Messages & Calls
Work the inbox: reply to patients, keep private notes, and escalate medical questions to your provider network.
Messages is your inbox. This is where your team talks with patients and keeps private notes. It is also where you send medical questions to your provider network (the licensed doctors who review orders and prescribe).
Both Client Admins and Client Staff can use it.
Nothing to set up. Messages is ready the day you log in. You do not need your provider network or GEN Health support to turn it on.
The two tabs
The Messages page has two tabs. Pick the right one before you type.
| Tab | Use it for | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Patients | Messages to and from a patient. Shipping, billing, scheduling, and account questions. | The patient sees these. |
| Provider Network | A private thread with your provider network. Context and medical questions. | The patient never sees these. |
Who answers what. You answer shipping, billing, scheduling, and account questions. You send symptoms, side effects, and dosing questions to your provider network. "I have a rash" is a medical question. Do not answer it yourself. Send it to your provider network as an escalation.
Message or call a patient
Open Messages
In the left menu, click Messages. The page opens with two tabs: Patients and Provider Network.
Open or start a patient conversation
On the Patients tab, click a patient's thread to open it. To reach a new patient, start a new conversation and choose the patient.
Reply in plain words
Type your reply and send it. Your reply reaches the patient's phone as a text. Their answer lands back in the same conversation.
Add a private note
Need to give the provider context the patient should not see? Add an Internal note. It is labeled "Add context for the provider team." The patient never sees it.
Escalate a medical question
For anything medical, use Escalation instead of a normal reply. Pick the type that fits: Provider assistance or Medical assistance. This sends the question to your provider network.
Call when talking is faster
Sometimes a short call beats many messages. Open the patient's profile or their order first, so you know which step you are helping with.
Careful — everything you type on the Patients tab reaches the patient. Keep staff notes and clinical details in the Provider Network tab or an Internal note.
Words to know
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Provider network | The medical team that employs the doctors who review your patients. You partner with one; you do not hire the doctors yourself. |
| Escalation | Passing a medical question to the provider network instead of answering it yourself. |
| Internal note | A private note on a patient's case. Your team and your provider network see it. The patient does not. |
Common questions
Can patients see the Provider Network tab?
No. The patient never sees it.
The Provider Network tab is private to your team and your provider network's staff. Anything meant for the patient goes in their own conversation on the Patients tab.
When should I call instead of message?
Call when a quick talk is faster than typing.
Walking a patient through checkout is faster by voice than by five messages. Open their profile or order first, so the call starts with context.
How fast should we reply?
Aim for the same business day.
Ownership matters more than speed. A thread with a clear owner never sits unanswered. That is why Daily Routine ends by checking every thread has one.
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