Contact Preferences are one of the Patient Communication Settings that help determine how Automations are delivered to the Patient. It is important to note that these preferences only apply to messages sent through Automations; they do not impact Broadcasts, Campaigns, or Manual Messaging.

Contact Preferences are managed one of two ways:

1. Preferences are synced from your EMR/system of record; or
2. Preferences are manually set on the Patient Facesheet.

This article focuses on how to manage patient contact preferences when they are not synced from your EMR. Click here to learn more about synced contact preferences.

Overview

If preferences are not synced from your EMR, you will use the Preferences section in the Patients Area and the Do Not Contact toggle.

Preferred Contact

Set the patient's Preferred Contact phone number from the Contact Info section in the Patients Area. This is a manual process that only impacts Artera. No changes are made to your EMR based on the Contact settings. Note: This preference will apply to Automations and Manual Messages in the Patient Channel.

1. Select Preferences in the Patient Facesheet.
   
   
2. Select Edit next to Contact Info. 
   
   
3. Choose the patient's Preferred Phone Number and select Save.
   
4. Then, navigate back to the Patient Facesheet. If the Preferred Contact displays as TEXT, this indicates it is a text-enabled number. If it displays as CALL, this indicates it is a landline (not text-enabled). 
   

Note: Email is not supported as a preferred contact method.

Do Not Contact

If you would prefer to opt-out a patient from receiving all outreach via Automations, use the Do Not Contact toggle on the Patient Facesheet. Click here to learn more.

Automation Impact

Contact Preferences are not the only thing that dictates how, and if, an Automation is delivered. Automations must also respect the status of the patient's cell phone number, as controlled by the patient's SMS Consent Status. These options can prevent text messages from being sent to the patient, even if the patient has a text-enabled number.

It is important to note that a patient will never receive more than one message per Automation. When preferences are not synced from your EMR, the system always looks to send messages in this order:

1. Text
2. Call
3. Email

Patients only receive a call if Artera determines that the phone number cannot receive text messages for some reason (i.e. if the number is a landline or the patient has Opted out of SMS.) Additionally, patients will only receive an Email if the phone number on file is invalid.

Automations: Preferences Not Synced from EMR Truth Table

The following tables indicate how the Automation will be delivered to a patient based on the Automation message setup (i.e. does the Automation include messages for Text, Call, and/or Email) and the patient's contact details or the Contact Preference manually set.

Patient only has a Text-Enabled Phone

Patient has a Text-Enabled Phone and an Email Address

Patient has a Text-Enabled Phone, a Landline, and an Email Address

Patient only has a Landline

Patient has a Landline and an Email Address

Patient only has an Email Address 

Broadcasts and Campaigns

Broadcasts and Campaigns do not respect Contact Preferences, including Do Not Contact. They do respect the SMS Consent Status.

Just like Automations, a patient will never receive more than one message per Broadcast or Campaign. If you select all delivery methods for your Broadcast or Campaign, Artera will follow the below hierarchy to deliver your message:

1. Text
2. Call
3. Email

Patients only receive a call if Artera determines that their phone number cannot receive text messages for some reason (i.e. if the number is a landline or they have Opted out of SMS.) Additionally, patients will only receive an Email if their phone number is invalid.

Manual Messaging

Manual Messages do not respect the Do Not Contact toggle. Manual Messages do respect the patient's SMS Consent Status.