> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.clinikehr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choose what patients can see and do

> A tab-by-tab reference for every client portal setting — booking rules, messaging, telehealth, documents, record sharing, notifications and privacy.

export const StillStuck = ({topic}) => <div className="ck-callout ck-callout--note" role="note">
    <p className="ck-callout__body">
      <strong>Still stuck{topic ? ` with ${topic}` : ''}?</strong>{' '}
      Check <a href="/platform/help/troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</a> first —
      it covers the failures we see most often. If that does not resolve it,{' '}
      <a href="/platform/help/contact-support">contact support</a> and include
      your workspace name and the time the problem happened, so we can find the
      matching entry in your audit log.
    </p>
  </div>;

export const TaskHeader = ({before, time, after}) => <div className="ck-task">
    {before ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Before you start</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{before}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {time ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Takes about</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{time}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {after ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">When you're done</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{after}</p>
      </div> : null}
  </div>;

export const Path = ({steps = []}) => <span className="ck-path">
    {steps.map((s, i) => <span key={i} className="ck-path__step">
        {i > 0 ? <span className="ck-path__sep" aria-hidden="true">
            ›
          </span> : null}
        {s}
      </span>)}
  </span>;

export const Availability = ({editions = ['all'], plans, roles, note}) => {
  const list = editions.includes('all') ? ['clinic', 'pharmacy', 'lims'] : editions;
  return <div className="ck-avail" role="note" aria-label="Feature availability">
      <span className="ck-avail__label">Available in</span>

      {list.map(e => <span key={e} className={`ck-pill ck-pill--${e}`}>
          {EDITION_LABELS[e] || e}
        </span>)}

      {plans ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Plan</span> : null}
      {plans ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--plan">{plans}</span> : null}

      {roles ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Who</span> : null}
      {roles ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--role">{roles}</span> : null}

      {note ? <span className="ck-avail__note">{note}</span> : null}
    </div>;
};

<Availability editions={['all']} plans="Starter and above; Messaging and Notifications need Essential" roles="Owner" />

Everything a patient can see or do in the portal comes from these settings. There are seven tabs, and this page goes through all of them so you can decide once and stop wondering what your patients are looking at.

<Path steps={['Settings', 'Client portal', 'Client Portal']} />

<Note>
  Your edition may label this **Patient portal** and **Patient Portal**. The tabs and settings are identical.
</Note>

<TaskHeader before="A published portal — see Turn on the patient portal" time="About 15 minutes to go through every tab once" after="A portal that shows exactly what you intend and nothing else" />

## How to change a setting

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the tab you need">
    The seven tabs run across the settings card: **Branding**, **Appointments**, **Messaging**, **Telehealth**, **Documents**, **Notifications** and **Privacy**. On a phone they collapse into a dropdown. A tab your plan does not include shows an amber shield.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Change the setting">
    Switches take effect for every patient at once. Numbers — notice periods, limits, retention — apply from the moment you save.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Select **Save**. It stays unavailable until **Portal Name** and **URL Slug** are both set and the slug passes its check.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Do not select the green pulsing **Live** button to save. Once your portal is published that button **unpublishes** it and patients lose access. Save with **Save**.
</Warning>

## Branding

Your portal's name, address and appearance. Covered in full on [Brand your portal](/portal/setup/branding).

In short: **Portal Name**, **URL Slug** (which sets your web address), **Welcome Message**, **Logo**, **Banner Image**, **Favicon**, your primary, secondary and accent colours, and **Font Family**.

## Appointments

"Online Appointments — Control how clients book, reschedule and cancel appointments through the portal."

| Setting                     | What it does                                                                          |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Allow Online Booking**    | Clients can request appointments via the portal. Off means no **Book** button at all. |
| **Allow Cancellations**     | Whether a client can cancel their own appointment                                     |
| **Allow Rescheduling**      | Whether a client can move their own appointment                                       |
| **Appointment Start Times** | The interval offered slots fall on                                                    |
| **Min notice (hours)**      | How soon before a slot someone may still book it                                      |
| **Max advance booking**     | How far ahead the calendar opens — 90 days by default                                 |
| **Cancellation notice**     | How long before the visit cancelling stops being possible — 24 hours by default       |
| **Reschedule notice**       | The same cut-off for moving an appointment                                            |

Once a notice period has passed, the buttons vanish from the patient's screen rather than failing when selected. That is deliberate, and worth telling your front desk so they can answer "the cancel button has gone" in one sentence.

### New Client Requests

A master switch that puts the **New Patient** button on your portal's welcome page. Under it, **Allow requests from:**

* **New individual clients**
* **New couple clients**
* **New contacts (on behalf of someone else)** — a parent or carer registering for another person

Then **Information collected from new clients:**

* **Show new client prescreener** — asks **What brings you in?** and **How did you hear about us?**
* **Ask for preferred payment method** — insurance or self-pay, plus their insurer

And **Notify me of new client requests**, which emails you when someone applies.

<Note>
  A request is a waitlist entry, not an account. Nobody can sign in until you approve them **and** tick the portal-access box. See [Give a patient portal access](/portal/setup/invite-patients). With this switch off, the portal shows "Not accepting new patients online".
</Note>

## Messaging

"Secure Messaging — Configure how clients can communicate with your care team." Needs Essential and above.

| Setting                                | What it does                                                                                                                                      |
| -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Clients can initiate conversations** | Off means a client can only reply after you message them first. They see "You cannot initiate a conversation. The clinic must message you first." |
| **Allow file & image attachments**     | Whether patients can attach photos and documents to a message                                                                                     |
| **Max attachment size**                | The per-file limit, 10 MB by default                                                                                                              |
| **Automated Responses**                | An automatic acknowledgement, and a separate out-of-hours message                                                                                 |
| **Message retention period**           | How long messages are kept — 365 days by default                                                                                                  |

Messaging is off until you turn it on. Before you do, decide who watches the inbox and how quickly you answer, and put that in your out-of-hours message. An unwatched message channel is worse than none.

