My HealtheVet
Secure Messaging User Guide
Secure Messaging User Guide
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Table of Contents
SECURE MESSAGING — FEATURE OVERVIEW ....................................................................... 4
GETTING STARTED WITH SECURE MESSAGING ...................................................................... 5
Step 1 – Sign in to Secure Messaging ........................................................................................................ 5
Step 2 – Access Secure Messaging ........................................................................................................... 6
Step 3 – Composing a Secure Message .................................................................................................... 6
Step 3 (a) - Include an Attachment with Your Message ............................................................................. 8
Step 4 - Open Messages from the Inbox .................................................................................................. 10
Step 5 - Print a Message ........................................................................................................................... 11
Step 6 - Reply to Messages ...................................................................................................................... 12
MESSAGE MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................... 12
Open your Inbox, Drafts, Sent, and Deleted folders for your Secure Messaging account: ...................... 12
Create your own folders ............................................................................................................................ 13
Rename a Folder: ..................................................................................................................................... 14
Move a Message: ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Search for messages: ............................................................................................................................... 16
USER PREFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 16
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON SECURE MESSAGING ............................................................ 17
PROTECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION ..................................................................... 18
WHERE TO FIND HELP ....................................................................................................... 19
Frequently Asked Questions, Help and Contact MHV .............................................................................. 19
Table of Figures
Figure 1: My Profile Link ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Figure 2: What is Your Relationship to VA? .......................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 3: Save/Cancel Buttons.............................................................................................................................................. 5
Figure 4: Sign-in/Register Buttons ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Figure 5: Inbox Link/Message alert ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 6: Compose a Message Button .................................................................................................................................. 6
Figure 7: Selecting a Group .................................................................................................................................................. 7
Figure 8: Select a Subject Category ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 9: Send/Save as Draft/Cancel buttons ....................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 10: Add an Attachment .............................................................................................................................................. 9
Figure 11: File Attachment .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 12: View Message .................................................................................................................................................... 10
Figure 13: Print a Message ................................................................................................................................................. 11
Figure 14: Reply to Message .............................................................................................................................................. 12
Figure 15: My Folder Links .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Figure 16: Manage Folders ................................................................................................................................................. 13
Figure 17: Adding a New Folder .......................................................................................................................................... 13
Secure Messaging User Guide
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Figure 18: Editing Folders ................................................................................................................................................... 14
Figure 19: Renaming a Folder............................................................................................................................................. 14
Figure 20: View/Move Messages ........................................................................................................................................ 15
Figure 21: Move Selected Messages to... ........................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 22: Search for Messages ......................................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 23: Advanced Search ............................................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 24: Preferences ........................................................................................................................................................ 17
Figure 25: User Guide Link ................................................................................................................................................. 17
Figure 26: FAQ, Help and Contact information ................................................................................................................... 19
Figure 27: Contact Button ................................................................................................................................................... 19
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Secure Messaging User Guide
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Secure Messaging — Feature Overview
Secure Messaging is an easy to use online messaging system available through My HealtheVet.
It is for users who have a My HealtheVet Premium
account and who have registered as a
Veteran/VA Patient. Secure Messaging is safe and secure, because the messages you send
and receive are all kept within My HealtheVet.
Secure Messaging improves the connection between you and your VA health care team and
other VA Staff. You can use it to ask about your VA appointments, medications, and your lab
results or to have routine questions answered. Similar to email, Secure Messaging allows you
to write a message, save drafts, review your sent messages and maintain a record of your
conversations. Since the lines of communication are open, it helps make your VA appointments
more productive because your VA health care team has more than just notes from your last
appointment.
You can set your preferences to notify you through your personal email when a Secure Message
is waiting in your My HealtheVet inbox. Use Secure Messaging to keep your VA health care
team informed. Secure Messaging is there when you need it - just as it should be. Start using
Secure Messaging today to discuss your health with your VA health care team.
