WhatsApp Business API for clinics: official API vs QR code tools
Every patient messaging tool says it "works on WhatsApp", but there are very different routes behind that claim. Knowing them avoids the worst case: your practice's number banned mid-week.
The WhatsApp Business app
The free app with a business profile, labels and an away message. Great for one person replying by hand, not built for automation at scale.
The official WhatsApp Business API
Meta's own way for businesses to connect software to WhatsApp: automated replies, reminders and several people on one number, within the platform's rules.
QR code tools
Some tools mirror WhatsApp Web by scanning a QR code and automate sending. That breaks WhatsApp's terms and can get your number banned, and it depends on a phone staying online.
Messages your practice starts
On the official API, business-initiated messages outside a recent conversation, such as reminders, use templates approved by Meta and may carry a fee charged by Meta.
How to tell what a tool uses
Ask: "Do you use the official WhatsApp Business API or a QR code?" If you have to scan a QR code on your phone to start, it isn't the official API.
LumiaClinic runs on Meta's official WhatsApp Business API, no QR code. Conversations are encrypted and deleted after 30 days. Try the demo with fictitious data.
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