. For example, a patient may text in "John will be at his appointment, but his fever has gotten progressively worse. It is up to 105!"

How do Channels Close Automatically?

If there are no unresolved Internal Mentions, a manual outbound message to the patient will automatically close a Patient's Channel. If there are unresolved Internal Mentions, an outbound message to the patient from the mentioned user/User Group or Enterprise User Group will resolve the Internal Mention and close the Patient Channel. Additionally, an outbound message to a patient will close a Patient Channel that is marked as "Needs Action," even in instances where there is an Internal Mention. Click here to learn more.

Additionally, Inbound Message Triggers set up with the "Close Channel" Action will also automatically close the Patient Channel when an inbound keyword matches the Trigger's parameters. 

When will a Closed Channel Remain Closed?

If the patient sends an inbound message to Artera, the Patient Channel will remain closed if the last outbound message contained the {eventConfirmText} or {eventConfirmLink} Smart Phrases and the patient responded directly to that message with any of the Patient Confirmation Keywords. 

As discussed above, your Inbound Message Triggers and Channel Opening Appointment Statuses configuration will factor in whether the Patient Channel remains closed.

How are Channels marked as "Needs Action?"

There are several reasons why a Patient Channel will be marked as "Needs Action." See below:

• A Patient Channel will automatically be marked as "Needs Action" when an Internal Mention is created. 
• Inbound Message Triggers set up with the "Pending Channel" action will automatically mark the Patient Channel as "Needs Action" when an inbound keyword matches the Trigger's parameters.  
• If a message to a patient is marked as undelivered. NOTE: The "SMS Delivery Failure Triggers Patient Channel to Reopen" Default Setting must be enabled. Click here to learn more.
• Users can manually mark a Patient Channel as "Needs Action" by hovering over the Patient Channel card in the "All Messages" view and selecting the warning icon. 
  NOTE: A Patient Channel can only be marked as "Needs Action" if it is currently open.
  

User Collaboration Alerts

In the "All Messages" view, you can see when other Artera users are viewing a Patient Channel. A user's initials in the top-right corner of the Patient Channel card indicate that they have it open.However, this does not mean that they are taking any action.

If more than three users are viewing the same Patient Channel, you will see "4+x" where x is the number of additional viewers.

If you are viewing a Patient Channel where another user is responding to a patient message, a notification appears to let you know that the patient is already being addressed.

FAQs:

• I want to send a message to patients who are scheduled for an appointment and need to be notified about a schedule change. How can I do this in bulk?
  • To reach out, in bulk, to patients scheduled for appointments, send a Bulk Message from the "Scheduled" view. If there are more than 50 patients that need to be reached, navigate to Campaigns and select the "Patients with Appointments" audience source method. This method allows you to filter patients by appointment date, provider, appointment status, and more and up to 30,000 patients can be reached with this method. 
• How do I send a manual message to a patient with no prior conversation history as I cannot locate these patients in the "All Messages" view?

  • You can easily open a new Patient Channel if a patient doesn't appear in your "All Messages" view. Here's how:

    1. Search for the Patient: In the "All Messages" view, use the search bar to look for the patient by their name, MRN, or phone number.

    2. Access the Patients Area: If the patient doesn't appear in the search results, click the searching for the patient hyperlink that pops up. This will take you to the Patients Area.

    3. Open a New Channel: In the Patients Area, select the Open a Channel button.

    4. Choose Practice and Line: Select the Practice and line you want to use for the new Patient Channel.

    5. Confirm and Route: After you confirm your selections, you'll be automatically directed to the newly created Patient Channel within your "All Messages" view.