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Secure Messaging Guide
The Valant EHR contains a HIPAA compliant way for Providers, Administrative Staff, and
Patients to communicate, Secure Messaging, which works similarly to an email client within the
Valant EHR, allowing practices to send messages and attachments. This guide will explain the
features and functionality of Secure Messaging.
Contents
Personal......................................................................................................................................2
Inbox .......................................................................................................................................2
Unread ....................................................................................................................................3
Sent .........................................................................................................................................3
Drafts.......................................................................................................................................3
Archive ....................................................................................................................................4
Trash .......................................................................................................................................4
Tagging ...................................................................................................................................4
Auto-Reply ..............................................................................................................................5
Compose ....................................................................................................................................5
Message Type .........................................................................................................................6
From ........................................................................................................................................6
To Patient ................................................................................................................................6
To Practice Users ....................................................................................................................7
Carbon Copy (CC) ...................................................................................................................7
Subject ....................................................................................................................................7
Body ........................................................................................................................................7
Macros ....................................................................................................................................8
Attachments ............................................................................................................................8
Message Threads .......................................................................................................................9
Reply, Reply All and Forward ................................................................................................10
Open as PDF.........................................................................................................................11
Save to Chart ........................................................................................................................12
Save Message Threads to Chart ........................................................................................12
Save Attachments to the Chart ..........................................................................................13
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Shared Inboxes .........................................................................................................................14
Shared Inbox Administration ..................................................................................................15
Patient Secure Messaging Configuration ..................................................................................17
Superusers ...............................................................................................................................18
FAQ ..........................................................................................................................................18
Personal
All users will have a Personal Inbox folder that is a mailbox unique to their user profile. The
inbox will contain seven subfolders, similar to what one would see within an email tool. Users
will have access to unread messages, sent folder, drafts, archive, trash, and tags. Tags are user
generated organization of the inbox.
Inbox
The Inbox will contain all messages sent to a user via Secure Messaging. These can include
messages sent from other users at the practice and patients. Practice users can also be carbon
copied on a message by another user at a practice, or a message can be forwarded to that
user. Messages will appear in chronological order with the newest messages at the top. Unread
messages will appear in bold. When a message is received in the inbox the user will also
receive an email letting them know they have a new secure message. That email does not give
any specific details about the message due to privacy concerns.
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Hovering your mouse over the right side of the grid next to a message will reveal icons to:
• Archive
• Mark as Read/Unread
• Delete (Move to Trash)
Unread
The Unread Folder is a quick way for a user to view their unread messages. All messages that
are in the user’s personal inbox that are either new or that are marked as unread will appear in
the view.
Sent
The Sent Folder will contain all message sent by a user. This includes both messages sent to
other practice users as well as patients.
Drafts
The Drafts folder contains messages that were saved when a user was composing a message.
Messages will also auto-save when they are being composed. Messages saved either manually
or automatically while being composed will appear in the drafts folder.
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Archive
The Archive folder is way to store messages that are no longer needed in the inbox, but that a
user wants to keep for future reference without moving to the trash or crowding up their inbox.
Should a user ever need to access the message it can be kept in the Archive folder
Trash
The Trash folder is used for messages that are no longer needed and a user does not want to
save for future reference. Messages that are moved into the trash can be moved to the archive,
or back to the inbox at any time. Items in the trash can still be accessed and opened. Any
attachments will appear in the messages as well.
Currently there is not a way to empty the trash folder. The ability to empty the trash folder and
have items automatically removed from the trash after 30 days is functionality that is coming
soon to Valant Secure Messaging.
Tagging
Adding messages to a tags folder is a way to categorize or organize your personal inbox. These
tags work similarly to Folders in Outlook or Labels in Gmail. Tags must be alphanumeric
characters and do not contain any spaces or special characters. All tags will appear lowercase
and do not recognize capitalization. To create a tag just simply type into the field and click enter.
All tags will appear under the Tags sub-header.
Some examples of tagging use are having different tags for items that are new, in progress,
pending, or complete. Users may also create tags with patient ID to categorize their caseload,
or any organization method they would like.
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Auto-Reply
Secure Messaging gives all users the ability to configure their Auto-Reply settings by clicking
the gear icon on the top right of the Secure Messaging. This will open a pop-up menu to
enable/disable, set dates and compose message content. Images are supported in the content
and if a message is received in your inbox the auto-reply will go to the sender.