Secure Messaging is not for emergency situations
Secure Messaging should only be used for
non-emergency and non-urgent matters
If you have already registered for a My HealtheVet account and need to check that you have
registered as a VA Patient, you can do the following:
Sign in to My HealtheVet
Select the PERSONAL INFORMATION tab (
Figure 1)
Select the My Profile sub-tab (
Figure 1)
Figure 1: My Profile Link
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Secure Messaging User Guide
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Under What is Your Relationship to VA, if you use the VA Health Care System,
make sure you select the VA Patient checkbox (
Figure 2)
Figure 2: What is Your Relationship to VA?
Select the Save button at the bottom of the screen (
Figure 3)
Figure 3: Save/Cancel Buttons
Getting Started with Secure Messaging
Step 1 – Sign in to Secure Messaging
1) Sign in to your My HealtheVet Premium
account by selecting the Sign in button on the
upper right side of the screen. You must have already registered as a Premium user. If you do
not have a My HealtheVet account, please register by selecting the Register button and
completing the registration form (
Figure 4). 2) Enter your My HealtheVet User ID and Password
on the Login page. Or, log in using a Sign-in Partner.
Figure 4: Sign-in/Register Buttons
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Step 2 – Access Secure Messaging
After signing in, there are three ways you can access Secure Messaging (
Figure 5):
1) Select Messages or the Inbox
link on the dashboard, or
2) Select the Secure Messaging tab at the top
NOTE: You can also select the Compose Message and Manage Folders links to directly enter those folders.
Figure 5: Inbox Link/Message alert
Step 3 – Composing a Secure Message
Secure Messaging opens to your Inbox. From the Inbox, you can do several things:
1. Compose a new message:
a) You can create a new message by selecting the Compose a Message button on
the left side of the screen (
Figure 6).
Figure 6: Compose a Message Button
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b) Select the VA health care team and other VA staff you wish to
contact by selecting the drop-down arrow for To. Your
participating VA Health Care Team and other VA staff will appear
in the list. You can edit the list of groups listed in the To dropdown by selecting the
Edit List link next to the Select a group to send the message… dropdown arrow
(
Figure 7).
Figure 7: Selecting a Group
Note: Check your preferences if the VA health care team you are expecting to see is
not listed.
c) Select radio button associated with the related subject title for Subject (Figure 8):
Note: If the General subject title is selected you are required to add a Subject Line.
Figure 8: Select a Subject Category
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d) Add Subject Line (Figure 9).
e) Add any attachments (Figure 9).
f) Type your message (Figure 9).
g) When you have completed the message, select the Send button.
You also have the option to save the message as a draft (select the
Save as Draft button) or cancel the message (select the Cancel
button) (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Send/Save as Draft/Cancel buttons
Step 3 (a) - Include an Attachment with Your Message
A Secure Messaging Attachment is a file that you can include on a Secure Message to your VA
health care team. Your attachment should relate to your message.
This feature allows you to share the results of tests, procedures, or health care summaries that
you may have obtained from your non-VA providers with your VA health care team. It should
not be used to send non-health related information. To include an attachment with your
message:
2. S
elect the Add Attachment link (Figure 10) on a new Secure Message or on a
Secure Message that you are replying to. The File Attachment folder opens (Figure
11).
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Secure Messaging User Guide
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Figure 10: Add an Attachment
Figure 11: File Attachment
Use the Browse button to select the file on your computer that you would like to attach.
3. Then select the Attach button (Figure 11).
To provide you with outstanding health care services, your VA health care team may decide to
save some of your Secure Messaging Attachments in your VA medical record. Doing this
allows them the ability to refer to the information later.
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Secure Messaging User Guide
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Step 5 - Print a Message
You can print messages. 1) Select the name under the From column of the message you want
to open. 2) On the View Message page, select the Print button. 3) Select the Print button
on the Print Message page. The print window opens in your browser. 4) Select the Print
button (
Figure 13).
Figure 13: Print a Message
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Secure Messaging User Guide
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Step 6 - Reply to Messages
After reading a message in your Inbox, you can reply by selecting the Reply button. On the
Reply to Message page, type your message in the Message box. Select the Reply button.
