Internal Notes vs. Patient Messages

Internal notes let you and your team leave private comments inside any patient conversation. The patient never sees them, making notes the right place to flag context, coordinate handoffs, or log what was said on the phone.

What Internal Notes Are For

Every conversation in your unified inbox has two modes: sending a real message to the patient and leaving a note that only your staff can read. Notes are useful for situations like:

• Flagging that a patient called and asked to reschedule, so the next person who opens the thread knows the full picture.
• Reminding a colleague to follow up at a specific time.
• Logging a concern from the patient that the doctor should be aware of before the appointment.
• Handing off an open thread to another team member with context on what has already been said.

How to Leave an Internal Note

1. Open the Conversations tab from the main menu.
2. Click into the patient conversation where you want to leave a note.
3. Look at the message composer at the bottom of the thread. You will see two tabs above the text field: Messages and Notes. Click Notes.
4. The composer background will shift to a distinct color (typically yellow or gold) so you can clearly see you are in note mode and not about to message the patient.
5. Type your note in the text field.
6. Click Add Note to save it.

The note will appear in the conversation timeline with a visual indicator that distinguishes it from patient-facing messages. Any team member who opens that thread later will see it in context with the rest of the conversation history.

Mentioning a Team Member in a Note

If you need a specific person to see your note, you can tag them directly. While typing in note mode, type @ followed by the team member's name. Select them from the list that appears. They will receive a notification so the note does not get buried.

This works well when combined with assigning a conversation to a colleague. You can assign the thread and leave a note in the same step so the person picking it up has everything they need.

Editing and Deleting Notes

If you posted a note with a typo or outdated information, hover over the note in the timeline to reveal options. Depending on your staff role and permissions, you may be able to edit or delete your own notes. Staff with admin-level access can manage notes left by others. See user roles and permissions for details on what each role can do.

Notes Versus Quick Replies

Notes are private and unscheduled. They exist only inside the thread for your team's reference. If you find yourself leaving the same type of note repeatedly, for example, a standard handoff script or a common reminder, consider setting up a saved quick reply instead. Quick replies are templates for outbound patient messages, not internal notes, but the efficiency principle is the same: save what you type often.

Keeping Conversations Organized

Notes work best as part of a broader workflow. Once a thread is fully resolved, you can archive it or mark it read to keep your inbox clean. Learn more about those actions in marking read, starring, and archiving and about sorting your inbox with filters, tabs, and managing unread.