Sending Messages to Your Team
YAPI's in-office messaging system helps you communicate with your team in three ways: broadcast messages, messages to a provider, and direct messages to a workstation. Learn how to send each type of message below.
Table of Contents
Sending Messages
Click a type of message below to view instructions:
Broadcast messages send to all workstations at your practice and are great for sending out information to your whole team at once. For example, you might use a Broadcast Message to announce a meeting or huddle, announce the arrival of an anticipated visitor, or let everyone know to handle a specific patient with care. To send a Broadcast Message:
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From the YAPI Dashboard, click Communication and select Broadcast Message.
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In the pop-up, enter your message in the white space:
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Optional:
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Red Alert - Select the Red Alert checkbox to have the message appear as a red bar within the YAPI Dashboard on every workstation. We recommend using this if the message is urgent or an emergency.
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Private - Select the Private checkbox if you want the message to display as private on all workstations, forcing each recipient to click the lock icon to open the message. We recommend this when sending sensitive information and you know that one or more workstation screens might be within eyesight of patients.
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Expires In - Messages are configured to stay on each workstation's screen for a set length of time based on your practice's setting in Global Setup. You can override how long this specific message stays on each workstation by changing the number of minutes in the Expires in box.
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Spell-Check - Click the Spell Check button to highlight misspelled words in red and right-click on each for spelling suggestions.
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Click Send.
If you need to send a message to just one workstation, you can use the Message to Workstation option:
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From the YAPI Dashboard, click Communication , hover over Message to Workstation, then select the workstation you want to send a message to:
Note: If you don't see a workstation on the list, this means that workstation doesn't have YAPI open. Workstations must have YAPI open (even if it's minimized) to receive messages.
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In the pop-up, enter your message in the white space:
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Optional:
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Private - Select the Private checkbox if you want the message to display as private on all workstations, forcing each recipient to click the lock icon to open the message. We recommend this when sending sensitive information and you know that one or more workstation screens might be within eyesight of patients.
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Expires In - Messages are configured to stay on each workstation's screen for a set length of time based on your practice's setting in Global Setup. You can override how long this specific message stays on each workstation by changing the number of minutes in the Expires in box.
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Spell-Check - Click the Spell Check button to highlight misspelled words in red and right-click on each for spelling suggestions.
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Click Send.
If you want to send a message to a few specific workstations but not to everyone at the practice:
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From the YAPI Dashboard, click Communication , then click on Message to Workstation.
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In the pop-up, select the workstations you want to send your message to:
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Enter your message in the white space:
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Optional:
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Red Alert - Select the Red Alert checkbox to have the message appear as a red bar within the YAPI Dashboard on every workstation. We recommend using this if the message is urgent or an emergency.
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Expires In - Messages are configured to stay on each workstation's screen based on your practice's setting in Global Setup. You can override how long this specific message stays on each workstation by changing the number of minutes in the Expires in box.
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Spell-Check - Click the Spell Check button to highlight misspelled words in red and right-click on each for spelling suggestions.
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Click Send.
If you want to send a message to a specific room in the Dashboard (sending it to any and all workstations within that room):
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In the YAPI Dashboard, click the bullhorn icon at the bottom of the room you want to send a message to:
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In the pop-up, enter your message in the white space:
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Optional:
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Private - Select the Private checkbox if you want the message to display as private on all workstations, forcing each recipient to click the lock icon to open the message. We recommend this when sending sensitive information and you know that one or more workstation screens might be within eyesight of patients.
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Expires In - Messages are configured to stay on each workstation's screen for a set length of time based on your practice's setting in Global Setup. You can override how long this specific message stays on each workstation by changing the number of minutes in the Expires in box.
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Spell-Check - Click the Spell Check button to highlight misspelled words in red and right-click on each for spelling suggestions.
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Click Send.
YAPI's Message to Provider option is similar to a Broadcast Message since it sends to all workstations. The difference is that it sends in the selected provider's chosen color. This way, no matter where each provider is located in the practice as they move from room to room, they can easily see their own messages and ignore the ones that don't apply to them. To send a provider message:
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From the YAPI Dashboard, click Communication and select Message to Provider.
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In the pop-up, enter your message in the white space:
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In the To dropdown, select the provider:
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Optional:
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Text to Mobile Phone - Select this checkbox if you want the message to also send to the provider's phone or Apple Watch.
Note: To select this option, the provider's mobile phone number must be entered in the Providers tab of Global Setup. For more on how to set this up, see Setting Up Provider & Staff Messaging to Phones & Smart Watches
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Private - Select the Private checkbox if you want the message to display as private on all workstations, forcing each recipient to click the lock icon to open the message. We recommend this when sending sensitive information and you know that one or more workstation screens might be within eyesight of patients.
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Expires In - Messages are configured to stay on each workstation's screen for a set length of time based on your practice's setting in Global Setup. You can override how long this specific message stays on each workstation by changing the number of minutes in the Expires in box.
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Spell-Check - Click the Spell Check button to highlight misspelled words in red and right-click on each for spelling suggestions.
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Click Send.
Tip: This option is great for letting a provider know their patient is seated and ready for their treatment in an operatory.
If you need a provider to come to a specific room, you can send a Summon message out to all workstations, and it shows in the provider's chosen color:
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In the YAPI Dashboard, click the Summon Provider icon at the bottom of the room you want to summon the provider to:
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From the dropdown, select the provider:
Quick Messages are a pre-set list of messages you can choose from instead of having to type type a message out. These are a great option for messages your team sends frequently. YAPI comes with several Quick Messages pre-loaded but you can customize your list by following the steps in Customizing Your Available Quick Messages. To send a Quick Message:
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From the YAPI Dashboard, click the Quick Messages icon in the toolbar:
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From the dropdown, select your message:
We've got a video for that!
To watch our Quick Messages video, click below:Click to view full screen.
What's the difference between a workstation and a room? Rooms are areas in the YAPI Dashboard that reflect physical spaces in your practice where a patient can be. Workstations are computers. Each room can have multiple workstations (or no workstation at all) and a workstation can be outside of a Dashboard room (like in a hallway or a provider's office). Sending a message to room sends the message to all workstations in that room. Sending a message to a workstation sends it to a specific computer.
Related Articles
- Setting Which Types of Messages Show on Your Workstation
- Setting Up Provider & Staff Messaging to Phones & Smart Watches
- Using Operatory Alerts to Get Help from Your Team