The State of Oregon has established a secure messaging service called CareAccord.  It provides a mechanism for healthcare providers to exchange information in a secure, HIPAA compliant manner.  Simply establish an account with the service and encourage your colleagues to do the same and then it’s as straightforward as standard Internet email but encrypted and secure. Include attachments, such as radiographs or intraoral images. 

The best part is that it is a free service, paid for by a grant from the federal government.  This funding runs out at the end of 2013, so you might expect a charge at that point.

Will this work only for Oregon providers?  A group called the Western States Consortium is working to link these state sponsored services to provide cross-border communication.  A pilot of this began in November of 2012. 

Western States Consortium consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah.  Washington and Idaho do not currently provide direct secure messaging services but CareAccord is exploring the expansion of its service to providers in those states who have the need to communicate with their colleagues in the consortium states.  

If you are beyond the Western states refer to this Direct Project link to see if there are efforts going on in your state.  

Dental practices are obligated to develop, implement and manage HIPAA compliant security policies.  If breaches occur there can be significant financial penalties ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 per violation.  An inadvertent unencrypted email to the wrong recipient is a common violation. 

A hospital in California accidentally shared a patient’s personal health information with over 700 employees through a miss-addressed email and could be subject to fines up to $250,000.

Rely less on fax, telephone, regular mail or couriers to transfer patient clinical information.  Use delivery confirmation tools to ensure receipt of your message and audit logs to track sender, receiver dates and times. 

It is accessible via a web browser without the purchase of anything. 

A right click at a right price.