Secure, Easy Transfer of Protected Patient Information with Dr. Sandy Mutchmor
Did you know that a growing concern in dentistry is the increase of email use to transfer patient health records? With today’s increased reliance on computers, all dentists and specialists must ensure that their devices are secure and protected so that patient data remains private and confidential.
CDA Secure Send meets the legal obligation to safeguard the confidentiality of patient data when sending patient information, such as X-rays, electronically. Connected to CDA's directory of dentists, senders can search for dentists by name, specialty or location. It's as simple and as quick as sending an email.
Unlike email, with CDA Secure Send the confidentiality of patient data is assured. It's as simple as sending an email. With CDA Secure Send, patient information can be sent to anyone. More often, however, the information will be directed at licensed dentists, specialists, dental staff, labs and patients.
We always look forward to hearing your thoughts and receiving your questions and/or suggestions about this post and other topics. Leave a comment in the box below, send us your feedback by email, or call us at 1-855-716-2747.
Until next time!
CDA Oasis Team
CDA Secure Send: Protecting your practice and your patients’ data
CDA SecureSend Frequently Asked Questions
CDA Secure Send is an easy, simple to use electronic document sharing system that allows dentists to exchange documents and information in a secure and compliant fashion.
Exchanging patient information by unsecured email—with specialists, physicians, or patients, for example– risks violating a patient's right to privacy. and doesn't meet the many data privacy requirements outlined by dental regulators and in privacy legislation.
CDA Secure Send meets the legal obligation to safeguard the confidentiality of patient data. It's as simple, and easy-to-use as sending an email.
While CDA Secure Send is easy to use, it's not intended to replace email, and does not have typical email functionality. It is a secure, electronic courier service to move information from A to B. In fact, to minimize privacy risk as well as maintain system efficiency, CDA Secure Send messages are deleted automatically 30 days after being sent. Dental offices should retrieve any messages and attachments they wish and save it to their internal record keeping system.
CDA Secure Send allows you to send information securely to anyone. For two-way communication, however, only those who are listed in CDA's directory of Canadian dentists can do so. This list can be seen as a drop-down menu once logged in to CDA Secure Send. Those not listed in CDA's directory of Canadian dentists can only then receive CDA Secure Send information.
Dentist Login > click My Account > click MY SUBSCRIPTIONS > click Subscribe
To send a file, sign in to the CDA Practice Support Services website at services.cda-adc.ca. From there, choose the "CDA Secure Send" tab.
Choose a recipient from the drop-down menu or click on "Find a Dentist." Once you've chosen the recipient, you can add a note and choose the file you wish to send. Click "Send" and the recipient will get a notification that a file has been shared with them. If the person you are sending to is not listed on the "Find a Dentist" list, manually type in the destination email.
Log into CDA Secure Send. Click "Find a Dentist." Check the drop-down menu of the CDA Canadian dentist directory for the dentist or specialist. If not listed there, simply add the email address manually. Please note that those not on the CDA directory of dentists in the "Find a Dentist" drop-down menu can receive files but are not able to communicate back with you via CDA Secure Send.
Yes. Simply add the email address manually. Please note that labs and other locations not in the CDA Canadian dentist directory can receive files but are not able to communicate back to you via CDA Secure Send.
Save files by exporting them to your computer. Choose the "Activity" tab and either select the files you want to save or click "Export All."
You can send no more than 20 files at a time up to a total two GB size.
Save files by downloading them to your computer. When viewing a message, click the “Download” link beside individual files to save the files. Clicking the “Download All” button will download all attachments in a zip file format.
Your messages will be kept with CDA Secure Send for 30 days. For files you wish to keep, export the selected files by going to the "Activity" tab and choose 'Export All" or "Export Selected."
If the recipient is not on file with the CDA Canadian dentist directory, the sender must manually enter the email address. The recipient will then receive a link that, when clicked, will allow the recipient to securely download the message and any attached files. Because they are  not on part of the CDA Canadian dentist directory, two-way communication is not possible.
We are happy to help with any problems you may experience. You can reach us by clicking on the "Help" button or by calling 1-866-788-1212.
Only if the associate has given permission for office owners and admin to use their CDA Secure Send credentials. This is located under “My Offices”
Dentist Login > click MY ACCOUNT > click MY OFFICES > select the office number > Select “Office owners and admins can use my Secure Send credentials here.”
An office staff that doesn’t have permission to use Secure Send by a dentist won’t see the “CDA Secure Send” tab when signed in.
Messages are deleted from CDA Secure Send 30 days after being sent.
Messages are deleted 30 days after receipt.
**Save files to a secure location**
Once a message is deleted, it’s no longer accessible and the sender must send a new message.
This is a PDF document that contains details about the message sent/received. It contains the following information: (Date message is sent on, Sent By, On Behalf Of, Sent To, Subject, Notes and File Listing) (The document also contains a hash code that can be quickly retrieved in a hash table in a situation where an investigation is required on a specific message that user may no longer has access to.)
Dentist or Admin > click CDA SECURE SEND > click SEND A MESSAGE > Click on "Find A Recipient" > Click on "Add a recipient" > Add Name, Email, Confirm Email > Click "Use Non-validated email address"
The sender must input an email address. The recipient in this case will receive an email with a link to securely download the files and message report rather than redirecting them to the PSS website. To send messages, users must create their PSS account, validate an email address and subscribe to the service.
Dentist or Admin > click CDA SECURE SEND > click SEND A MESSAGE > Click on "Find A Recipient" br>
On the find recipient search screen, only dentists with validated email addresses will be returned. In this case, the recipient will receive an email with a link to log into the PSS website and retrieve the message.
By default, iOS does not support zip files, users must install a third-party app to access these files.
All components of CDA Secure Send are housed in Canadian data centres and have the following certifications:
PCI DSS
ISAE 3402 Type II
SSAE 16 SOC 1 Type II
CSAE 3416 Type II
Yes, the data is encrypted in transit and at rest. CDA uses AES 256 encryption while at rest.
Only the technical staff that maintain the software have access to the encryption keys.