Displayed in the Patient Facesheet, SMS Consent is the patient communication setting that helps determine how messages are delivered to a patient with Artera, whether the patient can receive text messages, and can be helpful when troubleshooting message delivery. This functionality is available regardless of whether patient contact preferences are synced from your EMR or not.

This setting is controlled by the patient through specific carrier keywords or by an Artera user who opts the patient out of messaging.

The setting has two options: "Opted In" or "Opted Out of # numbers."

How Patients Opt Out from SMS Messages

Patients can opt out from a specific line to stop receiving text messages. By default, if a patient sends in any of the words below, they will be automatically opted out of text messages from that line. These are not case-sensitive.

• STOP

• STOPALL

• UNSUBSCRIBE

• CANCEL

• END

• QUIT

NOTE: If the patient shares a phone number with another patient in the Practice, both patients will be opted out of messaging from the line.

The patient's opt out message (e.g., "STOP" in the example below) will display in their Patient Channel and an Event Message will display, indicating that the patient has opted out of messaging from the line. 
NOTE: If the patient who sent in an opt out keyword shares their phone number with another patient in the Practice, the opt out keyword they sent will not display in their Patient Channel.

Patients can opt back into messaging by replying with a keyword such as "START." An Event Message will display within the Patient's Channel, indicating the patient has opted back into messaging from the line using an opt-in keyword.

Secure Message Opt Out/Opt In

Patient responses to Secure Messages are sent to the Secure Messaging Portal, not the Practice's line. Therefore, patients who respond to a Secure Message with an opt-out keyword (Stop, Cancel, Unsubscribe, etc). are not opted out of future SMS messages from the Practice's line.

How to Manually Opt Out a Patient from SMS Messages

At times, patients will ask users to opt them out of Artera messaging. Users can manually opt patients out of messaging from any line they have access to. The following steps must be taken:

1. Navigate to a patient's Patient Facesheet and select Preferences. This will take you to the Patient's Area "Preferences" tab.
   
2. In the SMS Consent table, locate the line the patient would like to opt out from.
3. Select Opt Out.
   The patient will be opted out of messaging from that line and an Event Message will display in the Patient Channel indicating the user who opted the patient out. After opting out, the "Actions" column for that line in the SMS Consent table will read Request Opt-In.
   

Implications of the "Cancel" Keyword

When a patient sends in the word "Cancel," usually in an attempt to cancel an upcoming appointment, the patient will no longer receive SMS messages from the line because "Cancel" is an opt-out keyword.

To assist patients attempting to cancel their upcoming appointments and not opting out of receiving messages, an auto-reply with additional information is sent to the patient. The message informs patients that they have opted out of messaging and provides instructions on how to opt back in to messaging to properly cancel their appointment. Patients must first text "START" and then reply with "CANCEL APPOINTMENT."

SMS Messages Opt Out Line and Patient Channel Impacts

The patient will only be opted out of texts from the specific line they requested an opt out from and/or they opted out from. If the patient is receiving messages from other Llnes in your Practice or Enterprise, they will need to opt out of each number individually. 

Once the patient has opted out, the SMS Consent setting will update to "Opted Out of # number," the Send Text button will be disabled, and a red banner will appear at the top of the Patient Channel indicating this contact has been opted out of SMS messages from this line (the line displayed in the "Patient's Conversations" drop-down menu).

Opt Out Messaging Impact

Patients will not be able to receive any SMS messages through Triggers, Broadcasts, Campaigns, or Manual Messaging. However, patients are still eligible to receive phone calls or emails from these features that are set up to include these options.

To prevent a patient from receiving all Triggers, set the patient to Do Not Contact in the Patient Facesheet if Contact Preferences are not being synced directly from your EMR/system of record.

How Patients Opt In to SMS Messages

Patients can opt back into text messages by responding with any of the single words below:

• START
• YES
• UNSTOP

NOTE: A patient's opt-in keyword will be viewable in the Patient Channel.

How Patients Request to Opt In to SMS Messages

Users can assist patients in opting back into messages by clicking the Request Opt-In action on the Preferences tab of the Patients Area. This will send a message to the patient's mobile device with instructions on how they can opt back in to messaging. 

1. Navigate to a patient's Patient Facesheet and select Preferences. This will take you to the Patient's Area "Preferences" tab.
2. Navigate to the SMS Consent table to locate the line the patient has opted out from.
3. Select Request Opt In.
   
4. The patient will receive a text to their mobile device with instructions on how to opt back in.
   
5. An Event Message will display within the Patient's Channel indicating the patient has opted in using a keyword.

Opt Out/In Confirmation Trigger Message Best Practices

When crafting your confirmation-focused Trigger messages, we recommend being very clear about which words (or letters) the patient should use to message in to confirm, cancel, or reschedule an appointment. 

For example, do not leave room for open-ended responses:

❌ "Hi, Your visit with Dr. Phil is scheduled for Dec 16th at 8:30 AM. Does this time still work?"

Instead, be explicit with what responses the patient should use:

Event Confirm Text Message

✅  "Hi, {clientFirstNameProperCase}, will you please confirm your visit on {eventDateAtTimeShort} with {eventProviderName}? {eventConfirmText}"

Event Confirm Link Message

✅ "Hi, {clientFirstNameProperCase}, will you please confirm your visit on {eventDateAtTimeShort} with {eventProviderName}? Tap on the link {eventConfirmLink} or reply Y to confirm, or N if you can’t make it."

Opt Out/In with Mass Messaging

If a patient chooses to opt out when responding to a Broadcast or Campaign SMS message, they will opt out of all future messages sent from the Enterprise's high-volume toll-free number. To prevent this, consider using a Shell Practice for Campaign delivery. Shell Practices typically only contain one line and are used to facilitate large-scale outreach. Please discuss this with your Customer Success representative to determine if this solution would work with your current Artera setup.

NOTE: Broadcast messages are always sent from your Enterprise's high-volume toll-free number.

Patient Opt-Out Report

You can view the Patient Opt-Out report in Analytics Plus for a complete list of patients that are currently opted out of receiving text messages. NOTE: This report is only available for organizations using the Analytics Plus solution.