What is Secure Mail?
Secure Mail is a HIPAA compliant web-based service that is accessible from multiple devices and available anywhere with an Internet connection.
Secure Mail is similar to email in that it allows users to send and receive information and attachments electronically. However Secure Mail is HIPAA compliant, so it can be used to send and receive patient records and other files to their colleagues and patients.
Subscribers may send Secure Mail messages to anyone they choose. First time recipients will be prompted to create their own free Secure Mail account so they may securely exchange (send and receive) patient records with the practice that invited them.
Getting Started with Secure Mail
There are two parts of each Secure Mail message:
- Email Notification – this portion is delivered to the recipients’ regular email. It notifies the recipient to log into 3M Secure Mail to see the secure portion of the message you sent them. Users do not need to log into their Secure Mail accounts to see if they have any new messages.
- Secure Mail Message – this portion resides only within the 3M Secure Mail. This is where you will enter any patient information or attachments. This portion is secure and HIPAA compliant.
Sending a Message
- Log in to 3M Secure Mail at the secure log in site with your email address and password https://securemail.3m.com/
- Click the blue ‘Compose Message’ button on the upper left to begin creating an outgoing Secure Mail message.
- Compose the message in much the same way a regular email is composed:
- Addressing the message – Enter the email address of the recipient. Note that while entering the email address the Secure Mail system will search the address book and make suggestions. If no suggestions are offered, simply enter the full email address.
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- Multiple recipients may be added, each of whom will be displayed below the To: field in the Selected Recipients section of the message.
- Composing the Email Message– This first part of the Secure Mail message will be delivered to the recipient’s regular email address, Do not enter any patient information in this section of the message. Along with the text you enter in this section, the system will include a link directing the recipient to log into Secure Mail to access the secure portion of your Secure Mail message to them.
5. Compose the Secure Mail Message – This is the section of the Secure Mail message where patient data may be included. Users may also attach files (photos, X-rays etc…) to the Secure Mail section of the outgoing message.
Note: None of the Secure Mail section information is transmitted or accessible via regular email.
6. When satisfied with the outgoing message click the Send In a few moments the recipient will receive an email at their regular email address including the Email Message portion with a notification inviting them to log in to Secure Mail and access the patient information typed or uploaded by the sender.
7. The recipient can follow the link in the Email to log in, or create an 3M Secure Mail account if it’s their first time using the system.
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- First time users of the 3M Secure Mail will be invited to register a free account by providing name and practice information as required. No credit card or payment information is required to establish an account after being invited.
- Once the account has been created, the recipient can immediately log into the newly created 3M Secure Mail account. Invited recipients may securely reply to the initial message as well as compose new messages back to the practice that invited them to join.
Working with Received Messages
Every Secure Mail message generates an email notification that will be delivered to the recipient’s regular email address. Users do not need to log into their 3M Secure Mail accounts to see if they have any new messages.
In each email notification there is a link directly to the specific Secure Mail message referenced in the notification. Users may follow this link to access the secured portion of the message.
Note that after clicking on the link to access the Secure Mail message, users will need to enter the username and password of their 3M Secure Mail account to view the message.
Secure Mail users may also log directly into their 3M Secure Mail accounts at the following website: https://securemail.3m.com/
When viewing a received Secure Mail message notice there are two parts. The upper section titled “Email Message” is a copy of the notification message delivered via regular email. The lower section is the “Secure Mail” portion of the message. This is where the sender included patient information as well as attachments such as photos and X-rays.
Attachments may be:
Downloaded individually by clicking the “Download” icon next to the thumbnails
Downloaded all at once by clicking on the “Download all” button on the right side of the attachments section.
Common image files such as .jpg, .png and .stl (Eg: photos and X-rays) may also be viewed directly in the Secure Mail interface by clicking the “Image Viewer” icon next to the thumbnails. Viewable files are indicated by the “Image Viewer” icon to the right of the thumbnail image.
As with traditional email, users may reply, forward or print the contents of the Secure Mail message. The forwarded message is still be secure and would require registration by new users. These features are accessible via the menu in the upper right corner of each message.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Secure Mail system replace my regular email account?
No, Secure Mail is intended to augment an existing email address to allow users to send Protected Health Information (PHI) safely and securely.
Do my colleagues (specialists, labs etc…) need to have a Secure Mail account before I can send them a message?
No, subscribers can send Secure Mail messages to anyone they choose. If it is the recipient’s first time using Secure Mail an invitation to create an account will be sent to their email address for them to be able to view the information. There is no charge to recipients to communicate via Secure Mail with a subscriber.
What types of files and attachments can I send through Secure Mail?
Secure Mail supports 500MB per attachment and an unlimited number of attachments per message.
Users with a paid subscription may send any type of file, most common examples are photos, X-rays, PDF, Word Documents and DICOM (CBCT) files. Paid subscribers can attach an unlimited number of files to each Secure Mail. Unpaid subscribers may send any file type to their sponsor but are unable from sending advanced file types (ZIP, STL and DICOM) to users outside this network
To find out more about paid vs free subscriptions; Click here: http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/Dental/.
To sign up for a paid subscription; Click here: http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/Dental/.
To find out more about administrative features, such as creating accounts for coworkers, Click here: https://support.dentalcloud.3m.com/hc/en-us/articles/207025507-How-to-create-additional-accounts-for-your-staff-and-coworkers.
To find out more about please visit the Knowledge Base (KB) click here: https://support.securemail.3m.com/hc/en-us
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