What’s the difference between clinical reminders and marketing messages?
Last updated: 2026-05-26
There are two kinds of patient messages. Clinical — appointment reminders, balance reminders, prescriptions, reschedules — send because the patient is in active care, regardless of marketing-consent toggles. Marketing — promotions, recall campaigns, general announcements — only send to patients who have opted in via the SMS / Email / WhatsApp toggles on their profile.
Two categories of message
| Type | Examples | Needs consent toggle? |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical | Appointment reminder, reschedule notice, balance reminder, prescription, payment link | No — active care covers it |
| Marketing | Festival offer, recall campaign to old patients, general clinic announcement | Yes — patient must opt-in |
Setting consent per patient
- Open the patient → Edit.
- Scroll to the Communication tab.
- Toggle SMS marketing consent, Email marketing consent, WhatsApp marketing consent independently.
- Save.
A patient changes their mind
Open the patient profile and toggle off the consent. Future marketing messages skip them. Already-queued messages stop. Clinical reminders continue.
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