Toll Free Number Verification

To enable text messaging in Relevant Outreach, your toll-free phone number must complete toll free verification. This is a federal requirement for all organizations sending SMS messages through toll-free numbers.

The verification process is managed by our messaging provider, Twilio, and typically takes 2–4 weeks. Relevant Outreach cannot send text messages until verification has been approved.

Twilio requires that each health center provide the following:

1. Organization Information

  • Health center name (DBA)
  • Full address
  • Contact person
  • Contact email
  • Contact phone number

2. Intended Use

Provide 1–2 sentences describing how you will use text messaging.

Example:

Sending timely healthcare reminders to our patients, including appointment reminders, post-visit surveys, and invitations to participate in health-related programs.

Describe how patients are asked to opt in to text messaging, including who obtains consent, when it is collected, and how the patient’s response is recorded in your EHR or other system. Include enough detail for a reviewer to understand the complete process from patient consent through documentation.

The examples below illustrate consent workflows descriptions that have met verification requirements:

eClinicalWorks (eCW)

Receptionists verbally ask new patients during appointment check-in whether they would like to opt in to receiving text messages from our health center. The receptionists then record the patient’s response in the Patient Communication Settings in the eClinicalWorks (eCW) EHR by checking “text enabled” or leaving it unchecked if the patient declines (see screenshot below).

Epic

Receptionists at our health center ask the patient for their communication preferences and whether they’d like to opt-in to receiving text messages to receive appointment reminders when they check the patient in for their appointment. The receptionist would open up the patient’s chart in Epic (MyChart), click on the “Communication Preferences” tab, and click the “Text message” icon under “Appointments”. Below is a screenshot of the “Communication Preferences” section of a patient’s chart in Epic.

Paper Registration Forms

When checking in for appointments at our health center or signing up for our patient portal, patients consent to receiving text messages. Below are screenshots of our patient registration form and online sign up. This information is recorded in our EHR and used to determine whether patients have consented to messages or not.

One of the most common reasons for verification delays is insufficient documentation of the opt-in process. Your Opt-In Consent Form should clearly show how patients actively consent to receive messages rather than opt out. Be sure to include screenshots or PDFs of the form for reviewers to verify.

To help streamline the review process, your Opt-In Consent Form should include:

  • Your health center’s name or logo on the patient-facing form or screen
  • A separate, optional SMS consent section—not combined with general registration, privacy, or treatment consent
  • Clear documentation that patients can receive care even if they decline text messages
  • A description of the types of text messages patients are consenting to receive (such as appointment reminders or health program notifications)
  • The exact consent language presented to patients
  • Instructions explaining how patients can opt out of future text messages