Creating a Patient Panel Messaging Communication List

To create a campaign which invites patients to activate a Secure-Mail account, or to send a general message, you need to first export your patient list from your EMR, PMS or other repository where your patient records is stored and maintained. The list that is exported with the patient data must include the following:

1. Last Name
2. First Name
3. DOB – Date of Birth
4. Email
5. Mobile phone contact
6. Regular phone contact

Typically, when you are exporting data from your electronic medical records it can be in comma-separated values which are typically viewable via Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

Even though you edit the spreadsheet with the specific headers listed above, it may not be in the correct format to be uploaded to Brightsquid. You need to create a new CSV file to upload to Brightsquid. Before you do please ensure the following:

1. The email address is the most recent for your patients
2. The phone contacts are the most recent
3. If the contact is for a dependent ensure that the DOB is the correct

To create the CSV you need a text editor or Microsoft Excel. If you are on a Windows PC the default text editor, Word Pad is adequate. If you are on a Mac, the default text editor TextEdit is also sufficient. Alternatives that can be used are Notepad++ and Microsoft Visual Studio Code. You can click the links below to learn more and download the software which is Free:

NotePad++
Downloads | Notepad++ (notepad-plus-plus.org) [Windows Download]

Microsoft Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code - Code Editing. Redefined [Select your OS Version]

To create the CSV file for Brightsquid using a text editor please follow these steps:

1. Open your preferred text editor and save the file as a CSV as shown in the image below:
   
   Give the CSV an appropriate name and the saved file would display as shown in the image below on a Windows computer:
   
   
   
2. After the file is saved enter the following headings at the top followed by a comma:
   last_name,first_name,DOB,email,sms,phn,hair colour
   
   Please ensure each heading is entered as displayed above. The last option in the list above, hair colour, is optional and would be explained further in the tutorial. You can copy/paste the heading, in bold above, and insert it into the text document:
   
   
   
3. After the heading are entered, start inserting the patient data:
   Kooper,Bill,1985-05-14,bill@brightsquid.com,, 9056905051,green
   
   When entering the patient's DOB please ensure the following format: YYYY-MM-DD. Phone contact must be ten digits. The following fields are mandatory:
   - last_name
   - first_name
   - DOB
   - email
   If the patient’s phone contact is not available leave it blank as shown: ‘,,’
   Additional columns can be added such as ‘hair colour’ or even ‘allergy’ or ‘requisition’. When the campaign is created, additional details would be provided.
   
   The inserted fields should look as follows after being added to the CSV file:
   
   Once the patient list is completed open the document in your Spreadsheet application to view ensuring the cells are formatted correctly:
   

If you choose to edit the exported spreadsheet from your EMR, PMS or other electronic patient management repository using Microsoft Excel or equivalent software please remove any unnecessary columns. If the exported document is missing headings, insert a row at the very top and enter the heading. Format the document and save the changes. Also, ensure that the document is in CSV format. If it is not in CSV format, use the ‘Save As’ option to save the document as a CSV. If additional assistance is needed with creating the CSV file you can follow up with customer support. Please click this link to get redirected to the next step in using the Brightsquid Panel Messaging service: [add link heading here]