|
GETTING STARTED
SENDING AND RECEIVING EMAIL
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE OF SOUTHWEST SECURE EMAIL
GETTING STARTED WITH SOUTHWEST SECURE EMAIL
What is Southwest's Secure E-mail?
E-mail is by default not encrypted or protected from interception when sent across the Internet.
The Federal law known as HIPAA mandates that all patient information be secured during transmission.
Southwest offers all workforce members access to a secure e-mail delivery option, called Southwest Secure E-mail.
Southwest Secure E-mail is an ‘outbound' secure messaging feature added onto Southwest's Microsoft Exchange e-mail service. This feature allows all health care providers and workforce members to securely communicate with patients, partners, government agencies, or anyone with whom we need to secure our e-mail communications.
Additionally, all replies to these secured, and fully encrypted, outbound e-mails will also be encrypted.
Note: Only "replies" to secured messages will be encrypted. E-mails originating from outside of Southwest are not encrypted.
Note: All Secure E-mail activities are monitored and logged. Illegal and inappropirate use are prohibited. The recipient accepts all liability for use of this service.
Attachments are also encrypted. Reply messages can change or add attachments, which are also encrypted.
Setting up your Southwest Secure E-mail account
There is no need to set up a Southwest Secure E-mail account. Southwest workforce members will use their Microsoft Outlook accounts to send secure e-mail messages.
Southwest Secure E-mail automatically detects confidential information within an outbound e-mail and manages the delivery notification and retrieval processes.
Note: If a workforce member (sender) desires to send any message securely (encrypted), they can add "[secure] " to the Subject Line of their e-mail message. The brackets are ‘square' and ‘secure' can be typed with or without upper-case: [Secure] or [secure].
Recipients, those who receive Southwest Secure E-mail messages, do not need an account either. All recipients receive notification of Southwest Secure E-mails within the "Inboxes" of whichever e-mail service they use: Google, Yahoo, MSN, WebTV, MS Outlook, or any standard e-mail service.
What do I do if I forget my password?
Southwest workforce members do not receive secure e-mail passwords. Their Microsoft Outlook account already has a password. If a Southwest workforce member forgets their Outlook password they should call the IT Help Desk (x2054).
First time recipient password use
Recipients, those who receive Southwest Secure E-mail messages, are presented with a self-service password dialogue box the first time they receive a Southwest Secure E-mail delivery notification.
First time use Southwest Secure E-mail login screen
Recipients may choose their own passwords. Passwords should be at least six characters in length and contain at least one numeral.
The password does not expire, but may be changed at any time by the recipient.
By entering a self-selected password, twice, and selecting the "Submit" icon, the recipient can now unlock all Southwest Secure E-mail messages sent to their personal e-mail Inbox.
Forgot password?
A recipient can reset their password by following the "Forgot Your Password" link within the original Southwest Secure E-mail notification. The link is at the bottom of every Southwest Secure E-mail notification: "Click on the link below if you have forgotten your password."
The recipient will receive a notice, like the following, and will be prompted to enter their email address.
Southwest Secure E-mail password reset screen
The recipient will receive an e-mail notification that their password has been reset.
-----Original Message-----
From: "Southwest Secure E-mail" [mailto:"Southwest Secure E-mail"]
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 09:04
To: Undisclosed Recipient Name
Subject: Request to reset your Southwest Secure E-mail
Your request to reset the password has been processed on (date). You will be prompted to set your new password the next time you attempt to view a Southwest Secure E-mail message.
Recipient's Password Reset Notification
The recipient can now return to the Southwest Secure E-mail message notification to access the secure messages.
The recipient will be presented with the same first time use dialogue box.
How does Southwest Secure E-mail work?
For a quick start to using Southwest Secure E-mail, please see "Secure E-mail Quick Start Reference."
This diagram shows the seven steps of a full cycle Southwest Secure E-mail delivery and reply. 
- A Southwest workforce member sends an e-mail outside of Southwest. The sender does not need to take any special action, as the Southwest Secure E-mail service will inspect every message for confidential information.
- Secure E-mail scans all messages and determines, by policy, which messages can be sent directly and which shall be encrypted (secured).
- The Secure Delivery Server processes all secure delivery requests, and
- Sends a notice to each recipient.
- Each recipient receives a Southwest Secure E-mail delivery notification. Replying with a password allows the recipient to see the Secure E-mail message.
- Each recipient has an option to reply to the original message. All replies, and all reply attachments, are sent encrypted (secured) back to the original sender at Southwest.
