đĽď¸ For practice admins using Practice HQ on the web. Posting announcements needs the Announcements permission, and seeing who receives them also needs Caseload.
This article shows you how to message practice members and clients from the Practice HQ inbox, who is notified when you send a message, and how to post an announcement to clients across your practice.
In this article
1. The Messaging inbox
Open Messaging in the Practice HQ sidebar for one inbox with your conversations with practice members (providers and admins) and with clients.
Click the filter button next to the search box and, under Filter by, choose All, Clients (or Patients, depending on your practice's terminology) or Practice.
Use Search messages... to find a conversation.
Click a conversation to open it and reply.
Each conversation is between you and one other person. Other admins don't see your conversations.
â Good to know: If you're also a provider, Messaging doesn't appear in Practice HQ while your own provider account is still under review.
2. Starting a conversation
Message a colleague or a client from the inbox.
Click New Message.
Choose Message a practice member or Message a client.
Search for the person and select them.
Type your message and send it.
If you already have a conversation with that person, it opens instead of starting a new one.
Only active clients with an account appear in the client list.
3. Who gets notified
Who is notified depends on who you message.
When you message a provider, they get a notification, including a push notification on the Oasys iOS app if they use it.
When you message a non-clinical admin, the message shows as unread in their Messaging inbox. They don't get a separate notification.
When you message a client, they're notified.
Client replies appear in your Messaging inbox, with an unread count on Messaging in the sidebar.
If you send several messages before the other person reads them, they're notified once, not once per message.
4. Messaging a minor client
A minor client has one message thread, and it can be read by more than one person.
Everyone with the Messaging portal area on the minor's account can read and reply in that thread. That can be the guardian, the minor's own login, or both.
Who has the Messaging portal area is set on the minor's Access tab. See Minors and guardians.
Write messages to a minor knowing that every person with Messaging access will see them.
5. Posting an announcement
Post a message to current clients across your practice from Announcements in the Practice HQ sidebar.
Click New announcement.
Enter a Title (up to 200 characters) and a Message.
Review the recipients. They're grouped by provider caseload. Uncheck anyone who shouldn't receive it, or use Search clients or providers... to find them.
Click Post to N clients (or Post announcement if recipient names aren't shown).
To see and pick individual recipients, you also need the Caseload permission. Without it, you'll see "Recipient names aren't included with Announcements access," and the post goes to all current clients.
If your practice is set up in Charter School mode, Announcements isn't available.
â ď¸ Important: Announcements can't be edited, re-sent or deleted after posting. Check the title, message and recipients before you post.
6. Past announcements and what clients see
The Announcements tab lists everything your practice has posted.
Each announcement shows a preview, how many clients it went to, and when it was posted.
Click one to open it, then click Sent to N to see who it was sent to.
Clients see announcements on the Home page of their portal, with a "new" count.
Clients are also notified about a new announcement by email, and by text or app notification where those are set up, based on their notification settings.
For a minor, everyone with the Messaging portal area on the minor's account is notified.
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit or delete an announcement after posting?
No. Announcements can't be edited, re-sent or deleted. If something was wrong, post a new announcement with the correction.
Why can't I see who will receive my announcement?
Seeing recipient names needs the Caseload permission as well as Announcements. Without it, the post goes to all current clients.
Why isn't a client in the New Message list?
Only active clients with a portal account can be messaged. Send the client an account invite first. See Sending account invites.
Who reads my messages to a minor?
Everyone with the Messaging portal area on that minor's account, which can be the guardian, the minor, or both. See Messaging a minor client.
Can other admins see my conversations?
No. Each conversation is between you and the other person.