The Ins and Outs of Dental Referrals by Email
In a time when fax machines are mostly obsolete, but dental referral software leaves much to be desired, dental practices commonly leverage emails as a convenient, streamlined communication medium between practitioners.
While most can agree email is more efficient than the fax machine, it does present considerable drawbacks as well. Here are several advantages and disadvantages of sending dental referrals via email.
Pros of Email Referrals in Dentistry
Speedy Communication
Email can facilitate office-to-office transmission of information. It allows you to write up instructions and attach supporting documentation all in a matter of minutes.
Cost-Efficient
Compared to old-fashioned mail, fax machines, or modern software services, email is perhaps the most cost-effective mode of communication.
Cons and Security Risks
HIPAA Compliance Challenges
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates the secure handling of patient data. Email systems pose challenges in ensuring complete compliance. Your everyday providers like Gmail and Microsoft Outlook don’t solve for this. If you’re currently sending patient data this way, stop now. You are out of compliance.
They present a substantial risk of being hacked or compromised – leaving you and your patients vulnerable to the consequences of data breaches.
Information Integrity
Transmission errors or misunderstandings could occur, impacting the accuracy of conveyed patient records or instructions. The multistep process of uploading your office’s patient files, inputting them into an email, the recipient having to download the email contents, and inputting it into their system adds extra steps – like a game of telephone. Information can easily be lost or entered incorrectly when being manually entered from one platform to the next.
Slow and Inefficient
When using email, each message starts from scratch. You need to write up all the directions, manually attach files, and send them over to the other office.
In turn, the recipient needs to take the directions from the email, download the attached files, and manually input them into their practice management system. This process takes time and is something that can be easily automated through referral software like Sindi – having everything in one place.
Mitigating Risks for Secure Email Referrals
Email is far from the most secure way to send dental referrals, but there are a few ways you can mitigate risks if your office still uses this method:
Encrypted Communication
Employing encrypted email services bolsters security, and safeguarding patient data during transmission. Using a referral software like Sindi enables you to encrypt all patient data and maintain HIPAA compliance while securely transferring patient files to the specialist.
HIPAA Training and Policies
HIPAA training is an absolute must for all of your office staff. Dental offices need comprehensive training programs and strict protocols to ensure staff compliance with HIPAA regulations. To mitigate the risk of “innocent” mistakes that breach HIPAA requirements, encrypted software to securely share documents will mitigate the risk of consequential slip-ups.
Transfer Patient Records Securely
Email advanced the efficiency of dental referrals as offices transitioned from paper to digital file storage. It facilitated faster communication and collaboration between dental offices.
With that said, ensuring robust security measures and strict adherence to HIPAA guidelines is paramount to safeguard patient confidentiality in the digital age of dental practice. Email as a primary platform for referrals leaves much to be desired in terms of efficiency and security.
With Sindi, referrals are transferred seamlessly and securely with no paperwork required and in a HIPAA-compliant manner – meaning no more relying on email for sensitive patient data.
Sign up for Sindi today and eliminate the need to ever rely on emails again.