## Telehealth

| Setting                                | What it does                                                                                               |
| -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Video sessions**                     | Offer appointments by video                                                                                |
| **Phone sessions**                     | Offer appointments by phone                                                                                |
| **Video Provider**                     | Which video service runs your calls                                                                        |
| **Require telehealth consent**         | Ask the patient to consent before a video visit                                                            |
| **Enable session recording**           | "Clinicians can record sessions for clinical reference. Switch off to block recording across this clinic." |
| **Require explicit consent to record** | The patient must agree before recording starts                                                             |
| **Session reminder timing**            | How long before a video visit the reminder goes out                                                        |

<Warning>
  **Enable session recording** governs the whole clinic. Switching it off blocks recording for every clinician, on every call. Recording a consultation is regulated where you practise — turn on **Require explicit consent to record** unless you have taken your own advice saying otherwise. See [HIPAA and your data](/platform/security/hipaa).
</Warning>

Patients can blur their background or use a supplied one on any plan; uploading a background image of their own needs Essential and above.

## Documents

Two halves: paperwork you send out, and record sharing.

**Paperwork**

| Setting                                | What it does                                                                                      |
| -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Allow client document uploads**      | Patients can send you photos, scans and PDFs. Off removes **Upload a document** from their screen |
| **Intake forms**                       | Send intake forms through the portal                                                              |
| **Consent forms**                      | Send consent forms through the portal                                                             |
| **Require digital signature on forms** | Forms must be signed, not just read                                                               |
| **Document retention period**          | How long documents are kept                                                                       |

**Record sharing** — each is off by default and each is a separate decision:

| Setting            | What the patient gets                                                                                          |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Clinical notes** | "Progress notes and consultation summaries" — the **Consultations** section                                    |
| **Lab results**    | "Blood work, pathology and diagnostic results" — the **Lab Results** section, including signed imaging reports |
| **Prescriptions**  | "Active medications and prescription history" — the **Prescriptions** section                                  |

<Warning>
  Turning on record sharing publishes results to patients as soon as they are signed off, with no clinician release step in between. Only completed, signed items appear, and the portal is view-only — but a patient can read an abnormal result before you have spoken to them. Agree how you follow up abnormal results before you switch these on.
</Warning>

Patients cannot request refills, acknowledge results or download from these sections. Requests for copies come to you.

## Notifications

Who gets told what. Needs Essential and above.

| Setting                              | What it does                                                     |
| ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **New message received**             | Alerts you when a patient messages                               |
| **New appointment request**          | Alerts you when someone books or requests                        |
| **Appointment changed or cancelled** | Alerts you when a patient moves or cancels                       |
| **Client uploaded a document**       | Alerts you when a patient sends a file                           |
| **Client submitted a form**          | *Coming soon* — not yet active                                   |
| **SMS appointment reminders**        | *Coming soon* — the portal does not send text messages           |
| **Email appointment reminders**      | Reminder emails to patients before a visit                       |
| **Send reminder**                    | When that reminder goes out — currently fixed at 24 hours before |

Reminders go to patients who have **confirmed** their appointment, so encourage confirmation rather than assuming everyone booked will be reminded.

Settings marked *Coming soon* do nothing yet. Do not build a workflow on them, and do not promise patients text-message reminders.

## Privacy

| Setting                                           | What it does                                           |
| ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Show HIPAA / privacy notice**                   | Displays your privacy notice on the sign-in screen     |
| **Require consent on first signup**               | New registrations must accept before they can submit   |
| **Allow clients to export their data**            | Whether patients may request a copy of their data      |
| **Require two-factor authentication for clients** | *Coming soon* — not yet active                         |
| **Auto-logout after inactivity**                  | How long an idle session lasts — 30 minutes by default |

Sign-in already protects patients well: there is no password to reuse or leak, and every sign-in needs a fresh code sent to the address on the record. Shorten **Auto-logout after inactivity** if your patients often use shared or public devices.

## Check it worked

Open your portal address in a private browser window and sign in as a test patient. Confirm that:

* The sections in the left-hand list match what you switched on — no **Messages** if messaging is off, no **Lab Results** unless you shared them.
* The **Book** button appears or does not, as you intended.
* A visit inside your cancellation notice no longer offers **Cancel**.
* The **New Patient** button on the welcome page matches your New Client Requests setting.

## If something goes wrong

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="A tab has an amber shield on it">
    That tab needs a higher plan — **Messaging** and **Notifications** need Essential and above. See [Change your plan](/platform/plans/change-plan).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I changed a setting but patients still see the old behaviour">
    Check you selected **Save** and that it was not greyed out — an incomplete **Portal Name** or a failing **URL Slug** blocks the whole save, including changes on other tabs. Then reload the patient view; a portal already open in a patient's browser picks up the change on their next page load.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Patients cannot see their results even though I shared them">
    Only completed, signed items appear. A draft note or an unreported test is invisible until it is finished. Check the record itself is signed off before assuming the setting is at fault.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Nobody is receiving appointment reminders">
    Reminders are email only and go to patients who have **confirmed** their appointment. Check **Email appointment reminders** is on, and that the patient has selected **Confirm** in the portal. There are no SMS reminders.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Everything is read-only for me">
    Only the practice owner can edit portal settings. See [Roles and permissions](/platform/team/roles).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<StillStuck />