Why Should I Use Secure Messaging?
At GreenField Health, we want to customize our communication to the needs of each of our patients. Some may wish to communicate mainly by phone, some by email. One of the many benefits of membership at GreenField is our Secure Messaging system. We wanted to take a little space here to let you know about the benefits of using secure email, benefits that go beyond just the confidentiality of your health information.
- All secure communications have the capability to go directly into your chart. At GreenField we treat email visits like office visits. We often have a deep, thoughtful exchange of health information and personal information electronically. We believe that this information should be part of your medical record just like the items that we discuss in an office visit. We want to make sure that the information gets there in the easiest, most dependable fashion.
- We are notified whenever a secure message or an attachment is read and, more importantly, when it is not read. We often send important health information or instructions by email. It is just as important that we can verify that this information gets through to you as it is if we were transmitting it by phone. We do not leave important information on an answering machine or voice mail for this reason – we cannot be sure that the message has gotten through. With secure messaging, we are notified if the email has not been read within a certain period of time and then we can take action by calling you, trying the email again, or sending the message by mail.
- Messages that come in via secure email are easier to cover when your doctor is out of the office. Secure emails are only patient related whereas we can get email from a variety of different sources by regular email. At GreenField, we have a coverage policy which allows us to review patient emails in secure messaging that come in for other physicians in order to take care of our patient’s needs when their physician is out.
- Obviously, secure email is secure and encrypted. It is the best way to protect your health information. It is also the best way to discuss potentially sensitive subjects without concern about it being inadvertently viewed by others.
Again, in the end our primary goal is to tailor our communication style to what works best for you. If you have try secure messaging and have problems with it, please let us know. We would love to work with you to help you through any issues you have in using our system. We also need to know if the system has problems so that we can fix them. We want to push and advance the technology so it suits the needs of our patients and our staff. Sometimes the best way to do that is with the help of your feedback.
More Information on Secure Messaging:
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