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Can anyone tell me if sending patient information via Activefax counts as an electronic message? When I check my activity log in CQR, it does show SummnaryOfCareTOCReferral Delivery method= printed, Preferred contact method= Other TOC, reconciled=false Order and is counted in the numerator. Any help you can give is greatly appreciated! Our time is running out.
Thanks, Lynn
Posted : December 18, 2015 4:06 am
No. Faxes do not count as electronic messages. Messages have to be secure electronic messages.
Posted : December 18, 2015 6:25 am
not so fast...
"The exchange must comply with the privacy and security protocols for ePHI under HIPAA."
Which does not necessarily mean secure.
My understanding is it can be a plain email if your patient consents.
But that doesn't mean your fax is going to count through CQR, GE was going to evaluate what to do about this, but I don't they ever did.
Posted : December 18, 2015 7:38 am
I've brought this up more than once with GE (and other people, including on the CHUG I believe) but i've never received any real response. Per the federal register where they published the final rule (page 181):
"We proposed to update this measure to state
simply that a provider would be required to create the summary of care record using
CEHRT and transmit the summary of care record electronically."
We are OK using the secure method through a HISP so I've never pursued this with much vigor but if you are "in trouble" it might be worth looking into further...
Thanks
Mike
Posted : December 18, 2015 8:34 am
GE held a Webinar on 12/11 where I hope they addressed at least pieces of this issue. I was unable to attend the webinar and it is yet to be posted to their service portal. I have asked a couple times now when it will be available. At first GE stated it would be posted 12/22 or 12/23, after asking again today I was given the excuse that it needs approval from their legal department and to check back after 1/4/16... Basically way to late to help. Still it might be good to check it our when available, I believe the title is "Knowledge Now: Objective 5 Health Information Exchange." I will post here again when I see it is available.
Posted : December 28, 2015 12:48 pm
The GE Document "Knowledge Now! Objective 5 Health Information Exchange (TOC)" Dated 12/11/2015 seems to agree with you that this measure "can now be met by sending Summaries of Care electronically in a HIPAA compliant manner without Direct protocol..." "...this aids those who have not adopted Direct addresses and those who send to providers who have not adopted Direct addresses."
Faxing is HIPAA compliant so I would submit that the Activefax solution would meet this measure. As far as it calculating in CQR correctly that is another matter. You may have to manually calculate the numerator, but that is a small price to pay to pass the measure without having to implement the Direct Address approach.
Posted : April 25, 2016 10:06 am
