What are Patient Messages?
Patient Messages allow you to securely send and receive messages and attachments to and from patients, and invite them to complete Ocean Forms online at home before their appointment, without the risks that come with sending patient health information over email. With Ocean’s EMR integration, patient records are seamlessly updated without any scanning, typing, or manual staff involvement.
Key Benefits
- Easy for patients - Using a simple and secure validation process, Ocean makes it easy for patients to engage with their doctor right from their existing email inbox —no new accounts to create or passwords to remember.
- Reduces data-entry - By automatically syncing into the patient chart, Patient Messages helps clinics and clinicians cut down on hours of data-entry, while also reducing the risk of errors or missing information.
- More efficient visits - Having patients complete Ocean Forms before or after their visit means healthcare providers can make the most of in-person visits while also giving patients the time to provide more fulsome responses.
- Customizable - You can customize each part of your message (e.g., email body, identity verification requirements, notification preferences) to meet your clinic's unique preferences and workflows.
How it works for patients:
1. Patient Receives Email & Clicks Hyperlink
- After sending a Patient Message, the patient will receive an email containing your customized email body and a hyperlink to access the secure content.
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2. Patient Verifies their Identity
- Clicking the hyperlink brings the patient to the Ocean Health Messenger, where they must verify their identity before accessing any secure messages, forms, or file attachments that have been sent to them.
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- Recognizing that many patients typically access this type of information from their mobile device, the Health Messenger has been built from the ground up with full support for both desktop and mobile devices in mind.
3. Patients Accesses Secure Content
- After performing the standard identity verification step, the Health Messenger presents patients with two main tabs: the 'Messages' tab and the 'Forms' tab. The 'Messages' tab is where any messaging correspondence between you and the patient takes place.
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- The 'Forms' tab is where the patient can complete any outstanding forms that you have sent them. Patients can navigate between these two tabs independently to access secure messages and/or complete forms in their desired sequence.
4. Patient Provides Response (If enabled)
- If you enabled the ability for the patient to respond with a typed reply and/or file attachment, they can can use the text box and buttons at the bottom to write and send their response.
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- If you are using an integrated EMR, all patient responses, file attachments, and completed Ocean Forms will be automatically imported into the patient's chart in your EMR.