Message Features

Can you hyperlink? 

Yes. Hyperlinks can be included in a message.

Can you explain Macros? 

Here is information on creating Macros in Valant: Editor Macros.

Can eSign accept attachments? 

Attachments can now be sent via Secure Messaging. Attachments are not part of eSign. 

Does it support excel spreadsheets? 

Yes, .xlsx and .csv files are both supported in Secure Messaging attachments. 

Can we send a lab order in pdf format to a patient via secure messaging? 

Yes, pdf documents can be included as attachments in Secure Messages. 

Is there a way for patients to "collect" their medical records through the portal? 

Not on their own, but a provider or staff user could send documents from their chart in a Secure Messaging attachment if they choose. 

If we set up a group message inbox, will the patients be able to message one another or will it just be provider-patient? 

Currently more than one patient can not be included in the same message. Patients can only message the shared messaging inbox, they cannot send messages to other patients. 

Can we create a signature line set in the secure message that goes out automatically every time I respond to any secure message? 

Yes. A signature can be created for a personal inbox.

Is there a way to generate an After Visit Summary that can be sent via secure messaging? 

No, but functionality like this is under consideration for our 2023 roadmap, including the ability to send documents from the patient chart to the patient via secure message. 

Can we forward messages to others if the client messages the wrong department? 

Yes, messages can be forwarded to other provider/staff users or to a shared inbox. 

Will the patient's ID# show in their message? We are having issues with patients with similar names and don't want to get them mixed up. 

Not currently in the message, but the product team has added this to the list of enhancements under consideration. The patient ID shows in the patient drop-down list when you are drafting a message and selecting a patient to be included. 

Will you make it easier for setting up portal? Or was this updated already? 

Yes, the onboarding process has been improved and simplified. See: Get Started and Manage Accounts with MYIO

Will there be an option to further customize the MYIO portal onboarding process? 

We will continue to enhance the tool based on customer input, and enhancements may include additional customization options. 

Does the client have to be on the MYIO portal to use secure messaging? 

Yes, in either the app or browser versions of MYIO. 

How do you know if you have a new message? 

On the Dashboard page in Valant, look under Action Items section "Unread secure messages" - that will show the # count of new/unread secure messages in your inbox. You will also receive an email notification that a secure message was received. In a future iteration, we will introduce a setting to receive in-EHR notifications when a new message is received. 

How do I turn off email notifications each time I get a secure message? 

The ability to disable/enable email notifications was not included in the initial release of secure messaging, but it will be added as an enhancement within the next few releases. Once released, this setting will be accessed via the gear icon (the same place used to set up Auto-Reply Settings). 

What notification does a patient receive if they receive a message from a provider? 

None currently, but this enhancement is on our roadmap for 2023. In the meantime, the patient will receive an email notification when a message is sent (if they have not opted out).

Save to Chart

If a patient emails the provider's work email (out of habit, let's say), are we able to forward the thread into the secure message system to record the info there and continue the email conversation through the secure messaging system? 

Secure Messaging cannot receive forwarded emails from outside email clients. However, you can save the communication thread as a document through your email client and upload it to the patient chart. 

Can you name attachments within Valant? 

When attaching a file to a secure message, it will use the filename. However, when saving an attachment from a message to the Patient Chart, you can edit the filename before saving if you choose. 

Is there a way to automatically save all secure message threads and attachments to the patient chart? 

Not currently on the roadmap, but the product team has added it to the feature requests for consideration. 

Can we attach a document from the patient chart to the secure message and send to the patient? 

Not currently on the roadmap, but Product has added it as a feature request for consideration. 

Can you save just the attachment to the chart? 

Yes. You can opt not to save the message thread. 

Can you add or remove pages to an attachment or make any edits? 

You should make any changes to the file before you select it as an attachment. You cannot make changes to the file from within Valant. 

Settings

Is it possible to send a message to a group of patients? 

At this time, not with Secure Messaging. However, you could use a combination of Broadcast Messages to send out a message to a group of patients, and you could set up a Shared Inbox to receive messages from that group of patients. 

Will you be reintroducing the ability to sort the inbox? 

In December 2022, the ability to search by any of the columns in the inbox (sender name, subject, date range, etc.) was added which is a step up from the basic sort options in the old solution. 

Will there be a way to "lock" a message that has been replied? So a patient would have to initiate a new message instead of replying to an old thread? This would be useful if the practice is uploading a message thread to the chart. A message that has long history may be confusing. 

Yes. This function was added December 2022. 

Any plans to introduce a means of shutting off patient's ability to use? 

Not currently on the roadmap, but Product has added to the feature requests for consideration secure messaging despite having established communication (e.g. for patients misusing secure messaging). 

Can you automatically allow all patients to initiate secure messages to other staff members without adding that person to every chart? 

Specific staff members can only be added per patient. For this type of use case, we recommend using a Shared Inbox which can be enabled globally for all patients. 

Is there a function to remove the providers from receiving a message without doing it one by one? 

No, the setting for which providers and staff users can be messaged is set at the patient level and cannot be changed for all patients at once. 

Can patients not initiate if providers or front desk staff isn’t added to the secure messaging part of the portal? 

Correct. Patients can initiate messages only to the individuals and shared inboxes that have been allowed in their Secure Messaging settings in the Portal tab of the patient record. 

Is there a way to turn off all secure messaging for a provider? 

You can disallow patients from initiating messages to the provider, but you cannot block the provider from accessing the Secure Messaging tool if it is enabled for the practice. 

How do patients change their portal email address? 

Patients can update their email address and other demographics in their MYIO account. 

When you say "initiate messages", does this mean clients without permission to initiate messages cannot respond to messages or they just can't start a message but can still respond to threads once they are started by an authorized person? 

Clients can still respond to any messages that are sent to them. Until they are locked by the practice. 

Can messages be forwarded to an in-office staff member if another staff member is out of office? 

They can be manually forwarded, but we don't currently have a feature for setting up messages to automatically be forwarded. We do however have an auto-reply setting.  

Is it possible to assign another provider to a provider’s inbox for times of vacation/leaves of absence? 

Not currently, but we are considering enhancements to better support this use case (such as the ability to temporarily auto-forward all newly received messages to another user). In the meantime, auto-reply is the best tool for handling this case. 

Tags

If I archive a thread that has a tag on it, can I still pull it up under the tags? 

Yes. 

Can only the Clinician create the tags? 

Every user with access to Secure Messaging can create and manage their own tags. They are unique to that specific user or shared inbox. 

Enhancements

Any consideration to enhancing secure messages to be able to do some sort of form input (or some sort of template)? So, for example a refill request mailbox. 

The Product team has added this to the list of enhancements under consideration. 

Is there a way to invite others to participate in secure messaging? Example, guardians of a minor client or other providers outside the practice. 

With this update, we haven't introduced new functionality for parent/guardian access for minor patient MYIO accounts (still same workarounds as before). However, parent/guardian access is something we have planned to work on and introduce as an enhancement next year.