Insight
6 Healthcare Text Messaging Best Practices
Healthcare text messaging helps medical practices like yours improve patient outcomes by streamlining communication, increasing engagement, and optimizing care coordination—but only when it’s done securely and compliantly.
Communicating with patients can be hit or miss, especially if you’re relying solely on phone calls and emails to get in touch with them. Phone calls tend to be ignored, and emails get buried in an inbox—which is a problem, especially when you’re trying to relay important, time-sensitive information to patients.
So how can your healthcare practice get ahold of patients quickly, streamline workflows, and improve overall patient care?
Your medical practice should follow these best practices when texting:
Obtain patient consent (opt-in) before sending and receiving text messages
Limit the amount of protected health information (PHI) in text messages
Implement a secure business texting software
Ensure that text conversations are recorded for compliance
Train staff on HIPAA-compliant texting practices
Gather reviews for your healthcare practice via text
Text Request's complete guide will break down these six best practices your practice should implement when texting patients to remain HIPAA compliant.
1. Obtain patient consent (opt-in) before sending and receiving text messages.
Before sending any healthcare text messages, you have to get expressed consent to text them.
Texting patients without their permission can result in hefty fines for violating HIPAA protocol, not to mention other regulations set by the FCC such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Plus, getting unwanted messages is a bad patient experience.
How to collect patient consent for text messaging:
Include an opt-in checkbox on intake forms (digital or in-office)
Ask patients to initiate the conversation by texting your number
Use website tools like SMS chat to capture inbound patient inquiries
The easiest way to ensure that your patients are opted-in to receive your texts is to request their consent when they’re filling out paperwork online or in your office.
One of the most effective ways to get compliant opt-ins is by having patients text you first with tools like our SMS Chat widget. SMS Chat is a live chat widget for texting to add your homepage so that patients can reach you easily to ask questions, schedule appointments, and more.
Website visitors can start a conversation with you via SMS Chat, and from there, they can carry the text conversation to their phone.
Don't forget: Patients also need to be able to opt out of communications at any time for your text messaging to be compliant. That’s why you need to include an opt-out message the first time you text a customer. Text Request has a built-in opt-out message, “Text STOP to opt-out,” and customers are automatically opted out when they text STOP to your number.
2. Limit the amount of protected health information (PHI) in text messages.
Keep the amount of PHI you share to a minimum when you’re using healthcare text messaging—even when using a HIPAA-compliant platform.
If patients want to discuss sensitive or complex medical information in further detail, encourage them to schedule an appointment or to consult a healthcare professional directly.
What is safe to text patients:
Appointment reminders and confirmations
Prescription pickup notifications
General updates without sensitive details
Secure links to patient portals or results
What should NOT be sent via text:
Detailed diagnoses or test results
Full medical histories or records
Sensitive personal health discussions
Examples of HIPAA-conscious text messages:
"Pharmacy: “Hi, [Name]! Your prescription is ready for pickup.”
“Hi, [Name]. Your blood test results are ready: [secure link] Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions.”
Save the big stuff for in-person appointments and appropriate channels—you want to avoid having lengthy conversations or giving complex medical advice through text.
3. Implement a HIPAA-compliant text messaging software.
Your practice needs to utilize a secure HIPAA compliant text messaging platform, specifically designed for healthcare communication to safely text patients.
What to look for in a healthcare texting platform:
End-to-end encryption for all messages
Access controls to limit who can view patient conversations
Business Associate Agreement (BAA) availability
Secure file sharing (pictures, documents, links)
Audit logs and message history for compliance
Text Request offers encrypted, end-to-end messaging so you can connect with patients without compromising a thing. We’ve added extra layers of security to our platform so you can do things like:
Securely text from your existing office phone number
Have controlled access, so employees only see what they need
Sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) before you buy
Securely text pictures and collect payments
Manage secure texting for one practice or an entire healthcare system
Text Request’s HIPAA texting feature ensures that your patients and practice are always protected. That’s why we’ve implemented other safety features such as automatically logging out after 30 minutes of inactivity to protect sensitive information from being left out in the open and susceptible to being tampered with.
Using a secure text messaging platform is key to safeguarding patient privacy, remaining HIPAA compliant, and building trust with your patients. It’s also a secure way to collaborate within your organization, so you can exchange valuable information instantly.
4. Keep records of patient text conversations for compliance.
Keeping a permanent record of all patient conversations is mandatory HIPAA-compliance, documentation, and legal protection. In addition to following HIPAA protocol, these records are also helpful for:
Documentation: To help maintain an accurate record of a patient’s healthcare history
Audit and Compliance: To ensure that your practice is abiding by HIPAA guidelines
Investigation and Dispute Resolution: In the event of a complaint, investigation, or legal dispute, text conversations can serve as crucial evidence
Training purposes: To improve the quality of how your practice communicates with patients
A healthcare texting platform like Text Request offers built-in message history and audit logs to securely store, access, and manage these conversations. You can also print conversations from Text Request, in case you need to keep physical records.
As long as you’re retaining patient conversations securely and in compliance with HIPAA regulations, you’ll be good to go. It’s an essential part of protecting patient privacy and security and is a best practice you should always keep top of mind.
5. Train staff on HIPAA-compliant texting practices.
The success of any business really comes down to operations, and healthcare is no exception. You’ve got to set your processes, communicate them clearly to employees, and ensure they are followed.
This ranges from using clear and professional language, adhering to consistent guidelines across your organization, and learning how to prioritize patient texts depending on how urgent they are.
Key healthcare texting guidelines for staff:
Verify patient identity before sharing information
Only texting patients who are opted in
Assign role-based access to control who can view conversations
Limit the amount of PHI included in messages
Ensure they’re texting the correct patient
Keep marketing and medical information separate
Use pre-approved HIPAA compliant text templates
Once your staff is educated on how to text patients compliantly, you’ll be able to navigate patient relations with ease while giving them the care and treatment they deserve.
The ultimate goal of healthcare texting is to protect patient privacy and security while understanding the risks associated with it. By investing in educating your staff, you’ll mitigate the risk of mistakes, minimize the potential for adverse outcomes, and protect your practice in the process.
6. Use text messaging to get more patient reviews.
Patient reviews play a major role in how new patients discover and choose healthcare providers. Reviews are important for understanding your patient needs, improving your services, and building a positive reputation. That goes for both public reviews and private feedback.
New patients are most likely to do a Google search to find the best practitioner in their area and take their pick from the top results. Having a high number of positive Google reviews positions you as a top pick, and gives patients the confidence to book an appointment with you.
How to get more healthcare reviews with text messaging:
Send review requests shortly after appointments
Use direct links to your Google or review platform
Leverage text templates to keep messaging consistent and efficient
Additionally, hospitals and other healthcare practices want private feedback to learn how they can make room for improvement. That’s why it’s also important to ask how their experience was in person, after providing care for a patient. If anything goes bad––there’s room to mitigate the situation before things go public.
Text Request's review management feature helps automate review requests and route feedback, so positive experiences are shared publicly, while negative feedback can be handled internally–giving you the best opportunity to maintain a positive reputation.
Start Texting Patients the Right Way
Ready to improve patient communication, reduce no-shows, and stay HIPAA-compliant?
Text Request gives healthcare teams a secure, easy-to-use platform for texting patients, managing conversations, and streamlining daily workflows—all while protecting sensitive information.
Our team is ready to answer your questions about texting for your practice, and how Text Request fits into your day-to-day workflows. Schedule a demo to learn more.
