We just held our What’s New This Summer webinar where we covered the newest features and updates in Jane. During this session we had a lively chat, with lots of questions about a few features like Text Messaging, Virtual Assistants and Receptionists, and SEO. So, we pulled those questions (and their answers) together in one place.
And before we forget, if you missed the webinar and would like to catch the recording, you can do so here.
If you’ve got questions about one feature in particular, head straight to it:
Text Messaging
Virtual Assistants and Receptionists
Jane SEO
AI Scribe for Telehealth
Secure Messaging
Text Messaging: where things stand right now
A lot of clinics already text patients from a personal or clinic cell phone for quick things: a reschedule, a “running 10 minutes late,” a reminder to bring updated paperwork. It’s fast, and patients respond to it, and we know it’s a feature important to our customers. With this in mind, Text Messaging within Jane is in development.
Here are some answers to your questions about where Text Messaging is at now, and what you can expect in the near future.
When is Text Messaging launching, and will it be available in Canada and the US?
Text messaging is currently in development and it will be available first to our North American clinics before we bring it anywhere else. We’re targeting early access availability for North American clinics this fall.
How does texting work in Jane? Can patients text back?
We’re building two-way texting between staff and patients, right in Jane. Patients will be able to reply to reminders or text anytime, messages will be tied to the patient’s chart, and it will work for multi-staff clinics with a shared inbox.
Is text messaging secure and compliant?
SMS is not an inherently secure channel, and it requires patients to opt-in. This is why we recommend Text Messaging for admin-style communications, like running late to an appointment, but any clinical conversations should happen within Jane’s Secure Messaging feature, which is HIPAA, PIPEDA, and GDPR-compliant. They’re a great pair!
Can Text Messaging be automated for reminders and recalls?
Text Messaging will support automated reminders but there aren’t plans to support recalls at this time.
Tip: for more information on Jane’s messaging features, check out Patient Messaging in Jane: Which Communication Tool to Use and When.
Virtual Assistants and Receptionists: tackling your admin tasks
For solo practitioners managing their own admin and bustling group clinics alike, Jane’s Virtual Assistants and Receptionists are real people who help take the admin weight off your shoulders.
Here’s some more information on what you can expect from these expert human services.
What can Jane’s Virtual Assistants and Receptionists actually handle: scheduling, FAQs, intake forms?
Virtual Assistants take on day-to-day admin work like email and inbox management, payment follow-up, lab coordination, document management, and other time-consuming admin tasks. So yes, scheduling, FAQs, and intake forms are all within the scope of what our Virtual Assistants can handle.
If you’re looking for live phone support, our Virtual Receptionists are your best bet. They answer phone calls, help patients book, and handle questions, acting as an extension of your front desk.
Are Jane’s Virtual Receptionists an AI voice, a person, or more like a chatbot?
Jane’s Virtual Assistants and Receptionists are real people, who are also Jane-trained experts. They understand how the platform works before they ever pick up your phone or open your schedule.
In the future, should we offer an AI alternative, it will always be clearly labeled as AI-powered.
Can a Virtual Assistant cover my clinic after hours, when no one’s around to answer the phone?
Right now we are focused on providing coverage during business hours. So, currently Virtual Assistant support runs from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm across all time zones in both Canada and the US, from Monday through Friday. So, no, after hours coverage isn’t currently available, but it is something we’re exploring.
With that said, because your clinic will have additional support during operating hours, the morning catch up should be much less time consuming than it was before.
Tip: for more information on Jane’s Virtual Assistants and Receptionists, check out our blog post Healthcare Virtual Assistant Services for Clinics: How VRs and VAs work in Jane.
Jane SEO: what it covers
Showing up when a potential patient searches for your specialty isn’t luck. In order for that to happen it requires some specific work that many practitioners don’t have the time to do.
This is where Jane SEO comes in. We handle the heavy lifting so your clinic is more likely to get found. Here’s a look at answers to common questions about Jane SEO.
