Secure Messaging Now Available for Patients

by MyHealtheVet

Seven care teams at the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System are using Secure Messaging (SM)! More than 700 veterans have opted in. Your clinic might be next! 

SM is a private and safe online service that allows you, the patient, to send and receive messages from a participating caregiver through MyHealtheVet.

Sioux Falls VA expects to have the Secure Messaging system fully functional by the end of this year.

Online communication is convenient for the patient and the caregiver. SM makes it easy to coordinate care with other members of a health care team. It’s convenient! For example, providers can send patients pre-operation guidance or quickly answer any questions they may have.

Here is what you need to know to participate.

You may participate in Secure Messaging if you are a MyHealtheVet account user and have completed the In-Person Authentication (IPA) process.

The first time you click on the Secure Messaging Tab in MyHealtheVet, you will see on the screen Terms and Conditions of Use. This tab is located on the upper right-hand corner of MyHealtheVet. This information is important. Read it carefully before you “Opt In” to use this new service. Once you Opt In, you will be taken to your own personal Secure Messaging Inbox.

Since Secure Messaging is being rolled out in phases, not all of your health care team may be using it yet. You can find out if your health care team is using Secure Messaging by creating a new message. If you see the name of one of your providers as a choice in the “To” field, then you know you can send a message to the health care team led by your provider.

Depending on the Secure Message subject, your primary care provider may not be the only one to respond:

•  A change of address or appointment cancellation may be taken care of by a clerk.
• Questions about medications may be answered by a pharmacist working with your provider.
• Questions about symptoms may be reviewed first by a nurse, and only referred to your primary care provider if needed.

Using Secure Messaging makes sharing information about health concerns easier. Secure Messaging is easy to use. It reduces the need for phone calls and waiting on hold. It is more efficient than the phone for non-urgent issues, such as:

• Prescription renewal
• Test results
• Appointments

Please keep in mind; Secure Messaging is not for emergency situations.
Secure Messaging should only be used for non-emergency and non-urgent matters.

Here is where you can get more information on Secure Messaging.

Visit the MyHealtheVet website at www.myhealth.va.gov