Click the Mail icon that you will find on most patient care pages. This will open the IM message portal:

The Message Portal is designed to work just like a typical email program.

Click Inbox, Outbox, or Archived Messages [1] to view your lists of Messages. Click the patient's name [2] to view a particular Message [3]. Messages are displayed as a "thread" just like email

Click Compose New to open a dialog box:

You may send Messages to either patients or other staff members.

To send a Message to a patient, click Patient in the Select Recipient [1] radio check box. This will display a pulldown menu of patients. Select a patient or staff, then fill in the Subject and Message fields. Click Send. The patient will receive an email notifying that there is a New Message.