When multiple patients are associated with the same phone number, Artera asks the patient to indicate which patient they are messaging as so that their message can be placed within the appropriate Patient Channel. Users can identify if a patient shares a phone number with another patient in the Practice by reviewing the Patient's Facesheet for that information.

This situation is common when a parent’s phone number is added as the primary phone number for their child within your EMR and the parent is also an existing patient within that Practice. In that scenario, when the parent responds to a message sent by Artera, they would automatically be sent a message asking them to clarify which patient they are responding for:

Patient Name Order

The patients are ordered reverse alphabetically by first name. In a case where two or more patients have the same first name, the order is random. For example, if the following patients share a number: 

• Michael

• Cecilia

• Sherri

The patient would see “Please respond with the name or number: (1) Sherri, (2) Michael, (3) Cecilia.”

Does the Multiple Patient Message Always Appear for a Shared Number?

No. If an appointment reminder automated message is only sent to one of the patients who share the phone number, the patient will not receive the message asking them to identify who the message is from when they respond to that reminder. 

Additionally, if a patient messages into the Practice indicating who they are messing in as or for, they will not receive the message asking them to identify who the message is from. For example, Sandra and Noor are siblings and are patients in your Practice. Their mother sends in the following message: "Hi, I'd like to reschedule Sandra's upcoming appointment." In this case, the multi-patient same-phone workflow will be bypassed because it is clear who the message is about. They can continue messaging in as Sandra for the next 24 hours.

However, the multiple patient message will appear requesting identification in the following situations:  

1. If the automated appointment reminder was sent to multiple patients who share the phone number  

2. The patient responds to a manual message sent from their Patient Channel by a user

3. A Verified Patient messages into the Practice without having received prior communication from that line (and does not include their name in the message)

Patient Perspective: How it Works

When the patient (or patient's parent/guardian/caregiver) messages in, they will be asked to verify who the message should be sent for. 

When they indicate who they are messaging in as (by typing the name, responding with the appropriate number, or by clicking the link and logging in), the original message sent to Artera will automatically route to the correct Patient Channel. From there, you can respond directly to the patient from their Patient Channel, as necessary.

By default, the patient will be messaging under the selected patient for the next 24 hours. 

Staff User Perspective: How it Works

Messaging Patients who Share a Phone Number

When messaging a patient who shares a phone number with another patient in your Practice, an alert will appear above the text field indicating that the message will be sent to a phone number that is shared by multiple patients. To remove the alert, include a patient-identifying Smart Phrase in your message, such as {clientFirstNameProperCase}. 

To view which other patients share this phone number, navigate to the Patient's Facesheet and select the Multi-Patient Phone drop-down menu. Click here to learn more.

Viewing the Patient-Facing Workflow in the Patient Channel

When a patient has engaged with the multi-patient workflow from Artera, users are able to view the entire interaction. This is recorded in the Patient Channels of all patients associated with that phone number. Once the individual successfully indicates who they are messaging in as or for, the interaction will conclude in the other Patients' Channels and continue to display in the Patient Channel of the selected patient. 

Event Messages are displayed in all the Patient Channels who share the phone number in the Practice. These Event Messages indicate when the multi-patient workflow was initiated, when a selection was made by the individual, and when the workflow was concluded or expired. Multi-patient workflows expire within 24 hours.

Example:

Abby has two children, Noor and Sandra, who are minors and are associated with Abby's phone number. Sandra has an appointment next week that needs to be rescheduled. Abby texts the doctor's office to reschedule. Since Noor and Sandra are associated with Abby's phone number, Abby will now engage in Artera's multi-patient workflow. After sending the reschedule request, she must now indicate if she is messaging in for Noor or Sandra. Once she chooses Sandra, she can continue the rescheduling conversation with the Artera users. 

As soon as a message is sent in for a patient who shares a phone number, users will see the message displayed in the Patient Channels that share the phone number. An Event Message is also displayed in both Noor and Sandra's Patient Channels indicating that multiple patients exist for the phone number and the multi-patient workflow has started. 

When Abby confirms that she is messaging in for Sandra, an Event Message is displayed in Noor's Patient Channel indicating the contact that was selected and ending the multi-patient workflow for Noor. The interaction will continue to display in Sandra's Patient Channel.

Noor's Patient Channel 

Sandra's Patient Channel

Switching Patient Respondent

If the patient would like to switch the patient they are replying for within those 24 hours, all they need to do is send a message that reads “SWITCH”. Sending in “SWITCH” will prompt Artera to send another verification message asking the patient to respond with the new name or number corresponding to the appropriate patient they would like to message in as at this point.

Secure Messages

When sending a Secure Message to a phone number associated with multiple patients, the patient may not know which identifying information (date of birth, last four of social security, zip code) needs to be entered to view the Secure Message. 

To avoid this, we recommend editing the Secure Message Copy verbiage to include the {clientFirstNameProperCase} Smart Phrase. This will provide clarity on the intended recipient of the message so they know which identifying information to enter in order to access the message.