Patient Education
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Secure Messaging Secure Messaging offers you an opportunity to communicate with us online regarding routine requests, and, if you wish, for us to communicate with you regarding routine results. THIS IS NOT INTENDED FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES OR MESSAGES REQUIRING IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. It can certainly be used for appointment requests, prescription refill requests, requests to reschedule an appointment, referal requests and the like. We will endeavor to answer all messages within one business day. If you require more urgent attention, call us directly. At the time of your first visit you will be asked to read and sign a document which reviews this policy in more detail to be sure that you understand our policies. There is no charge for secure messaging. Please do not use this mode of communication for clinical (medical) questions. This form of email messaging is more secure than standard email and is the only form of email contact we will accept. In order to utilize this service, you will need to create your own user name and password. Do not share this information with anyone else. We are pleased to announce that we will be using the latest in medical office technology by utilizing an electronic medical record instead of the old "paper based" chart. Our system was developed by Infor-med and is called Praxis. It is Oracle based, for those of you who are up on computer technology. We would love to answer your questions and show you the system at your intake appointment. The following is a brief description of the system and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding this technology. 1. We do NOT utilize a web-based system for this. We have two mirror servers on site and will be backing up to tape on a regular basis to ensure that your record is never "lost in cyber space". 2. Firewalls further protect your information, and all users (office staff) have login names and passwords that allow them only the level of access that is appropriate. This actually enhances your privacy, as there is no chart lying around for anyone to open and read. 3. Reports that come into the office on paper, such as outside lab reports, consultants notes, XRay reports, etc.. will all be reviewed by Dr. Gazzara. She will decide what reports need to be scanned into your record. All hard copies will then enter a temporary file and will be offered to you at your next scheduled office visit for your own records/filing. 4. The system gives us advanced capabilities to track your lab results and your scheduling of routine tests to make sure you are up to date with all recommended screening procedures. 5. We have further enhanced office security by having our file cabinets and our servers located behind locked doors. Your privacy (and your health) are our number one concerns. 6. Any communications you choose to have with us via our online secure messaging and/or online consultation service will become part of your electronic medical record. Shedule an Intake Appointment! Come see this exciting technology in action!!! No form of communication can replace the face-to-face office visit. However, we recognize that coming into the office is not always convenient and involves significant 'cost' to you including copayments, gas, childcare, and loss of time from work for which some are not compensated. We are sensitive to these costs and value your time. The Online Consultation service, and modest associated fees (usually less than or equal to the average office copay amount) is designed to offer you yet another mode of communication when your questions can be adequately answered online. To utilize this service, you must be a registered patient and have signed an "Informed Consent" form in our office which ensures that you understand the service, its appropriate use, it's limits and risks, and our office policies regarding it's use. In general, this is not a service to use for evaluation of a new problem. We may insist that certain questions require an office visit, even if they refer to an established problem. This is not at this time a covered service with most insurance plans, though that may change in the future. As with your office visit copay, it will be an 'out of pocket' expense to you and will be charged to the credit card information you provide. The charge to you will be either $0/$15/or $25 depending on the complexity of the question and the amount of time required for Dr. Gazzara to adequately address the question(s) you pose. All online consultation discussions will become part of your permanent medical record in our office. We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding this service. It is "new territory" for us too and as such is a work in progress but we hope that it will improve access. |
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