What does Jane SEO support actually include?
Jane pairs your clinic with an in-house SEO team that handles keyword research, monthly content, local SEO optimization, and clear reporting on what’s working.
Early on, that usually starts with a technical audit of your site and Google Business Profile, since those lay the groundwork for everything after. That work also includes optimization for AI-driven search results, not just traditional Google rankings, so your clinic has a shot at showing up when someone asks an AI tool for a recommendation.
How does Jane SEO work with a website I already have set up outside of Jane?
Jane SEO support is built to work with Jane Websites, specifically. They work together to give you even better performance from your Jane Website, and access to a team that understands your practice.
The best next step is to book a call with the team. They’ll take a look at your setup and help you assess if a Jane Website and Jane SEO is a fit for your practice.
I know SEO matters but have no idea where to start. What’s the first thing I should do?
Start with your Jane Online Booking page. Make sure it’s clear, organized, and that a stranger could easily understand what you do and feel confident booking an appointment. From there, double check that your Google Business Profile is filled out and linked to your booking page.
Those two things alone can make a big difference in your discoverability and help new patients find you.
Tip: here’s a look at how one therapist used SEO to grow her business.
AI Scribe for Telehealth: privacy, accuracy, and customization
Charting after a full day of virtual sessions can be tiring, especially when you’re trying to remember the specifics of a conversation from three appointments ago.
AI Scribe has helped over 8,000 practitioners get accurate documentation, faster, and this tool is now available in 1:1 telehealth sessions. Here are some answers to common questions.
Can AI Scribe tell the difference between what the practitioner says and what the patient says while charting?
Yes, AI Scribe is able to discern between two speakers, however, it’s not ideal for groups at this time, which is why we started with 1:1 telehealth appointments.
How does AI Scribe protect client privacy and stay compliant?
AI Scribe is built in-house by Jane, which means privacy and practitioner control are part of the feature itself. You choose your deletion policy, with options to delete recordings or transcriptions immediately after a chart is generated, or keep them for a set number of days. Your data isn’t used to train the AI model, and every note comes back to you for review and editing before you sign it.
Can I customize AI Scribe’s templates to match how my practice charts?
Yes. You can start from a SOAP note, a pre-made template from Jane’s discipline-specific library, or build your own from scratch. Prompts can be set globally for every note, or customized further at the template or individual chart level, so a follow-up assessment doesn’t have to look identical to an initial intake. Most practitioners start with an existing template and adjust it over the first few sessions until it sounds like them.
Tip: check out how different disciplines are using Jane’s AI Scribe.
Secure Messaging: what’s different now
Secure Messaging has been around for a few months, but there’s one big update we’re excited about. Practitioners can now enable patient-initiated messages, so patients can reach out first.
Here’s the latest on our Secure Messaging feature and ways you’ll be able to pair it with our Text Messaging feature for simplified patient communication.
Can clients send me documents or files securely through Jane, and where does that live in their chart?
Yes. Patients can attach files, including PDFs, images, and short videos up to 50MB, directly within a Secure Message thread. From there, you can save an attachment straight to the patient’s Files. This way it doesn’t just sit in the message history, it becomes part of their record where you’d go looking for it later.
How is secure messaging in Jane different from just texting a client?
Secure Messaging lives inside Jane and is tied directly to the patient’s record, so the conversation, the file they sent last week, and their chart are all in one place. Texting from a personal phone doesn’t have that connection, and depending on where you practice, sending clinical or identifying details over a text channel may not meet the privacy obligations your profession requires.
Secure Messaging exists for the clinical conversations that require additional care around compliance, Text Messaging is for admin-style updates.
Can I mark a message as unread so I don’t lose track of it?
Not at this time. For now, once a message has been opened, it stays that way.
If you want to see any of these features in action before making the move, book time with our team. We can walk through what’s live today, including Secure Messaging and AI Scribe for Telehealth, and give more information about where features in development, like Text Messaging, currently stand.