What is CliniPalTM? Top
CliniPalTM is a new, efficient web portal system for patients, health providers and health clinics to communicate. Securely. Confidently. Clearly. Free for patients and clinics to use. Physician owned and managed.Patients create a static web profile to which any participating clinic can post messages or notifications such as appointment information, patient information sheets, health advice, clinic directions, or more. Clinics update your profile using your health card number and date of birth. Patients can store up to 5 health card numbers so even if you move to health systems in other provinces or countries, your clinics can continue to update your profile with important notifications. Whenever your online profile is updated, a generic notification is sent to you by email or to your mobile cell phone.
CliniPalTM was conceived and developed by a Canadian family physician based on communications challenges and issues faced in the practice of medicine. These challenges affect the delivery of quality health care throughout the industry. It was identified that a tool was needed to link the multiple Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software software programs available with patients and other clinics. CliniPalTM fulfills this need.
CliniPal is a beta application - its development is driven by feedback from patients, health providers and clinics. We are constantly updating and improving the service to make it a more powerful and effective clinical communications tool. These updates are included in the service. In the future, new modules will be developed to improve clinical communication including: lab results, appointment requests, and more.
How is it possible to offer this valuable service free of charge? Top
CliniPalTM relies on advertising and sponsored links - much like large search engine services. For the free service, no support is offered other than critical bug fixes and regular program enhancements and updates. Health providers and clinics pay only if they open their profiles for public viewing and only if their hyperlinks are clicked (i.e. "pay-per-click" billing). Hospitals, health corporations seeking to use the service pay a site licensing fee.
How secure is CliniPalTM? Top
CliniPalTM uses high grade 128-bit RC4 SSL encryption to encrypt your messages to and from your clinic.
Why is the Health Card number and Date of Birth required? Top
In its commitment to accuracy of clinical communication, CliniPalTM uses the Health Card number and Date of Birth to ensure you - and only you - get the message. Health Card numbers are generally permanent - they don't change unless you move to a different country or region. Your date of birth - also is fixed and does not change. When both of these pieces of information match, your clinics will be able to correctly and accurately send you the information with essentially no risk of error (e.g. data entry errors, communications mistakenly sent to another individual, etc.). Your clinics will also be able to see if you have read the information they have sent or not.
Although you are assigned a CliniPalTM user id number, if this was the only means clinics could contact you there is a possibility that you may have more than one clinical profile (just as some people have multiple hotmail.com accounts) - so theoretically, you may not get the message if the information is outdated.
The Health Card number and date of birth are used also as an inherent acceptance and authorization on your part to permit clinics to contact and communicate with you since you are providing them with this information. If a clinic finds out your CliniPalTM id number, they will not be able to send you unsolicited or unwanted information.
What if I move to another province or country? Will I still get my messages? Top
CliniPalTM can store up to 5 of your health card numbers in your profile so clinics you have left can continue to contact you if necessary. You control which health card numbers appear.
How does CliniPalTM notify me if my clinical profile has been updated? Top
You have two options for notification - conventional email and cell phone SMS messaging. Whenever your clinical profile has been updated by your clinic, a generic, plain notification is sent to the email you specify in your clinical profile. Additionally, you can have a notification text messaged to your mobile cell phone - just provide the email address of your cell phone in your profile. No private information or details are communicated in the generic message.
What kind of information is communicated? Top
Appointment requests and notifications from clinics and specialist offices, driving directions, patient information sheets, blood pressure readings, immunizations, height, weight, body-mass index readings (if you request these from your clinic), red flag reminders, general inquiries about test results and more. Whenever a specialists office sends you an appointment notification, the message is mirrored to your family physician's office automatically.
What about health information privacy? Top
CliniPalTM fully respects your privacy. Clinical communications are protected using high grade 128-bit RC4 encryption algorithms. CliniPalTM is not intended for storage of sensitive health information but rather for routine communications such as appointment requests, notifications, general health inquiries and general health advice to and from clinics. Clinics using CliniPalTM are discouraged from discussing sensitive information such as diagnosis.
How many clinical profiles can I have? Top
CliniPalTM is committed to clear, accurate clinical communications. You should never have more than one clinical profile as this will make it more difficult for clinics to accurately and reliably communicate important clinical information to you.
If you have lost your user id number or password, contact CliniPalTM to help you locate your log in information instead of creating a new profile.
How does the Attachment Library work? Top
Clinics and health providers can maintain an online attachment library consisting of small (usually up to 100kb) compressed graphic or PDF files containing instructions, directions, patient/client care information sheets, clinic correspondence, forms, etc. which they can attach to messages to clients and patients. Clients and patients can then download and view the attachments on their web-enabled cell phone or home/office computer and print them as desired.
Is it true I can bill Provincial Health Care plans for medical advice using this service? Top
Yes. Many provincial health care plans allow physicians to bill for medical advice given in electronic form. We encourage you to check with your provincial health insurance billing plan for specific details.
How are messages sent to Clients/Patients? Top
All that is needed for any Clinic or Health Provider to send an update to a clinical profile is the health card number and date of birth of the client/patient. These two pieces of information that are available to any health provider or clinic involved in the client's care. This information must match records in CliniPal's databases in order for the message/update to be successfully sent. If they don't match, an error message will be returned.
I am a specialist. Will patients be able to solicit appointments from me? Top
Absolutely not. Only patients with whom you have posted clinical updates or appointments can communicate with your office. Patients do not have the capability of searching the database for physicians or specialists.
Patients are only able to search the database for clinics that have given authorization for public search capability (e.g. physicians providing private health or non-insurable specialized services).
I am a private clinic. Will potential clients be able to find me in this system? Top
Yes. Select "YES" in your profile anytime to have your business publicly listed for prospective clients and patients to easily find you. In future, hyperlinks to your profile will be displayed based on key words appearing in client/patient messages. This is a premium service and payment is based on a "pay-per-click" billing basis.
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CliniPal TM - Clarity in clinical communications. TM A physician owned and managed service. |
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