The one rule: patient information never goes into a public AI tool
Everything about a patient (their health, their treatment, even the fact that they're your patient) is confidential under section 14 of the National Health Act. POPIA treats health information as special personal information. Section 32 lets practices process it for treatment and for running the practice, but only by people bound to confidentiality. ChatGPT, Gemini and other public chat tools aren't part of that circle.
So use AI to write templates: the reminder, the policy, the leaflet, the reply. Then fill in the patient's details yourself, inside your practice software or your WhatsApp Business app. Every prompt on this page uses [placeholders] for exactly that reason.
- Never paste names, ID numbers, medical aid numbers, results, notes or referral letters into a chat tool
- Never upload a photo of a script, a form or an X-ray
- Ask a patient before you start sending them anything by WhatsApp, and note that they agreed. Medical Protection describes a practice that sent blood results to the number on file, by WhatsApp, without the patient having agreed to WhatsApp. It was advised to report it to the Information Regulator as a breach.
More on this in our POPIA and AI checklist.
1. Booking replies that ask the right questions
Ask for everything you need in the first reply, so booking takes one message, not five. Save these as quick replies in WhatsApp Business (see our WhatsApp Business cheat sheet).
Write a friendly WhatsApp reply for appointment requests at my [type of practice] in [area]. Ask in one message for: full name, whether they're a new or existing patient, preferred day and time, whether they'll pay by medical aid or cash, and (for new patients) a referral letter if they have one. Ask them NOT to send medical details by WhatsApp: we'll discuss those in the consultation. Under 70 words.
Write a short WhatsApp message with our practice hours [hours], address [address], parking [parking], what to do in an emergency after hours [e.g. go to the nearest emergency unit or phone 10177], and how to book. Clear and calm, under 80 words.
2. Reminders that cut no-shows (without giving anything away)
A reminder the day before, with an easy way to reschedule, prevents most no-shows. Keep reminders to the logistics: who, when, where. Leave out the reason for the visit, because someone else may see the phone.
Write three appointment messages for my practice. Do not mention the reason for the visit, any test or any treatment. 1. Confirmation right after booking: date, time, practitioner [name], address [address], what to bring (ID and medical aid card). 2. Reminder the day before: ask them to reply YES to confirm, or to let us know by [time] if they need to move it. 3. A message when the practitioner is running late: apologise, give the new expected time, offer to rebook. Warm and professional, no emojis.
3. A fair no-show and late-cancellation policy
Write a short, polite cancellation and missed-appointment policy for my [type of practice], to send with every booking and put on our website. Our rules: changes free up to [24] hours before; a fee of R[amount] for later cancellations or missed appointments, which medical aids don't pay; [x] minutes late may mean rebooking. Fair and clear, not threatening.
A patient missed their appointment today. Write a kind message checking that they're OK, gently mentioning our missed-appointment policy, and offering two new times: [time 1] or [time 2]. Don't mention the reason for the appointment. Under 50 words.
4. Before the first visit
New patients who arrive with the right documents take less time at reception. Send them a welcome message and, if you use one, a link to your practice software's intake form, so they fill in their health history there and not in a WhatsApp chat.
Write a welcome message for new patients at my [type of practice]. Include: what to bring (ID, medical aid card, referral letter, a list of the medicines they take), to arrive [10] minutes early, how payment works [e.g. we claim from your medical aid; you pay any shortfall on the day], and a link to complete our intake form before the visit: [link]. Friendly, under 120 words.
Suggest the questions for a new-patient intake form for a [type of practice] in South Africa. Group them into: contact details, medical aid details, emergency contact, relevant history for our type of practice, and consent (to treatment, to SMS/WhatsApp/email reminders, to sharing information with their referring doctor). Plain language, one line per question.
This asks for the questions only. The answers belong in your practice software, never in the chat tool.
5. Medical aid, fees and payment questions
The same five money questions eat reception time every day. Write the answers once, using your own facts, and save them as quick replies.
Write short, friendly WhatsApp answers for a [type of practice] to these questions. Use only the facts I give you; if a fact is missing, write [CHECK] instead of guessing. 1. Do you take my medical aid? Our facts: [e.g. we claim from all medical aids; we're contracted with X and Y]. 2. Will my medical aid pay the full amount? Our facts: [e.g. we charge R[amount] for a consultation; your medical aid may pay less, depending on your plan]. 3. What does a consultation cost for cash patients? [price] 4. Can I pay by card or EFT? [methods] 5. Why was I charged when I didn't come? [our missed-appointment policy] Under 60 words each. Don't promise what a medical aid will pay.
6. Patient leaflets and aftercare in plain language
AI is good at turning clinical language into words patients understand. It is also confidently wrong at times, so treat every draft as a draft: the practitioner reads and corrects it before it goes to a single patient.
Write a one-page patient leaflet about [procedure or condition, e.g. "care after a tooth extraction"] for a South African [type of practice]. Plain English at a Grade 8 reading level: what to expect, what to do and avoid at home, when to phone us, and when to go to an emergency unit. Use short headings and bullet points. Mark anything clinical I should double-check with [CHECK].
Translate this leaflet into [Afrikaans/isiXhosa/isiZulu], keeping it simple and warm. List any medical terms where the translation is uncertain, so a fluent speaker can check them: [paste leaflet]
7. Posts, reviews and the HPCSA rules
The HPCSA's ethical rules let practitioners advertise, as long as the advertising isn't unprofessional, untruthful, deceptive or misleading and doesn't cause patients unwarranted anxiety about their health. They don't allow canvassing or touting: drawing patients in with offers, guarantees or other material benefits, such as "free screening" campaigns that steer people into your practice. The HPCSA's social media guidance also requires a patient's written consent before you publish anything about them.
Chiropractors and homeopaths answer to the AHPCSA, and nurses to SANC. If that's you, check your own council's rules, along with its rules on patient reviews and before-and-after photos, before you post.
Give me 8 short Facebook post ideas for my [type of practice] in [area] that educate, not sell: seasonal health tips, what to expect at a first visit, meet the team, practice news. No discounts, offers, guarantees, patient stories or before-and-after photos. One line each, plus a draft for the first one under 80 words.
Write a short, professional reply to this Google review of my practice. Thank them, but don't confirm they are a patient and don't mention any treatment or health details, even if they did. If the review is a complaint, invite them to contact the practice manager on [number]. Review: [paste the review, with the reviewer's name removed]
The calls you can't take
When you're with a patient you can't answer, and a caller who wants an appointment often phones the next practice. An AI phone assistant answers the calls you miss as your practice, takes the caller's name, number and what they're phoning about, and sends it to you straight away, so reception phones back between patients.
Hear how it sounds
Kim answers missed calls for South African businesses. Leave your number and she phones you within a minute.