Actions define what happens after a trigger event passes your filters.
This is where your automation actually does work — sending a reminder, delivering a form, or creating a follow-up task.
You can add one or many actions to the same automation.
Actions run after all filters are checked.
If you don’t add any actions, the automation does nothing and ends quietly.
Types of Actions
To keep things simple, think of actions in three buckets:
1. Patient-facing communication
These actions contact the patient directly:
SMS – Text messages for short reminders, confirmations, and links.
Email – Longer instructions, forms, and summaries.
Outbound Phone – Automated phone calls powered by your Virtual Agent.
Each of these has its own dedicated builder:
SMS Builder – Template content, merge fields, and response codes.
Email Builder – Layout, subject lines, and personalization.
Outbound Phone Builder – Call flows, prompts, and voice settings.
👉 Detailed setup for these lives in their own guides:
This Actions article focuses on the clinic/EMR-side actions that don’t talk directly to the patient:
Task
Fax
Task Actions (EMR Follow-Up)
A Task action creates a follow-up task for your staff inside the EMR.
Use this when a human needs to review or decide something, for example:
Reviewing abnormal lab results or imaging reports
Calling a patient who didn’t confirm or respond
Manually triaging complex cases
Double-checking eligibility, insurance, or chart notes
You’ll see this as Task Template inside the action block.
Fields in the Task Template
From the screenshot and current behavior, each Task action includes:
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Select provider
Who the task should be attached to in the EMR.
Typically the most responsible physician or the provider who ordered the test / owns the appointment.
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Provider location
Which clinic site or location the task belongs to.
If you leave this blank, the system will use your clinic’s default location (the orange warning in the card calls this out).
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Service Date
The date the task should reference.
In most automations this will be the appointment date or date of service that triggered the automation.
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Task note
Free-text instructions your staff will see when they open the task.
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This is where you spell out what needs to happen, for example:
“Review today’s INR result and adjust warfarin if needed.”
“Call patient to discuss CT report; book follow-up within 1 week.”
“Check referral notes and confirm if specialist booking is required.”
There’s also a toggle on the right of the Task Template card:
On – The task will be created every time this automation runs and reaches the action.
Off – The template stays configured but is ignored until you turn it back on.
Good patterns for Task actions
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Tie tasks to clear clinical events
Example: “Document Based → Lab Result = Abnormal → Create task for Dr. Lee with note ‘Please review abnormal lab result’.”
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Avoid creating duplicate work
If another automation already sends a message and creates a task, don’t set up a second “just in case” task unless you’re sure it’s needed.
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Write notes like you’re briefing a colleague
Assume the staff member hasn’t read the full chart yet. Tell them what happened and what you expect them to do.
Fax Actions (Provider / Clinic-Facing)
Fax actions let automations send outbound faxes as part of a workflow — typically to other providers, facilities, or departments.
Common use cases:
Sending lab or imaging reports back to the referring provider
Faxing consult notes to a specialist or family doctor
Sending referral forms or requisitions to external clinics
Notifying long-term care homes, pharmacies, or partner clinics
How Fax actions work today
Right now:
Fax actions are available and live.
Clinics cannot edit fax templates themselves.
To create or change a fax template, you contact your Implementation Manager.
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The Phelix team:
Builds or updates the template
Connects it to the right trigger and filters
Makes it available as an action option in your automations
A self-serve Fax Template Builder will be added later. Until then, all template changes go through the implementation team.
What you control in the automation
When Fax is enabled for your account and a template is set up, a Fax action typically lets you:
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Choose the fax template
For example: “Lab Result to Referrer,” “Consult Note to Family Doctor,” “Referral Form to Imaging Clinic.”
The template defines what is sent and which data fields are pulled from the EMR (patient info, provider info, report details, etc.).
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Define who receives the fax
Depending on how your template was built, the implementation team can wire it to:The referring provider on the referral or report
The patient’s family doctor recorded in the EMR
A fixed fax number (for example, a specific imaging centre)
A location-based fax (for clinics with different numbers per site)
You don’t have to script this logic yourself, but you should be clear with your Implementation Manager about who should receive which document.
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Attach the right content
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The template controls whether the fax includes:
A cover page
The report / document itself
Extra details (like appointment info, patient demographics, internal notes)
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Control when it goes out
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Timing is handled by the trigger + filters:
Example: “Document Based → New lab result received → Fax to referrer.”
Example: “Referral Notification Based → Status = ‘Completed’ → Fax consult note to family doctor.”
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What your Implementation Manager needs from you
Whenever you ask us to set up or modify a Fax action, come prepared with:
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Use case
“Fax all completed cardiology consult notes to the referring doctor.”
“Fax mammogram reports to the ordering physician and family doctor.”
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Trigger event
Appointment completed? Referral status updated? Document type imported?
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Recipient rules
Who should get the fax and where their fax number lives in your EMR (referrer, family doctor, location, fixed number, etc.).
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Template content
Any required text on the cover page (clinic headers, disclaimers).
Which sections of the report or document are critical to include.
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Edge cases
What to do if there is no referrer on file, no fax number, or multiple possible recipients (often you’ll want a Task created instead so staff can handle it manually).
Best practices for Fax actions
Double-check fax numbers during implementation and testing. Once live, automations will happily send faxes wherever they’re pointed.
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Pair Fax with Tasks for safety-critical workflows. Example:
Fax report to referrer and create a task for staff: “Confirm fax received and document follow-up plan.”
Start narrow, then expand. Begin with one or two high-value fax flows (e.g., specific referral types) before rolling out broadly.
Putting it together: Example flows
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Prescription refill request and follow-up task
Trigger: Document Based → New document received
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Filters:
Document type = “Prescription Refill Request” (or your EMR’s refill code)
Physician = Patient’s family doctor
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Actions:
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Task: “Review refill request and update prescription if appropriate”
Provider: Family doctor
Provider location: Clinic location where the prescription is managed
Service date: Today or next booked visit
Task note: “Refill request received via fax. Review meds, renew if appropriate, or contact patient if visit is needed.”
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Consult note completion
Trigger: Referral Notification Based → Status = Completed
Filters: Specialty = “Orthopedics”
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Actions:
Fax “Consult Note to Family Doctor” template
Task: “Confirm family doctor has received consult and update care plan”
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No-response after reminder
Trigger: Appointment Update or Post-Appointment Reminder
Filters: Appointment still “No Show” 24 hours later
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Actions:
Task: “Call patient to reschedule and review follow-up plan”