Related Terms
TCPA
10DLC registration
See Also
Consent sits underneath every patient texting program. See how compliant texting is set up
Two-way HIPAA Texting
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
Category Core: Compliance
Reading time: 1 min
Updated: Nov 2026
SMS Patient Consent
Definition
SMS patient consent is a patient's permission to receive text messages from a practice, captured and recorded before the practice starts texting them.
Why the distinction matters
Consent is the legal basis for every text a practice sends. Under the TCPA, informational texts need prior express consent, and marketing texts need written consent. Carriers also check it: a 10DLC campaign registration has to describe how patients opt in, and carriers can block traffic that looks unconsented.
The hard part is the workflow. Consent has to be asked for in plain words, saved with a date and source, and kept up to date when a patient opts out. A consent checkbox on a paper form that never reaches the chart doesn't help much when a question comes up two years later.
Example
A clinic adds a line to its digital intake form: "I agree to receive appointment and billing texts from [Practice Name]. Msg and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out." The patient checks the box, the form saves the timestamp, and the first text they get confirms the opt-in and repeats the STOP option.
Frequently Asked
-
Does a patient have to sign to receive texts?
For appointment and billing texts, sharing a cell number is often enough. Marketing texts need written consent, which can be an e-signature.
-
How should a practice record SMS consent?
Save the date, the method (form, verbal, or text reply), and the exact wording shown. Keep opt-outs in the same record.
-
What happens when a patient replies STOP?
The practice must stop the texts that consent covered. Most texting tools block the number automatically and log the opt-out.