Introducing Army Medicine's Secure Messaging Service

By Army MedicineMay 15, 2013

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Army Medicine beneficiaries can now conveniently communicate online with their primary care providers via secure messaging.

Army Medicine Secure Messaging Service (AMSMS), powered by RelayHealth, brings your healthcare team to you, wherever you are, any time of day. It allows you to communicate with your doctor through secure email about non-urgent healthcare matters, so your doctor or another care team member can respond during business hours.

Through AMSMS, you can contact your primary care clinic to:

•Ask questions and receive advice about non-urgent health concerns at your convenience

•Request appointments and referrals, even when your doctor's office is closed, so your clinic can respond and/or schedule them during business hours

•Renew medication prescriptions easily, request prescriptions be sent to your preferred pharmacy, and specify pick-up or mail-order delivery

•Request laboratory and other test results, with an explanation from your doctor or other care team member attached, when appropriate

•Avoid unnecessary office visits and telephone calls

•Access valuable, medically reviewed health education information about a full range of healthcare topics and access links to doctor-recommended information and sites

Army Medicine Secure Messaging Service is a secure portal that is compliant with the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Encryption technology and a stringent privacy policy protect patient personal information more securely than either the telephone or regular email. Patient information is only accessible by patients and their healthcare team.

AMSMS was launched to benefit patients through:

•Increased access to their medical care team

•Faster, more successful communication

•Asynchronous communication so provider and patient can communicate on different timelines when convenient

•Encouraging active involvement in their own care as a patient safety strategy by providing educational materials about topics important to their overall health and care, and giving patients the ability to access and add to their personal health record

AMSMS isn't only benefiting patients. Doctors and their staffs don't have to play phone tag with patients when they don't want to leave a voicemail with lab results. Nurses can spend less time on the phone and more time with patients when they can answer questions or arrange appointments or referrals through secure email.

It's easy to get started and there's no cost to patients. The benefits include no more waiting on hold to talk to a healthcare professional, and no more phone tag when trying to schedule an appointment or ask a question. To learn more, talk to your primary care clinic about getting connected to Army Medicine Secure Messaging Service.

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