Your Direct Messages

What do you do the first time another practice wants to send you a "Direct message"?  Or talks about "delivering the record electronically" or a "sending a CCD" or  "delivering a secure message"?

Meaningful Use, Objective 5, Health Information Exchange, requires providers who refer patients to each other to communicate the patient's records securely over the internet. Transmitting information this way carries many benefits, as listed here by our Direct message partner, MD Toolbox. Not only will you, the provider, be sending records when you refer someone, you will also be receiving messages for your new patients. Here's how to keep on top of the Direct messages you receive and manage the clinical information they contain.

1) There are two ways to check for Direct messages sent to you by other providers. First, go to AuroraEHR > Secure MD Toolbox Messages which will automatically check for new messages. Only messages sent to you personally will display. Alternately, go to AuroraEHR > EHR - Task View and under External Alerts, select my Direct (secure) messages. Select an appropriate date range and provider code and hit Refresh to see the list of Direct messages. Double click to open the message.

2) Once you access a Direct message from either screen, you need to connect it to the correct patient's account in AuroraEHR. Fortunately this process is quick and easy: Click on Add to Chart and the Add to Chart screen will open up, allowing you to select the appropriate patient account number and provider code. This will add the message as a Outside Report which is awaiting review.

3) In Outside Orders, you can press the View button to see the document in whatever format it was sent.  If the Direct message is a structured CCD and contains medications, allergies, or problems, press the Add to Chart button to open the Clinical Reconciliation screen, which allows you to combine the incoming information with anything your practice has already entered for the patient. 

Sending a Direct message from AuroraEHR is just as simple as receiving one. Stay tuned for our next blog post outlining the steps to sending a Direct message.


Written by Laura Rowe