- The original sender receives all replies within their Southwest e-mail account.
Note: Use of Southwest's Secure E-mail service shall be limited to non-urgent health care related communications.
Note: After seven days all Southwest Secure E-mail messages are erased from the Secure E-mail server.
Why do I receive notices that I have unread Southwest Secure E-mail messages?
If you receive an e-mail notification from Southwest Secure E-mail, someone within Southwest has sent you an encrypted (secure) message.
This is not SPAM.
You will not be asked to provide any personal information.
The secure message notification should look like this:
-----Original Message-----
From: "Southwest Secure E-mail" [mailto:"Southwest Secure E-mail"]
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 09:04
To: Undisclosed Recipient Name
Subject: A Southwest Secure E-mail message is waiting for you
Click the link to view the Southwest Secure E-mail message from (Sender Name), (Link). You will be prompted to enter a self-selected Southwest Secure E-mail password. Do not use your personal e-mail password for your Southwest Secure E-mail password.
No other personal or private information is required.
Click on the link below if you have forgotten your password.
(Password reset link)
Recipient's Southwest Secure E-mail Notification
Secure E-mail messages shall not be used for urgent health care concerns.
Secure E-mail allows Southwest care providers and workforce members securely communicate with patients and others who provide support services to Southwest's patients.
The "Body" of the message will tell you who sent the message.
Select the message link to collect your message. You will be prompted to enter your Southwest Secure E-mail password. If you do not have a password, or have forgotten your password, there are links on the e-mail notification message to help you acquire or reset your password.
There is no "username". Your e-mail address serves as your username.
How do I retrieve a Southwest Secure E-mail?
To retrieve Southwest Secure E-mail, someone from inside Southwest must send you a secured (encrypted) e-mail message.
Note: A recipient outside of Southwest cannot initiate a Southwest Secure E-mail. The secure message must start within Southwest. A recipient can REPLY any number of times to a secure message received from Southwest.
The secure message notification should look like this:
-----Original Message-----
From: "Southwest Secure E-mail" [mailto:"Southwest Secure E-mail"]
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 09:04
To: Undisclosed Recipient Name
Subject: A Southwest Secure E-mail message is waiting for you
Click the link to view the Southwest Secure E-mail message from (Sender Name), (Link). You will be prompted to enter a self-selected Southwest Secure E-mail password. Do not use your personal e-mail password for your Southwest Secure E-mail password.
No other personal or private information is required.
Click on the link below if you have forgotten your password.
(Password reset link)
Recipient's Southwest Secure E-mail Notification
Collecting Southwest Secure E-mail messages:
Note: For first-time use, please see First time recipient password use
- Select the secure message link within the body of the notification.
Note: If you have forgotten your password, please see What do I do if I forget my password?
- Enter your password. There is no username; just a password that you have chosen.
- Select one e-mail message at a time from the
Southwest Secure E-mail screen.
Southwest Secure E-mail Inbox screen
- 4) On-screen instructions guide you in opening and deleting secure messages.
| a. |
To open a secure message, click on the Subject line to highlight the message and select "Submit" to open the message. |
| b. |
To delete a secure message, click on the "Delete" checkbox to the right of the "Date" and select "Submit" to delete the message.
Note: Once a secure message has been deleted it cannot be retrieved.
Note: Secure messages that have been read are automatically deleted after 24 hours. If you need to keep a record of a secure e-mail, please Select-All from the screen menu bar and Copy to a word processing document. |
| c. |
Before you select the "Submit" button you can clear all of your choices by selecting the "Reset" button. |
| d. |
To close out of the Southwest Secure E-mail Inbox screen, simply close the secure e-mail window. |
| e. |
To reply to a Southwest Secure E-mail message, please see How do I reply to a Southwest Secure E-mail message? |
How do I reply to a Southwest Secure E-mail message?
- To securely reply to a Southwest Secure E-mail message, select "Reply" from the secure e-mail message screen. A screen like the following will appear.
Compose new Southwest Secure E-mail screen
- Enter a subject description within the "Subject" line, and your reply message within the "Body" portion.
- Select "Submit" to send your secure reply message.
- If you wish to add attachments to your reply, select the "Attach" Icon, directly below the "Subject" line title. An "Open" dialogue box will open to allow you to select one or more files to attach to your secure message.
- Select "Reset" if you wish to undo all text entered into your reply.
- Select "Close" to exit from the reply entry screen-without sending the reply. This cancels your reply.
