Quick answer: Photos and PDFs that patients text in appear inside the message in Communication > Messages. Click one to view it, or click Save to patient files to add it to the Patient Profile. With Copilot, insurance and ID cards can pre-fill records.
Who this is for: All Barti users with access to Communication > Messages.
Before you start, you'll need:
Texting turned on for your practice
Picture messages (MMS) turned on for your practice. Contact Barti Support if pictures don't show in your messages.
What's included, and what requires Copilot
Every practice with picture messages can:
View photos and PDFs patients text in
Save any attachment to the Patient Profile with Save to patient files
Practices with Barti Copilot also get automatic reading of texted media:
Insurance card recognition, and Create insurance from card to add the insurance with the card details filled in
ID recognition, and Create patient from ID to start a new patient from a texted driver's license or other ID
A short summary under each texted PDF
View a photo or PDF a patient texted you
1. Open the message
Click Communication > Messages.
Open the conversation from the Conversations tab. If the number isn't linked to a patient yet, open it from the Inquiries tab.
2. Find the attachment
Look below the message text. Photos show as a thumbnail.
PDFs show as a PDF attachment chip. With Copilot, a short summary of the PDF appears under the chip.
3. Open it full size
Click the thumbnail or chip.
If the patient sent several attachments, use the arrows in the viewer to move between them.
Save an attachment to the Patient Profile
Use this for anything a patient texts you: a referral, a prescription, a photo of an eye, a signed form.
1. Open the patient's conversation
Open the conversation from the Conversations tab.
2. Click Save to patient files
Click the Save to patient files icon next to the attachment.
❗ Important Note: Save to patient files only appears in the Conversations tab. A message in Inquiries has no patient to save to yet. Create or link the patient first, and the thread moves to Conversations.
3. Name and upload the file
In the Upload a file window, check the File name. Barti fills in "Text message" plus the date the message was sent. Edit the name if needed.
Select a Label if needed.
Click Upload file.
Add insurance from a texted insurance card (Copilot)
When a patient texts a photo of their insurance card, Barti recognizes it and reads the card details.
1. Click Create insurance from card
Open the patient's conversation from the Conversations tab.
Click Create insurance from card under the card photo.
2. Review the prefilled details
Review the Add Insurance window. Barti fills in the details it read from the card, and the card photo appears alongside for comparison.
If you see "We couldn't find an insurance match from this card. Please select the correct insurance from the list.", select the correct insurance in Network.
Check every prefilled field against the card photo.
If the patient is not the policy holder, enter the subscriber details. Barti does not prefill subscriber information from the card.
3. Save the insurance
Leave Save Images selected to store the card photos in the patient's files with the label Insurance Card.
Click Add.
Create a new patient from a texted ID (Copilot)
When an unknown number texts a photo of a driver's license or other ID, Barti can use it to start the new patient record.
1. Click Create patient from ID
Open the message from the Inquiries tab.
Click Create patient from ID under the ID photo.
2. Review and save the patient
Review the new patient form. Barti fills in the name and other details it read from the ID, and the texting number as the patient's cell phone. Barti does not fill in the address.
Complete any remaining fields and save the patient.
What you'll see when it works
Photos show as thumbnails and PDFs as PDF attachment chips inside the message.
A file you save with Save to patient files appears in the patient's files under the name you gave it.
After Create insurance from card, you see "Insurance created successfully" and the insurance appears on the Patient Profile. If Save Images was selected, the card photos appear in the patient's files labeled Insurance Card.
After Create patient from ID, you see "Patient created successfully". The texting thread moves out of Inquiries and opens as a conversation under the new patient in Conversations.
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If you have any questions, please refer to Barti's Help Center or create a support ticket at support.barti.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does an attachment say "Media still arriving"?
Barti is still downloading the file from the patient's carrier. The attachment appears the next time the conversation loads. Close the conversation, then open it again.
Why does an attachment say "Media unavailable"?
Barti could not download or store the file. This can happen when the file is larger than about 5 MB or is not a supported type. Supported types are JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WEBP, and PDF. Ask the patient to resend it as a photo or PDF, or to email it.
Why don't I see Create insurance from card or Create patient from ID?
These buttons appear only when your practice has Barti Copilot and Barti recognized the photo as an insurance card or an ID. A blurry, cropped, or dark photo may not be recognized. Ask the patient to resend a clear photo, or add the insurance or patient manually. Check the tab too: Create insurance from card appears in Conversations, and Create patient from ID appears in Inquiries.
Why wasn't the insurance plan selected automatically?
Barti selects the plan automatically only when the card's payer matches exactly one insurance on your practice's insurance list. If there's no match, or more than one plan on your list uses the same payer (for example, a medical plan and a vision plan from the same carrier), select the correct insurance in Network. Check Insurance Type before you save.
Can I send photos or files to patients by text?
No. Barti shows photos and files that patients text in. Sending attachments to patients by text is not available.