Cerbo EHR · Experience
After-Hours SMS for Cerbo Practices
Safe overnight messaging that sets expectations, captures urgent intent, and doesn't expose PHI.
Section 1
After-hours SMS is a DPC membership expectation
DPC and concierge patients expect to be able to reach their practice outside business hours. SMS is the preferred channel for non-urgent after-hours communication — faster than a portal message, less intrusive than a phone call.
After-hours SMS in MedReception AI is configured to capture intent, triage urgency, and set expectations without triggering clinical response for non-urgent issues.
Section 2
After-hours SMS flow
When a patient texts after hours, AI responds immediately with the practice's approved after-hours message. If the patient's follow-up indicates urgency, AI escalates to voice triage. If it's routine, AI captures the request and creates a Cerbo morning task.
- Immediate auto-response: acknowledgment and expected response time
- Urgency detection: key phrases trigger escalation to voice triage
- Routine capture: appointment requests, prescription questions, lab follow-ups logged to Cerbo
- No PHI in SMS: all clinical details route to portal or phone
Section 3
Governing after-hours SMS for compliance
HIPAA requires that any electronic communication channel handling patient requests have documented safeguards. SMS is no exception — consent, encryption standards, and message retention policies must be documented.
MedReception AI provides a compliance posture document for after-hours SMS that covers consent capture, message retention, and breach notification procedures.
Ready to implement this for your Cerbo practice?
Book a demo and we'll walk through your specific Cerbo workflow — scheduling rules, Chart Parts templates, and after-hours coverage — and show you exactly how MedReception AI handles it.