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

# The Patient Letter Category Object

> A category that classifies a patient-authored letter so it reaches the right role at the practice.

## In the EHR

When a patient writes to their practice from Patient Passport, they pick what the letter is about, and that choice decides who at the practice it is routed to. Categories are defined by Elation and shared across practices, so they are reference data here rather than something a practice configures. See [Communicating with patients](/articles/Passport--Communicating-with-patients), and [The Patient Letter Object](/articles/rest/patient-document-api/patient-letters-beta/the-patient-letter-object) for the letters that carry a category.

## Field notes

* `role` is the practice role a letter in this category is routed to. A letter with no category goes to the patient's primary provider.
* `text` is the wording the patient sees when choosing a category.