Please note: Attachments cannot be saved to patient messaging templates.
Before following the steps in this guide, ensure you have downloaded and installed the latest version of the Ocean Attachment Exporter (click here to download CFM file.) Version 2.0 and above will now upload attachments directly to Ocean instead of exporting them as a file.
Ocean makes it easy to select and 'green bar' notes in a patient chart in PS Suite, which are then automatically uploaded as attachments to an Ocean Online secure message or eReferral.
- Find the note(s) in the file that you want to generate as a PDF attachment.
- Check the box next to the note to enable the "green bar".
- Click on "Email" in the Ocean toolbar.
- This will pop up an input box allowing the user to specify the attachment file name. Rename the file, if desired, and select OK. (By default, the file name will include the patient initials, EMR user initials, and current date).
- A prompt will then appear to confirm that this attachment has been successfully uploaded to Ocean. Select the desired option. (Note, it will not appear if you previously selected "Don't Show This Again", or toggled it off in the Attachment Exporter's custom form settings).
- The email will launch in a new browser window, and the attachment will automatically be included in the Ocean secure message.
- You can preview your secure message attachment by clicking on the “eye” icon, or remove it by clicking on the “X” icon.
To customize the settings of the Ocean Attachment Exporter form:
- Open the Ocean Attachment Exporter form in a test patient chart, and click the Settings button.
- Select "Toggle the Display of the Export Information Message" if you would like to show the user an explanatory message about the attachment, after the upload to Ocean is complete.
- Select "Toggle the Prompt to Export Lab Table" if you would like to be prompted to include the lab table each time an attachment is generated.
There are two methods that can be used to attach PDF files from Accuro to a secure message:
- Enter the patient's Virtual Chart in Accuro and find the encounter note(s)/file that you wish to save as a PDF. Right click on the note and select "Print".
- This will open up the "Print" dialog. Ensure that your printer is set to "PDF Writer" and select "OK".
- This will open up the "Save As" dialog. Rename your file and save it in the "Shared Files (S:)" drive.
- Once you've saved your file, it can now be opened, printed, and/or attached to a secure Ocean message.
- Select the patient in Accuro that you wish to generate an attachment for.
- In the Encounter Notes section click to Add Note.
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Select Generate Letter in the bottom right.
Note: The contents of the note (if any) will appear as text in the generated letter. The generated letter will automatically be shown as the first page in the final PDF file output, followed by the attached files.
- In the letter window, ensure you have the correct Provider selected in the top left, then go to the Attachments pane and click the green plus icon to add an attachment.
- In the Select Attachments window, choose the Clinic Notes, Letters, Forms, Documents, and/or Labs from the patient chart that you would like included, and then select OK:
- You should now see the list of desired attachments in the Attachments pane. Select Save to Chart as PDF and click Apply.
- Once attachments have been applied, choose Send Letter and click Yes to confirm you would like to save the letter with attachments, and no recipient, to the patient's Virtual Chart.
- In the Letter/Fax Recipients window that appears you can optionally add a new Referral Order, or include a Coversheet, and then click Send.
- You can now use your Send Online Message CDS link or button to launch the send message dialogue window. Ocean will look for any unused generated letters with the current date, then upload and automatically include them as an attachment to your message.
- Note: Unused letters are indicated by the red arrow in the patient's Virtual Chart. After the letter is sent using Ocean, the arrow will switch to green.
- You can preview your attachment by clicking on the “eye” icon, or remove it by clicking on the “X” icon.
- If you remove an attachment and would like to add it to the message again, simply close the window and relaunch it using the 'Send Online Message' CDS link to reupload the attachment.
Unfortunately, there is no automated method to create PDF attachments from other EMRs (i.e. OSCAR, Med Access). However, you can still attach any PDF file that's saved on your computer to a secure Ocean message.
EMRs generally make it easy to print a collection of letters, notes, reports and other documents from the chart. Your operating system's Print dialog may have a way to save a PDF preview of the printout to your desktop. Macs for example have a "Save as PDF" option inside this dialog. Adobe and "virtual PDF printers" are good options on other operating systems.
Once the PDF is saved to your desktop, you can drag and drop into the attachments area in Ocean. If you use this workflow, make sure you remember to delete the attachments on your desktop afterward to ensure any personal health information is appropriately cleansed.