I looked at ‘Messaging’ in the Demo, but this seems to be INTERNAL messaging to other members of the practice.
Is there a way to text or email a patient from within OpenEMR and preserve them as patient notes??
Many patients will not ‘sign up’ for a portal, and expect to get text messages or emails from a practice. Contrary to many claims, plain email is perfectly permissible under HIPAA, according to the official information from CMS.https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/faq/570/does-hipaa-permit-health-care-providers-to-use-email-to-discuss-health-issues-with-patients/index.html
The Security Rule requires practices to CONSIDER encryption, but does not require it, and many patients will not tolerate the additional bother involved in establishing secure communications.
“Based on your required risk analysis, is encryption needed to protect the transmission of EPHI
between your office and outside organizations? If not, what measures do you have in place to
ensure the protection of this information? Some small providers might consider password protection
of documents or files containing EPHI and/or prohibiting the transmission of EPHI via email.”