Messages
Messages are threaded conversations inside the provider workspace where you are signed in. They are separate from the temporary chat inside a telehealth call.
Starting a conversation
Open Messages, then select the + control in the conversation sidebar. Choose an available practitioner, enter a message of up to 5,000 characters, and send it. Clients cannot select other clients as recipients. The exact list depends on the practitioners available in the current workspace and any feature/access rules applied by the provider.
If you arrived from a practitioner's profile or care-team action, that practitioner may already be selected. Virtual Clinic will show an error instead of sending if the clinician is no longer available for messaging.
Continuing a conversation
Select a conversation in the sidebar to read its history and reply. New-message notifications can appear elsewhere in the application, so the Messages page does not need to remain open.
Every conversation stays inside the current clinic or independent-practice workspace. It is not visible to a different provider simply because you use the same email address there.
Starting a new conversation with a practitioner automatically adds that practitioner to your secondary care team when they are not already a member. The conversation is not itself an access source; the resulting care-team membership is. That membership governs strict chart access and practitioner document access. Replying in an existing conversation does not create another membership.
Calls
When the practitioner in a conversation has Public visibility on and has allowed the relevant call type, an audio- or video-call button appears in the conversation header (an audio- or video-camera icon, labeled "Start audio call" or "Start video call" for screen readers). Select it to start a call; the practitioner is notified and the call opens at its own page while it is active.
If a call is not answered or is declined, a "Missed" or "Declined" entry appears in the conversation history alongside your regular messages, along with completed calls and their duration. These entries do not accept replies; they are a record of the call.
To be notified of an incoming call or new message while the Messages tab is not open or the app is closed, use the Get call & message notifications prompt in the conversation sidebar and select Enable. This registers the current browser/device for push notifications. Browser support and notification permission are required; enabling it on one device does not grant another device permission automatically. Not now hides the prompt for one day.
Appropriate use
- Do not use Messages for emergencies. Contact local emergency services or follow the urgent-care instructions supplied by your provider.
- Allow time for a response. Messages are not a guaranteed real-time or continuously monitored channel.
- Feature availability varies. If Messages is absent from navigation, use another contact method supplied by the provider.
- Use the appointment call chat only during a call. It is ephemeral and does not become part of this conversation history.