Use conversation assignment in NexHealth Messages to give every patient thread a clear owner — so your front desk always knows who's handling what and nothing falls through the cracks.
How assignment works
Each conversation can be assigned to one staff member at a time. The assignee's name and avatar appear as a chip on the conversation row and in the conversation header, visible to everyone at the location. Assignments are internal only — patients never see who a conversation is assigned to.
Assigning a conversation
Open the Messages page.
Hover over a conversation in the list and click the ellipsis (…) that appears to the right of the patient's name.
Select Assign from the menu.
Pick a staff member:
• Assign to me — one click to take ownership yourself.
• Recents — the 5 staff members most recently assigned at your location.
• All staff — everyone else, with a search bar to find by name.Select a name. The assignment saves immediately.
A few things to know:
One assignee per conversation. Assigning someone new replaces the previous assignee.
Anyone with Messages access can assign — to themselves or to anyone else. Admin access is not required.
Assignments cover the whole conversation, not individual messages.
Who can be assigned
You can assign any staff member who has Messages access (Admin, User, or Viewer role) at the conversation's location. Staff at other locations, or without Messages access, won't appear in the list.
If your practice has only a few users set up, you'll see a prompt in the assign menu with a link to invite more staff at Settings → Users → Invite.
The "New" label
When a teammate assigns a conversation to you, a "New" label appears on that conversation — visible only to you — so you know something needs your attention.
The label clears once you open the conversation.
If you assign a conversation to yourself, no "New" label appears.
Assignments do not trigger email or push notifications — the "New" label and live counts in the app are the only signals.
Finding your assigned conversations
Use the "Assigned to me" filter in the Messages inbox to see only the conversations assigned to you. The filter also shows a live count of how many conversations are currently assigned to you at this location.
The Messages item in the left navigation also shows an @ badge with the number of conversations that are assigned to you and have unread patient messages. Both the filter count and the badge update in real time.
Reassigning and removing assignments
To hand a conversation to someone else, hover over the conversation, click the ellipsis (…), select Assign, and pick the new person. The new assignee sees a "New" label just like a fresh assignment.
To clear an assignment entirely, hover over the conversation, click the ellipsis (…), and select Unassign. This removes the assignee chip and takes the conversation out of the "Assigned to me" view. The thread itself stays untouched.
How assignments interact with read status and archiving
Assigning a conversation does not change its read or unread state. Opening the conversation (to assign or for any other reason) marks it as read, as usual.
Archiving a conversation keeps its assignment. Archived conversations are excluded from the "Assigned to me" view and don't count toward your badges, but the assignment is retained. If the conversation is unarchived, it returns to the assignee's view.
Common team workflows
Triage owner: one person watches the main inbox and assigns each new conversation to the right teammate.
Take what you touch: whoever starts helping a patient assigns the conversation to themselves so others know it's covered.
Handoffs: going to lunch or off shift? Reassign your open conversations so nothing waits until you're back.
Frequently asked questions
Is conversation assignment available on mobile?
Not currently. Conversation assignment is only available on the NexHealth web app. It is not available on the NexHealth iOS mobile app.
Can I assign a conversation to more than one person?
No. Each conversation has one assignee at a time so ownership is always clear. Assigning someone new replaces the current assignee.
Do patients see assignments?
No. Assignments, the "New" label, and assignee chips are internal to your practice and never visible to patients.
Why don't I see a certain staff member in the assign list?
They either don't have Messages access, or they aren't assigned to this conversation's location. An admin can update their role and location access in Settings → Users.
What happens if an assigned staff member leaves or loses Messages access?
Their existing assignments stay on their conversations so history isn't lost, but they can no longer be chosen for new assignments. You can reassign or unassign their conversations at any time.
Does assigning a conversation mark it as read?
No. Assigning by itself doesn't change read status. Opening the conversation marks it read, as usual.
I archived a conversation that was assigned to me. Why did it disappear from "Assigned to me"?
Archived conversations are excluded from that view and your counts, but the assignment is retained and comes back if the conversation is unarchived.
Can I categorize conversations by topic, like insurance or scheduling?
Color-coded custom labels are a separate upcoming feature. Conversation assignment is specifically for assigning conversations to people.
Is there a record of who assigned a conversation?
Assignment history isn't shown in the app today. Contact NexHealth support if you need to investigate a specific conversation's assignment history.