Communication Log - Should it be locked down ?

[opensource]

Hello Dr. Jordan / Team,

Is there a HIPPA requirement that the 'Communication Log' should be locked down (in open-dental). I have been told that since it is something that u can change at anytime..it does not have any legal value ???

On a similar note, Is there a way to store email communication with patient in open-dental. The work-around of storing it as a document / scanned version / image..is very painful..isnt it ?

Cheers,

OpenSource

[nathansparks]

To the first part of the question:

It is a valid request to add some specified security to the communications log, but there may be no connection to any HIPAA requirement (none that I can ascertain) and such added security may not bestow the expected value whatever that is; however, I may be missing an inference in your question. I always suggest specificity in HIPAA related questions as there is a great deal of misinformation regarding this subject. That is to say, what suggests this question, what leads you to believe that any such requirement might exist?
The communications log is quite subjective in the first place, so its primary purpose is as a record of the interaction between the practice representative and the customer from the representative's point of view in order to communicate that interaction to other representatives of the practice.

[nathansparks]

Regarding the first part of the question, I did not address the legal aspect that you brought up. If there were some litigation and the communication log was proffered as evidince, by itself it would hold little value, although if sworn upon by the party who created it, that sworn testimony would be valuable . What would hold value by itself would be any communication record held by some third party. For instance, an email stored on a third party server or a telephone record (the contents of a phone record are not usually stored, as this is not legal in all states, but the origin, destination, time and length are) might hold some value. I would used signed (physical or electronic have equal weight) documents to establish consent, if consent is the question.

[nathansparks]

On a similar note, Is there a way to store email communication with patient in open-dental. The work-around of storing it as a document / scanned version / image..is very painful..isnt it ?

Well, I would not bother storing the incoming communication in open dental, if you need it it is available in your email. I feel this must be a future feature of open dental. I do not know that it holds overwhelming value, as such incoming email rarely is needed within the patient account upon immediate demand. On the other hand, i am not a dentist, so I could be wrong about the value. I would request the feature ( it has already been requested I think, just vote on it).

Also, a cut paste is quicker for the text portions than scanning it. The attachments can be copied to the A-Z folder (then the appropriate sub folder) directly rather than scanning anything. Cheers!