SoCalHIE Secure Messaging Network

WHAT IS SoCalHIE? SoCalHIE is a network of health care organizations in North San Diego County that can exchange health information electronically as secure email messages. SoCalHIE is independently operated and uses messaging and security standards that are not proprietary to any technology company or healthcare organization.
CONVENIENT Faster than faxing, printing, scanning, or mailing patient documents Includes an electronic directory of all participating organizations and physicians	SECURE Securely encrypts sensitive patient information Helps organizations track their patient record handling Fully HIPAA compliant	COST EFFECTIVE Membership in SoCalHIE is currently FREE No new software, hardware, or system programming is required	MEANINGFUL USE-FUL Enables the electronic exchange of patient information as required by Meaningful Use Compatible with certified EHRs

HOW DOES SoCalHIE BENEFIT MY PRACTICE

		FAST AND CONVIENT
		Exchanging patient health information through electronic messaging is faster than faxing, printing, scanning, or mailing documents.
		SoCalHIE includes an electronic directory that lists the secure contact information for all other participating organizations and physicians.
		SECURE
		All patient health information sent via SoCalHIE is securely encrypted.
		All messages sent via SoCalHIE are logged and available for audit.
		The secure messaging system is fully HIPAA compliant

		MEANINGFUL USE COMPLIANT
		SoCalHIE enables the electronic exchange of patient information during transitionsof care, as required by the CMS stage-2 meaningful use requirements
		EFFICIENT AND COST EFFECTIVE
		Participating organizations need not purchase or install any new software to join the network.
		There are currently no fees for participating in SoCalHIE
		Participants in SoCalHIE may use different software products, including their existing EHRs, to send and receive secure messages over the network.
		For organizations that do not yet have a compatible EHR or messaging program, SoCalHIE offers the use of a free web based messaging program.

HOW DOES SoCalHIE WORK?

	BASED ON SECURE STANDARDS The SoCalHIE network is based on a set of non-proprietary secure messaging standards called “DIRECT.” COMPATABLE WITH EHRs You can use any secure messaging program that supports the DIRECT standard to participate in the SoCalHIE network. If you have an EHR that supports this standard, you can even send messages directly from your EHR’s messaging system and receive messages directly into your EHR in-box. This enables you to easily attach patient records to outgoing messages and assign incoming documents to existing patient records. Note that all EHRs will be required to support the DIRECT messaging standards by October 2014 as part of the CMS Meaningful Use certification requirements for EHR products.	SIMILAR TO EMAIL DIRECT messaging works very much like conventional email, and is as easy to use. To send information, you or a designated staff member log into a secure messaging program, compose and address a message, optionally attach one or more patient documents to it, and send it. Messages sent to you by others show up in your “in-box,” and the contents of these messages (including attachments) can be immediately read and processed by you or a designated staff member. INCLUDES A PROVIDER DIRECTORY Unlike conventional email, the SoCalHIE network includes an electronic Provider Directory of all other organizations and physicians participating in the network, including their secure email addresses. This directory is accessible only to participating organizations/physicians, so your secure contact information cannot be used by non-medical organizations.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHO ELSE IS USING SoCalHIE?

A number of prominent health care organizations in North San Diego County are using SoCalHIE to exchange patient information electronically, including all three Palomar Health hospitals, the Graybill Medical Group, and Neighborhood Healthcare. Additional organizations are joining every month. Contact us for a current list of hospitals, primary care clinics, specialists, and ancillary service providers in the SoCalHIE network.

WHAT INFORMATION CAN BE SHARED THROUGH SoCalHIE?

Any electronic document from a patient’s health record can be exchanged through the SoCalHIE network . At this time, the following types of documents are being exchanged:
• Discharge summaries and ED visit summaries
• Procedure notes
• Referral requests
• Consult notes
• Diagnostic and laboratory test reports

Any textual information that can be written in or copied to an email message can be exchanged through the SoCalHIE network.

HOW DO I JOIN SoCalHIE?

First of all, it costs nothing. The network is provided through grant funding that extends through 2014. To start using SoCalHIE, your organization need only sign a Participation Agreement with the system operator and provide a little information about your practice location(s), your providers, and your staff who will be using the network.

If your organization wishes to continue using SoCalHIE after 2014, you will be asked to pay a moderate fee, with the amount depending on whether you connect to the network via the SoCalHIE-provided messaging program or through your existing EHR system. If at any time you no longer wish to participate in the network, you can opt out without paying any fees.

If you are interested in joining the SoCalHIE network or getting more information, please click here

WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE AN EHR YET?

If you do not yet have an EHR or your EHR does not yet support DIRECT messaging, you can use a free secure messaging program provided by SoCalHIE to send and receive secure messages via the SoCalHIE network.
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WILL THE DATA I SEND AND
RECEIVE BE SECURE?

Yes. The DIRECT messaging standards ensure that any patient information you send using the SoCalHIE network is securely encrypted and cannot be accessed before it reaches the recipient’s own secure messaging system. There, the information will be delivered to the recipient you have designated only, and will not be pooled with other data or shared with any other participants in the SoCalHIE network. No one whom you do not explicitly send a message to will be able to access the patient information in that message.

Further, all participants in the SoCalHIE network are obligated to comply with the HIPAA privacy and security regulations. The operator of the network and of the free web-based messaging program must also comply with the HIPAA regulations, and will execute a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with your organization to that effect.

CAN I COMMUNICATE WITH PATIENTS VIA THE SoCalHIE NETWORK?

No, not at this time. Use of the network is currently confined to healthcare organizations and their member clinicians, staff, and other direct agents. This policy ensures that all participants are obligated to comply with the HIPAA privacy and security regulations when they request or exchange patient information via the network.

IS SoCalHIE A “HEALTH INFORMATION ORGANIZATION” (HIO)?

No. Unlike most HIOs, the SoCalHIE network does not aggregate and provide access to all the patient data collected by its participating healthcare organizations. The SoCalHIE network only provides an infrastructure for participating organizations to securely and electronically exchange patient data on a case-by-case basis, at the specific times and for the specific purposes that meet their policy, workflow, and clinical needs. Each organization in the SoCalHIE network controls exactly when, how, and with whom it shares its patient information.

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