To automate patient prep instructions for imaging, send each patient the approved instructions for their exact exam, at the right time before the appointment, and make it easy to reach staff with questions. The instructions must come from your clinical team, and the chat should never improvise. This guide also covers referral intake and results-ready alerts.
How should prep instructions be sent?
Send the clinician-approved text for the specific exam, once at booking and again shortly before the appointment, with a way to ask a question.
Wrong prep leads to rescheduled scans, so match each exam type to one approved instruction set and keep a single owner for updates. RadiologyInfo.org is a good patient-friendly reference to link for general information.
How do you handle referral intake?
Collect the minimum: patient name, exam requested, referring provider and a contact. Send anything clinical through your secure channel.
A short checklist for referring offices cuts back-and-forth. The chat can confirm receipt and what is missing, while staff verify orders and authorisations.
How should results-ready alerts work?
Tell the patient that something is ready and how to access it securely. Never include findings in the message.
Use a neutral message such as “Your information is ready in the portal.” Remember that who receives results and when is governed by your policies and the ordering provider.
What problems does chat automation solve for imaging centers?
It takes the repetitive, factual first replies off your team: referral intake, prep instructions, results-ready alerts.
Referral-based bookings require checking a physician order before scheduling. Prep questions (fasting, contrast, metal on an MRI) get asked one by one. “Are my results ready?” messages flood in daily.
What must imaging centers decide before using chat at all?
Decide first what the chat will never handle. Use it for logistics such as hours, directions, forms and reminders, keep sensitive personal details out of it, and have your compliance lead or attorney approve every flow before launch.
Never include results or findings in a chat message; link to your secure portal. Primary sources worth reading before you build: Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services), RadiologyInfo.org: The Radiology Information Resource for Patients (Radiological Society of North America and American College of Radiology), and WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (WhatsApp). Chat does not replace professional judgment, and nothing in this guide is legal, medical, tax or financial advice. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with your own advisor before launch.
How do you know the automation is working?
Track first-response time, the share of conversations resolved without a person and the reasons conversations were handed over. Review a sample of real chats every week.
Start with a baseline from your last month of messages, then change one flow at a time so you can see what helped. The most useful list is the questions the chat could not answer: each one is either a gap in your answers or a case that should stay with a person. For imaging centers, watch these topics first: referral intake, prep instructions, results-ready alerts.
How do you try this on your own account?
Start the 7-day trial at app.reflys.com: a card is required and you are not charged until day 8. You can build and test your first flow on your own account before any customer sees it.
Pro starts at $12 a month and suits one person answering messages; Business adds team seats and assignment. If you would rather see it first, book a demo and we will walk through your own questions.
Related guides
- How to use whatsapp messaging in a healthcare practice
- How to improve physical therapy plan adherence
- How to triage urgent messages at a veterinary clinic
Sources
- Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule — U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- RadiologyInfo.org: The Radiology Information Resource for Patients — Radiological Society of North America and American College of Radiology
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy — WhatsApp
About this guide: written by the Reflys Team from Reflys product documentation and the public sources above. It describes general practice and does not report customer results. It is not legal, medical, tax or financial advice.