Note: All secure reply messages and all attachments are secured (encrypted)
Note: The maximum size of both the message and all attachments is 10MB (megabytes)
How do I save a Southwest Secure E-mail messages to my computer?
If you need to keep a record of a secure e-mail, please Select-All from the screen menu bar and "Copy" to a word processing document.
Note: Once a secure message has been deleted it cannot be retrieved.
Note: Secure messages that have been read are automatically deleted after 24 hours.
Note: Remember that once saved to your computer, the health information contained in the Southwest Secure E-mail is no longer secured (encrypted). Please use caution when saving your personal health information to your computer.
How long will my Southwest Secure E-mail messages be stored before they are deleted?
Below is the table for Southwest Secure E-mail message retention:
| Unread message |
7 days |
| Read message |
1 day (24 hours) |
| Unread reply message |
7 days |
Note: If a recipient does not read a secure e-mail message within one day (24 hours), both the sender and the recipient shall receive a reminder notice from Southwest Secure E-mail. See example below:
-----Original Message-----
From: "Southwest Secure E-mail" [mailto:"Southwest Secure E-mail"]
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 09:04
To: Undisclosed Recipient Name
Subject: Southwest Secure E-mail non-retrieval notification
Greetings. You are receiving this automated Southwest Secure E-mail notice because you have (one or more) secure messages that have not been retrieved in the past (1) days. All messages are automatically deleted after seven days. Terms and conditions for use can be found at Southwest's website: http://www.swmedicalcenter.org/securemail
Southwest Secure E-mail Recipient's non-retrieval notification
How do I know that a message is coming from Southwest Washington Medical Center?
- Periodically check your personal e-mail account to look for a notification message from your Southwest health care provider or contact at Southwest.
- Your health care provider or contact at Southwest may attempt to call you, or leave a voice message for you, to let you know a message is waiting for you.
- Southwest Secure E-mail is not SPAM.
The Southwest Secure E-mail message notification should look like this:
-----Original Message-----
From: "Southwest Secure E-mail" [mailto:"Southwest Secure E-mail"]
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 09:04
To: Undisclosed Recipient Name
Subject: A Southwest Secure E-mail message is waiting for you
Click the link below to view the Southwest Secure E-mail message from (Sender's name) (link). You will be prompted to enter a self-selected Southwest Secure E-mail password. Do not use your personal e-mail password for your Southwest Secure E-mail password. No other personal or private information is required.
Click on the link below if you have forgotten your password. (link)
Terms and conditions for use can be found at Southwest's website: http://www.swmedicalcenter.org/securemail
Recipient's Southwest Secure E-mail Notification
SENDING AND RECEIVING EMAIL
How do I retrieve a Southwest Secure E-mail?
I can't retrieve my Southwest Secure E-mail message(s)
- If you receive a Southwest Secure E-mail notification in your personal e-mail account, a secure message is waiting for you.
- If the following "Southwest Secure E-mail Inbox" screen does not appear. Please contact the sender by phone or regular e-mail to report a service problem.
Southwest Secure E-mail Inbox screen
- If you have forgotten your password, please see What do I do if I forget my password?
to create a new password.
How do I reply to a Southwest Secure E-mail message?
or back to SENDING AND RECEIVING Table of Contents
I get an error message from my e-mail account, what do I do?
- If your personal e-mail account gives you an error, please close out your e-mail account, open up your account, and try again. Sometimes e-mail accounts recover after closing and opening.
- Record the error message and check with your e-mail account provider to see if the error is on your system, on the Internet, or at Southwest.
- If you get a message similar to: connection to the server on port 25 has timed out, this may mean that either the message is taking too long to reach Southwest, or the Southwest Secure E-mail server is not responding. Please notify the secure e-mail message sender by phone or regular e-mail to report the problem.
or back to SENDING AND RECEIVING Table of Contents
Messages are missing, incomplete, or garbled
- Southwest Secure E-mail is very reliable, but sometimes, in transmission, messages get lost or garbled.
- Please reply, either with Southwest Secure E-mail or regular e-mail, to the message sender that your message was not received or garbled. Ask the sender to try sending the message again.
Note: If you receive a message stating that you have a Southwest Secure E-mail message that has not been read in the past 24 hours, you may have missed the first delivery attempt.
Note: To make sure you receive all Southwest Secure E-mail messages, please add swmedicalcenter.org to your ‘whitelist' or ‘address book'. This will most often allow inbound messages to get past your Anti-Virus and SPAM software.
