> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.athelas.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Request via Text or Email

> Manually send a single patient a payment request by text or email from their profile.

### At a Glance

Use this when you want to send **one patient** a payment request right now — for example, if they left without paying their copay, or want to pay by card immediately.

<Note>
  This is different from **patient statements**. This page covers a **manual, per-patient** payment request from the patient's profile. Recurring, batch statement delivery is configured separately — see [Manage Patient Statements](/insights_front_desk/patient_statements/manage_patient_statements).
</Note>

### How to Do It

1. Open the patient's profile and, on the **Charges** tab, click **Pay Balance**. (Disabled if the patient has no balance.)
2. Choose **Request Payment via Text** (or email).
3. Click **Confirm**. The request is sent within a few minutes.

### What the Patient Sees

* **Text** — a payment request with options to pay by credit card or Apple Pay. Opening the link, the patient confirms, receives an authentication code (text and email), then reviews the summary, adjusts the amount if allowed, and checks out.
* **Email** — options to pay online (payment link), by phone, or in person. The online link follows the same authenticate → review → checkout flow.

You can customize the request text in [PR Settings](/insights_front_desk/patient_responsibility/pr_settings) → **General** → **Text Message Customization**.

<Tip>
  ✨**Smart Tip:** At the end of each day, check for patients who didn't pay their copay and send a same-day request — patients are more likely to trust a text that arrives the day of their visit.
</Tip>

### FAQ

<Accordion title="How is this different from sending a statement?">
  This sends an immediate, one-off payment request to a single patient from their profile. Statements are the automated, batched billing communications configured in [Patient Statements](/insights_front_desk/patient_statements/manage_patient_statements).
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Can patients pay by Apple Pay?">
  Yes — Apple Pay is available on the text-message payment request.
</Accordion>