Use Secure Chat
Last updated 1 day ago
Your patients’ privacy is of vital importance to us, especially when it comes to their health. Because regular text messaging isn't fully secure, you can use Secure Chat to connect with them. By routing your messages through a private web session, you can chat safely and keep your patients’ personal information protected.
What is Secure Chat
Secure Chat is a HIPAA-compliant messaging option in Subflow that lets you send sensitive health information to patients through an encrypted web chat. It is available within a conversation alongside regular SMS, so your full exchange with a patient stays in one thread.
When you send a message via Secure Chat, the patient receives a standard SMS notification with a link. Clicking the link opens a secure web browser where they can read and respond to the message. Both standard SMS and Secure Chat messages appear in the same conversation thread, so you can follow the full exchange without switching views. The thread shows which messages were sent securely and which were sent as standard SMS.
When to use Secure Chat
Use Secure Chat any time you need to share or request information that falls under HIPAA guidelines, for example, test results, diagnoses, treatment details, or anything that identifies a patient in a clinical context.
For general messages that do not contain protected health information, such as appointment reminders or general health tips, standard SMS is appropriate.
How to switch to Secure Chat
Within a conversation, Subflow displays an alert indicating that SMS messages are not secure. A toggle at the bottom of the message composer lets you switch to Secure Chat for that message. Once you toggle it on, your message is sent through an encrypted channel. You can switch between standard SMS and Secure Chat at any point within the same conversation.
✏️ Secure Chat requires the patient portal to be active for your Subflow account. If you do not see the Secure Chat toggle in your conversations, contact your administrator.
Related articles
Now that you know how to use the secure chat, you can explore these related guides.
Create an SMS Broadcast: Send a new one-to-many SMS message to one or more segments.
Create a Segment: Group contacts by tag or form-data condition so you can target them with a Broadcast.
Create a Message Template: Save reusable SMS and email message bodies for Broadcasts, workflows, and direct conversations.