Compose
To initiate a message to a patient or someone at the practice users will use the Compose
button. Clicking Compose on the top-left corner of secure messaging will open the form. The
form will contain all the options when starting a message thread in secure messaging detailed
below.
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Message Type
Secure Messaging supports two types of messages:
• Practice: This is a message that is send only to other practice users such as Providers,
Patients, and Superusers who have access to the account. Users cannot include a
patient on this type of message.
• Patient: This type of message can be used to send a message to one patient and the
patient must be included on this type of message. Only one patient can be included.
Secure Messaging does not currently support sending a single message to multiple
patients. Patient messages can include multiple other practice users.
From
The From field is a field on the compose form that cannot be edited. It will default to the inbox
owner name that the user is currently viewing If a user has access to Shared Inboxes and they
are viewing a shared inbox and click on the Compose button, then the shared inbox name will
appear in the From dield. (More on ahared inboxes later in this document.)
To Patient
On the Patient message type, the “To Patient” field is a searchable drop-down menu that allows
users to select a patient to be included in the message. Only one patient at a time can be
selected in this field. If the message type “Practice” is selected, then the “To Patient” field is not
visible.
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To Practice Users
Office Staff, Providers, Superusers and Shared Inboxes can be found in the “To Practice Users”
field. Typing one character in the field will reveal a drop-down of potential selections. This field
can have multiple selections of recipients. On a Practice message type there are no limits to
who can be included in this field. On a Patient Type Message, only Office Staff and Providers
can be selected in this field to be included on a Patient Message.
Carbon Copy (CC)
Secure messaging supports the ability to CC practice users on messages. This will include the
message in the user’s inbox, and they can access the message. Only practice users can be
included in the CC field. Patients cannot be included in the CC field.
Subject
This required field is used to give context about the message and a value must be entered to
send a message. There is a 235-character limit for the subject field.
Body
The main text field where the users will include the message content is the body which needs to
be populated to send a message. There are many options when configuring the message
content. There are number of different text editor options as well as in-line images.
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Macros
Editor Macros are used by providers in Valant like Mobile Notes and Web Editor Notes. This
feature allows users to access their list of Macros to appear in the body of secure messages
andallows users to create templates to help standardize common messages and inquires.
Users can also use the + icon to create new macros.
Users who do not have the “Edit Documents” permission will not be able to use or create
Macros in Secure Messaging. They will see the option greyed out but will not be able to access
macros.
Attachments
Secure Messaging supports functionality to add attachments to messages. Both patients and
practice users can add up to 25 MB of attachments. This can be one file 25 MB or multiple files
that add up to 25 MB or less.
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Attachments will appear at the bottom of messages and can be seen on the message grids
noted with a paperclip icon.
Secure Messaging supports the following file types: doc,.docx,.docm,.mdi,.odt, .pdf, .rtf, .txt,
.wpd, .wps, .xls, .xlsx, .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff, .dss, .dvf, .mp3, .msv, .wav, and .wma
This is the same list of file types supported in Valant IO.
Note: Video file types are not supported at this time.
Message Threads
Message threads are a “chain” that is comprised of the original message and responses to that
message. Message threads are indicated with a number between the sender information and
the subject line.
When a message thread is opened it will contain the original message at the top, with
subsequent replies below the original message. The most recent message will be expanded,
and the original message and replies can be expanded to view their full contents.
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Reply, Reply All and Forward
On the top left of the message thread window users will see the icons that give options to close
the window, reply to a message, reply all, and forward. Reply will simply allow a user to reply to
the original sender of a message. Reply all will allow a reply to all participants of a message.
Forward will allow a message to be forwarded to other practice users. Messages cannot be
forwarded to a patient. When messages are either replied to or forwarded from the message
thread then the compose form will appear below the most recent message.
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Open as PDF
When a message thread is open there is a PDF icon on the top right of the message window.
This button will generate a PDF of the message thread in a new window. This works similarly to
previewing documents in Valant where the PDF will be opened in a new tab. The PDF will not
be downloaded automatically. There areoptions to download and print should the user choose
to do so.
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Save to Chart
Secure Messaging is also going to give the option to directly save message threads and
attachments to the patient chart in a simple workflow. The workflow will vary a little depending
on what you want to save to the chart and if you are a Provider or Office Staff User. To begin, all
users will click on the floppy disk icon on the top right of the page.
Save Message Threads to Chart
All users who click the button will open the “Save to Chart” window and give users several
options for saving the message thread. The subject line of the message will default to the file
name. This can be edited or changed by editing the text field. Users will need to select the
“Document Type”. The Provider field will be automatically populated for provider users and will
need to be selected by office staff users. The user’s local time and date will automatically be
populated but can be edited. The next step will vary by user type.