Your reply message move to you Sent folder (
Figure 14).
Figure 14: Reply to Message
Message Management
Secure Messaging allows you to communicate with your participating VA Health Care Team and
other VA staff in a secure environment within the My HealtheVet portal. You can send and
receive messages from your VA Health Care Team, as well as manage and maintain your
messages within your Secure Messaging account.
Open your Inbox, Drafts, Sent, and Deleted folders for your Secure Messaging
account:
Under the Compose a Message button, select the quick link for the desired folder.
Secure Messaging will open the folder you selected. * Notice the number in parenthesis ( )
next to the links illustrated above; this number tells you how many messages are currently in
this folder (
Figure 15).
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Later, if you want to make changes to a folder you have created (for example
rename the folder), select the desired link under the I want to… column and then
make the desired changes (
Figure 18).
Figure 18: Editing Folders
Rename a Folder:
1) Select the Rename link under the I want to... column.
2) In the Rename a Folder window, enter the new name of the folder. 3) Select
the Rename button. The new name of the folder will display as a quick link
(
Figure 19).
Figure 19: Renaming a Folder
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Move a Message:
1) Under Manage Folders, select the View/Move Message link (Figure
20
). 2) Select the check box for all messages you desire to move. 3) Move the selected
messages to a folder by selecting the drop-down arrow under Move Selected Messages to…
4) Select from the list where you want to move the message (Deleted or one of your other
personal folders under My Folders) and then select the Move button (
Figure 21).
Figure 20: View/Move Messages
Figure 21: Move Selected Messages to...
Note: Secure Messages stay in all your folders (including the Deleted folder)
until they are permanently deleted by you. The most recent Secure Messages
displays at the top of the Inbox. You may choose to move older messages to
Personal folders. You can also change the default date range of Secure Messages
to display via the Message Display Setting on your Preference
page.
VA Patients cannot reply to messages older than 120 days.
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Search for messages:
You can search for a particular message. 1) Enter text in the search
box. 2) Click on the Search button. The Reset button clears the text in the search box. The
Cancel button cancels the search (
Figure 22).
Figure 22: Search for Messages
An advanced search is available. Select the Advanced Search link and enter the
criteria on the next page
Figure 23().
Figure 23: Advanced Search
User Preferences
My HealtheVet Secure Messaging allows you to set various preferences within your account.
To access the Preferences section, select the Preferences link. On the Preferences page,
select your preferences for 1) New Secure Message Notifications sent to your personal
email, 2) Signature Settings for a signature block, 3) Message Display Settings to set a
time period of messages to display in the inbox, and 4) My Secure Messaging Contact List to
select which Triage Groups display on your Compose Message To dropdown list. When you are
finished selecting your preferences, select the Save button (
Figure 24).
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Figure 24: Preferences
Additional Information on Secure Messaging
* * * Remember: Secure Messaging should be only used for non-urgent, non-critical
communication.
If you need help while using Secure Messaging, select the User Guide (Secure
Messaging>Compose a Message>User Guide) link located at the top left of the screen to review
this guide (
Figure 25).
Figure 25: User Guide Link
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Protecting Your Personal Information
The Department of Veterans Affairs takes safeguarding and protecting your information very
seriously. You should, too. You control access to your personal information. It is your
responsibility to keep your information private and protected. To help protect your privacy,
My HealtheVet provides some important points to remember. Visit
Protecting Your Personal
Information to learn more.
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Secure Messaging User Guide
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Where to Find Help
Frequently Asked Questions, Help and Contact MHV
1. Select FAQ to go to Frequently Asked Questions and get commonly asked questions
and answers about Secure Messaging.
2. Select Help & User Guides for general guidance on using My HealtheVet and User
Guides for My HealtheVet features (
Figure 26).
Figure 26: FAQ, Help and Contact information
3. Select Contact (Figure 27) to send a message to the My HealtheVet Help Desk or contact
them at (877) 327-0022 or for TTY dial 711.
Figure 27: Contact Button
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