PDF Postman and MS Outlook

[Jay]

Does anyone use this MS Outlook plugin? Works really well and isn't that expensive ($50 per license). It can send your entire email as an AES encrypted PDF attachment. So if you have given the recipient his password, the message is secure. I haven't found a simpler solution for sending encrypted email even though we still don't send email as part of the workflow.

There is a free trial so you can give it a spin.

Trouble is OD isn't (yet) integrated with the default email client.

Jordan, please consider this post a shameless plug for Feature Request 2211 which you conceded is super easy to implement. Thanks.

[jordansparks]

Easy maybe. But I don't know about super easy. We've never tried anything quite like that, so you never know.

[Hersheydmd]

Jay, this is a super request. Put my last 8 votes on it. But that only brings the total to 9 votes.

[Jay]

@hersheydmd; Thanks for the vote! PDF Postman even maintains a list of passwords on your PC (or on a remote Microsoft SQL Server) so if a recipient asks for the password you could verify their identity, refer to the list, and tell them their code. The software itself is password protected to prevent unauthorized tampering with the settings. All PDF passwords are associated with recipient email addresses and you can even pre-generate a 2-column text file (email password) quite easily and import. The only loophole (as usual) is staff training. They shouldn't hit the usual SEND button in Outlook but the newly created "PDF Encrypt Email" button. It works really well but without the OD integration it is quite painful to copy and paste individual email addresses into the To: field of Outlook. Every patient can be given their password on a printed label so that all future communications are secure.

@jordan: I am sure some people use Outlook without PDF postman so they will benefit even if they have no desire to use the plugin. But I totally understand that there are other more pressing concerns needing immediate attention. And a still better (but more difficult) idea is to have the option to generate and attach the PDF from within OD without the need to use Outlook at all.

[jordansparks]

Regardless of any feature requests, I suspect that we will need to do something like this before 2013 in order to pass the next round of EHR certification. Secure communications is going to be a big part of EHR.

[Jay]

@hersheydmd: Just gave it 50 votes. Incidentally the PDF Postman plugin now has an option to force Encryption on all outgoing Outlook mail. So there is no more danger of someone accidentally emailing without encrypting first. This can be enabled on the PC used in conjunction with OD to send patient statements etc.

[jordansparks]

It looks like we could do the same thing directly, without the need for Outlook or PDF Postman. It's just a password protected PDF.

[Jay]

Jordan, any update on Feature Request 2211 i.e. Default Mail Client Integration?

[jordansparks]

I see the request sitting there. It doesn't seem to be floating to the top, and I don't see that it would take priority over the requests above it. I have finally seen the draft specs for the next round of EHR certification. They have a very specific way that they want email encrypted. All medical offices are going to do it the same way, following the specs dictated by the government. It will not be a password protected PDF. In the meantime, there are a number of online services for sending "email" that is viewed online to meet encryption standards. So I would suggest that workaround until we have ours in place. The next EHR certification will happen in late 2013.

[Jay]

In the meantime, there are a number of online services for sending "email" that is viewed online to meet encryption standards.

A workaround is all encrypted PDF can ever be. Regarding online email services, it is probably much more expensive and people will have to create another online account which they are loath to do. Still, a list of recommended vendors or even a suggested Google search would really help. Unfortunately I am unable distinguish the reliability of competing services by merely looking at their websites.

[Pruce Dental]

Jordan...

Will all users get the encrypted email when you add it or will only the people paying extra for the EHR monthly service get it?

[Jay]

And what's unfortunate is that people are either ignoring the encryption issue (for now) at their own risk, not using email at all, or are forced to use it minimally (for appointment reminders only).

[Pruce Dental]

I agree Jay...

it is an important issue that should be done sooner than later...

I put 50 votes on it...

Jordan does the description on the request need changed or updated to reflect the new government standards? Will you be able to use any email client like Thunderbird with the new regulations?

anyone else want to put some votes on it or put some money towards it?...

[jordansparks]

The description has been changed so that it's clear we will use the "mailto:" url rather than the Outlook Object Model. So it will be compatible with any email program.

[Jay]

Thanks Robert, for the support.

Some news:

PDF postman 1.2.5 now has a 'default encrypt' mode so that employee error is eliminated and ALL emails sent from Outlook will go out encrypted in that mode. Additionally PDF Postman settings can be password protected so no one can switch off default encryption. So now if we get mailto: integration in OD, clicking the Email button in OD should populate the To: field of a new message window in MS Outlook by passing along the patient's email address. Once this is done right we compose our email in Outlook, attach any files including PDFs, then hit SEND button within Outlook and you are done.