- If you do not receive any Southwest Secure E-mail messages, please check with your Anti-Virus and SPAM software to make sure these secure messages are not automatically deleted or blocked.
or back to SENDING AND RECEIVING Table of Contents
Is my reply message secure?
Yes.
All "replies" to Southwest Secure E-mail messages are secured (encrypted), the same as the message you received.
Note: All secure reply messages and all attachments are secured (encrypted)
Note: The maximum size of both the message and all attachments is 10MB (megabytes)
or back to SENDING AND RECEIVING Table of Contents
How do I make sure that my Southwest health care provider got my Southwest Secure E-mail message?
- Both you and the original sender (at Southwest) will receive a secure e-mail notification if any message has not been retrieved within 24 hours.
- Ask within your secure e-mail reply for the Southwest health care provider or contact to confirm receipt of your message.
- If your secure e-mail reply is "undeliverable", your personal e-mail provider's system will send you a message saying your message was undeliverable.
or back to SENDING AND RECEIVING Table of Contents
How do I search through my Southwest Secure E-mail messages?
See Collecting Southwest Secure E-mail messages
What do I need on my computer to access Southwest Secure E-mail?
If you have a personal e-mail account, you have all you need to receive and reply to Southwest Secure E-mail.
Note: If you cannot get to or collect your regular e-mail messages, you will not be able to get to and collect your Southwest Secure E-mail messages
or back to SENDING AND RECEIVING Table of Contents
Are my attachments secured as well?
Yes.
All replies, and all reply attachments, are sent encrypted (secured) back to the original sender at Southwest.
or back to SENDING AND RECEIVING Table of Contents
Can I keep copies of my Southwest Secure E-mail messages?
Yes.
See How do I save a Southwest Secure E-mail messages to my computer?
If you need to keep a record of a secure e-mail, please Select-All from the screen menu bar and "Copy" to a word processing document.
Note: Once a secure message has been deleted it cannot be retrieved.
Note: Secure messages that have been read are automatically deleted after 24 hours.
Note: Remember that once saved to your computer, the health information contained in the Southwest Secure E-mail is no longer secured (encrypted). Please use caution when saving your personal health information to your computer.
or back to SENDING AND RECEIVING Table of Contents
What can I do if I accidentally delete a message?
- If you have accidentally deleted a secure e-mail message, but have not selected "Submit", you can select "Reset" and the message will not be deleted.
- If you have deleted a secure e-mail message, and it no longer appears in your Southwest Secure E-mail Inbox screen, it is gone and cannot be recovered.
- Contact your Southwest health care provider or contact and ask them to send the message again.
or back to SENDING AND RECEIVING Table of Contents
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE OF SOUTHWEST SECURE EMAIL
Detailed Terms and Conditions for use of Southwest Secure E-mail (HTML file) [Click here for PDF version.]
Appropriate use of Southwest Secure E-mail
- Use of Southwest's Secure E-mail service shall be limited to non-urgent health care related communications.
- All health care communication protocols and restrictions apply to Southwest Secure E-mail use.
- Southwest Secure E-mail is for the exclusive use of Southwest care providers and workforce members and those with whom they communicate. All other uses are prohibited.
- See Terms and Conditions for Southwest Secure E-mail (HTML file) [Click here for PDF version.]
Note: All Secure E-mail activities are monitored and logged. Illegal and inappropirate use are prohibited. The recipient accepts all liability for use of this service.
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
Communicating with care providers about your health care needs
Southwest Secure E-mail is one of several methods that you and your health care provider or contact at Southwest can use to meet your health care needs. Depending upon the type of communication, and especially the urgency of need, Southwest Secure E-mail may not be appropriate.
Note: Use of Southwest's Secure E-mail service shall be limited to non-urgent health care related communications.
Talk with your Southwest health care provider or contact to determine if Southwest Secure E-mail is an appropriate method that meets both of your needs.
Southwest Secure E-mail is not for URGENT or Sensitive care issues!
*** Use of Southwest's Secure E-mail service shall be limited to non-urgent health care related communications. ***
If you have a medical emergency, please call 911.
If you have a medical concern, please contact your care provider or visit an urgent care clinic.
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
HIPAA and Southwest Secure E-mail
Southwest Secure E-mail meets all of the HIPAA security and privacy standards.
Note: Use of Southwest's Secure E-mail service shall be limited to non-urgent health care related communications.
Note: A recipient outside of Southwest cannot initiate a Southwest Secure E-mail. The secure message must start within Southwest. A recipient can REPLY any number of times to a secure message received from Southwest.