• Providers: When a provider clicks OK the message will automatically be saved to the
patient chart.
• Office Staff:
o Clinical document type: When an office staff adds a message thread to the
patient chart it will be sent to the Providers’ Uninitialed Documents where the
provider can initial them before becoming part of the patient record.
o Non-clinical document type:When an office staff adds a message thread to the
patient chart it will automatically be added to the patients chart. This follows the
same workflow of staff uploading documents in the Valant EHR.
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Save Attachments to the Chart
Message threads that contain attachments can also be saved to the patient chart following a
similar workflow. When saving a message thread or attachment to the patient chart, instead of
an “OK” button the user will see a “Next” button. This will allow the user to configure the
attachment before being saved to the patient chart. Users can configure the file name,
document type, provider, and date and time, just as they can the message thread. The file name
will default to the file name of the attachment, but that can be changed if the patient used an
ambiguous file name. Users can also omit saving one or more attachments from being included
by selecting the radio button “Do not include this attachment”. This window will persist until all
attachments are addressed. Then the user clicks “OK”. The same workflow for providers and
office staff is in place for saving attachments to the patient chart. If it is a clinical document type
it will need to be initialed by a provider. If it is a non-clinical document type then it will go directly
into the patient chart.
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Shared Inboxes
To allow practices to create their own customer workflows and have multiple users access the
same inbox, Valant has built the Shared Inboxes feature. A shared inboxes is a mailbox that can
be accessed by multiple users to access and respond to patient messages. Rather than all
messages going to individual mailboxes, shared inboxes can be a powerful tool to allow multiple
users to address messages, allowing administrative staff to handle things like billing,
scheduling, and non-clinical tasks while allowing providers to focus on clinical tasks, fulfilling
prescription refills, and answering medical questions. Shared inboxes can be configured
(customized?) multiple ways to meet the practice’s specific needs.
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The image above is a view of a provider’s secure messaging page (account?) which has access
to two shared inboxes, Billing Team and Prescription Refills
Shared Inbox Administration
Users that have the “Practice” permission will see Shared Inboxes under “Persons and
Institutions” on the left navigation menu in Valant. From this page users will be able to create
Shared Inboxes.
The Mailbox has fields for name, description (internal only), inactive to hide a Shared Inbox, and
a “include sender name in message from this inbox” option that will include a user signature line
so a practice can easily identify who sent a message.
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The Participants tab is where a practice will configure who can access a shared inbox. All office
staff and providers will appear in the drop-down list and can be added to an inbox.
The Contact Management tab lets a practice configure if patients can initiate a message to a
Shared Inbox by default. There is also an option on this page to create an exclusion list to
prevent certain patients from initiating a message to a specific inbox.
Each shared inbox also has an option to configure an Auto-Reply that works the same as the
personal inbox and will reply to the sender whenever a message is received.
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There is also a history tab that will audit any changes made to a shared inbox.
Patient Secure Messaging Configuration
Under Persons and Institutions | Patients | Portal tab there are options for customizing on a per
patient level with whom a patient can initiate a message. Patients can be configured to initiate
messages with multiple providers, and office staff. If a patient has a care team, the whole care
team can be included. By default, when a patient is created, they will be allowed to initiate a
message with their assigned provider.
There is also an inclusion list for shared inboxes. Even if a shared inbox is configured to not
allow patients to initiate a message to a shared inbox, certain patients can be included in a
small (or large) list of users who can initiate a message with that inbox.
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Superusers
Users that work with multiple practices using the same login will now be able to use secure
messaging. When superusers login to an account they will have access to a personal inbox and
can message other practice users. They can both send and receive messages to office staff and
providers. They cannot be added to shared inboxes or messages to patients.
FAQ
Can I message multiple patients with one secure message?
No, only one patient can be included on a secure message
Is there a limit to the number of Shared Inboxes I can create?
Practices can setup as manyshared inboxes as they would like.
Is there a limit to the number of tags I can create?
There is no limit to the number of tags a user can create.
Is there a way to prevent someone from replying to a message?
There is not currently a way to prevent someone from replying to a secure message.
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Can I setup secure messaging so my patients can only message shared inboxes?
Yes, you could configure every patient so they could not initiate a message with their assigned
provider and could only initiate message with shared inboxes. This could help route messages
away from providers and have administrative staff filter through them first.