A nice bonus feature would be passing both PDF attachments and recipient email address to Outlook when emailing Statements.

I urge people to give the trial version a run (without OD integration of course) and post comments or vote.

if it works as I am hoping, it would be a great implementation for fifty bucks and gives people time till governmental standards are universally adopted.

[jordansparks]

I think that if we want to pass attachments to Outlook that we will need to use the Outlook Object Model. That's fine, but it means that the integration would only work for Outlook.

[Jay]

Jordan. I am hardly a Microsoft fan and in fact much prefer Thunderbird and in the past, Eudora. But since the whole point here is to find a workaround for the encryption issue you might want to consider making this an Outlook only feature. I know it is exclusionary and proprietary and all those things but the aim of this feature request was to provide an easy encryption solution till universal standards are developed in 2013. I thought that this aim was compatible with the more universal 'mailto:' implementation you proposed, but obviously it is not since the PDF postman option is Outlook only.

[Pruce Dental]

Jordan...

should there be a separate feature request for Hipaa compliant email in addition to the one you updated?...If not can you title it something like "secure Hipaa compliant email" so it might get some more attention? I thought this thread would find more interest than just Jay and myself...anyone else interested?..I would throw a few bucks in to get it done but a few bucks from just one person isn't going to get it done any sooner lol...

[jordansparks]

Jordan...
Will all users get the encrypted email when you add it or will only the people paying extra for the EHR monthly service get it?

All users would get it.

[Pruce Dental]

ok..so I signed up for one of the secure email sites..I don't want to have to search for sheet attachments to manually add to emails and not have my emails tracked in OD anymore so I put a few bucks down to get the request higher up the list...anyone else want to add anything to get it done quicker?

[Hersheydmd]

Robert,
It's not just you and Jay. I'm for it too. Moved some votes from another feature request to this one and pledged some dollars too.

[Pruce Dental]

Thanks from one Robert to another Robert!

[jordansparks]

Wow. You guys managed to get request 2211 up to #8 on the list. I changed the description again to match this discussion.

[Pruce Dental]

Jordan...

The new description says outlook object model....so the feature request now won't work with Mozilla Thunderbird? I don't have outlook on any of my workstations...I pledged money thinking it would work with Thunderbird...The feature will be useless to me if i need to get 10 copies of Outlook...can you clarify if Thunderbird will still work....

[Jay]

Hi Robert (@prucedental). I really like Thunderbird and we have just one copy of Outlook 2010 and plan to buy more if this feature reqest works out. Unfortunately I don't know any way for PDF Postman to work with Thunderbird and using Thunderbird (or Outlook for that matter) without PDF Postman will bring us NO encryption benefits at all. With Outlook plus PDF Postman, however, we will be able to send email and maybe attachments in encrypted PDF format from within Open Dental. That's why we are trying for MS Outlook integration only at this stage. I urge you and others to download free trial versions of Outlook and PDF Postman to see how simple the process is and verify if it works. And if anyone has a comparable or better method using Thunderbird that'll be great because I don't want to buy any more Outlook either.

I don't know...maybe the confusion stems from this exchange between you and Jordan.

Jordan...
Will all users get the encrypted email when you add it or will only the people paying extra for the EHR monthly service get it?

All users would get it.

Here Jordan is referring to the eventual government mandated 2013 encryption standard which will be available late next year and that will available to all.

Till that happens I can think of no easier way to send HIPAA compliant email from within Open Dental than to use MS Outlook+PDF Postman.

[Pruce Dental]

I signed up for encrypted mail at 4securemail.com...as a temporary measure...very simple...I was going to use something like the Enigmail add on for Thunderbird but figured that no other office that I email referrals to is going to take the time to set up encryption on their end and I can use this service for responding to patient emails as well...it wasn't that expensive....I can also use it with Apteryx to encrypt my attachments as well....

I don't want to buy multiple copies of Outlook and hate the thought of having to walk past half a dozen computers to get to the one that I can email referrals from or have to wait for that one computer to be free...I will just find myself grabbing the attachments thru Thunderbird instead of directly thru OD...

Jordan..If this feature will only work with Outlook I want to move my votes and pledge to a different feature...

[jordansparks]

I have again edited this feature request. It now includes both strategies.

[Pruce Dental]

Thanks!!!