Note: All secure reply messages and all attachments are secured (encrypted)
Note: The maximum size of both the message and all attachments is 10MB (megabytes)
Note: Remember that once saved to your computer, the health information contained in the Southwest Secure E-mail is no longer secured (encrypted). Please use caution when saving your personal health information to your computer.
Note: All Secure E-mail activities are monitored and logged. Illegal and inappropirate use are prohibited. The recipient accepts all liability for use of this service.
HIPAA: The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a large and complex assembly of regulations designed to standardize the transmission and protection of, and simplify access to, patient information.
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
Limitations of Liability when using Southwest Secure E-mail
E-mail is by default not encrypted or protected from interception when sent across the Internet. The Federal law known as HIPAA mandates that all patient information be secured during transmission.
A recipient outside of Southwest cannot initiate a Southwest Secure E-mail. The secure message must start within Southwest. A recipient can REPLY any number of times to a secure message received from Southwest.
Southwest Secure E-mail is an ‘outbound' secure messaging feature added onto Southwest's Microsoft Exchange e-mail service. This feature allows all workforce members to securely communicate with patients, partners, government agencies, or anyone with whom we need to secure our e-mail communications.
Additionally, all replies to these secured, and fully encrypted, outbound e-mails will also be encrypted.
Note: Only "replies" to secured messages will be encrypted. E-mails originating from outside of Southwest are not encrypted.
Note: All secure reply messages and all attachments are secured (encrypted)
Reply messages can change or add attachments, which are also encrypted.
Note: The maximum size of both the message and all attachments is 10MB (megabytes)
Attachments are also encrypted.
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
Customer Support Contact information
Southwest cannot provide direct customer support to Southwest Secure E-mail services.
If you need help with using Southwest Secure E-mail, please review the Quick-start reference for Southwest Secure E-mail and then review the Southwest Secure E-mail Help pages at http://www.swmedicalcenter.org/body.cfm?id=3454 further information.
You may also contact your Southwest health care provider or contact to address question you may have in sending and receiving Southwest Secure E-mail messages.
For other questions about Southwest Secure E-mail service, email securemail@swmedicalcenter.org or call 360.214.2915.
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
Phishing and Fraud on the Internet: How to protect yourself and your health information
No SPAM / No Viruses
Southwest Secure E-mail is not SPAM.
Southwest Secure E-mail is offered to all Southwest health care providers and workforce members as a secure e-mail delivery option.
Use of Southwest Secure E-mail will not expose you or your e-mail account to identity theft (phishing threats) or SPAM. Southwest makes use of multiple layers of Anti-Virus and Anti-SPAM services to protect both internal and outside members of our community.
Southwest Secure E-mail meets all of the HIPAA security and privacy standards.
Note: Remember that once saved to your computer, the health information contained in the Southwest Secure E-mail is no longer secured (encrypted). Please use caution when saving your personal health information to your computer.
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
What is Phishing (Identity Theft and Fraud)?
Phishing employs a SPAM e-mail message to obtain personal information such as your social security or credit card numbers, passwords and bank account information. Messages will often appear to be from legitimate senders and use deception (social engineering tactics) to fool you into providing your confidential information. Never provide confidential information to any Internet (World Wide Web) site unless you are absolutely certain that the site is legitimate. Call the web site customer support number to validate your information is safe.
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
What is SPAM?
SPAM consists of unwanted messages. The overwhelming number of messages created by SPAMers impacts e-mail and network availability, worker productivity, and creates liability for offensive material. SPAM has also become the vehicle of choice for virus writers, transforming it from a nuisance into a serious threat to Internet, network, and computer security.
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
What is a Virus & Worm?
A virus is a form of malware. Software code that spread, uncontrolled, like a virus, causing harm to computers, networks and corruption of information.
E-mail provides viruses and worms with a means of transmission, and as a result, virus and worm outbreaks happen in seconds.
A worm is another type of malware (software) that self-replicates, sending copies of itself where ever it can. Worms do not require human action to activate. Unlike viruses, worms do not ‘attach' themselves to other software or ‘code' on a computer.
E-mails can transmit many forms of malware. Please use the Internet responsibly. Always have Anti-Virus and Anti-SPAM software installed and active on every computer you use.
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
Confidentiality and security of Southwest Secure E-mail (copies of e-mail are not kept after delivery)
See Can I keep copies of my Southwest Secure E-mail messages?
or back to TERMS AND CONDITIONS Table of Contents
|
