Bereavement Professional

  • 1.  Sending Grief Support Mailings Via E-mail

    Posted 08-21-2020 11:56 AM

    Are there any programs that utilize e-mail delivery instead of regular mail for the scheduled grief support mailings? If so, are you sending via encrypted delivery for HIPAA consideration? Thank you for your input.

     

    Ross Robinson

    Grief Support Services Manager

    Providence Hospice of Seattle

    Riverfront Technical Park

    2811 South 102nd Street

    Tukwila, WA 98168

    ross.robinson@providence.org

    206-749-7706

     




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  • 2.  RE: Sending Grief Support Mailings Via E-mail

    Posted 08-21-2020 12:22 PM

    No, we have not as this has felt to overwhelming administratively for our team, however I know some programs have done so for years and that it has been quite smooth for them!

     

     

    Joelle Osterhaus, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, ACHP-SW (she/her)
    KPNW Hospice & Palliative Care Psychosocial Services Manager

    KPNW Interim Palliative Care Operations Manager

    NHPCO Bereavement Professional Committee Chair and MyNHPCO Executive Committee Member

    Kaiser Permanente Northwest
    Continuing Care Services
    2701 NW Vaughn St., Ste. 140
    Portland, OR 97210-5344

    Cell Phone: (503) 312-0819
    Main Office: (503) 499-5200

    Fax: (503) 499-5535

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  • 3.  RE: Sending Grief Support Mailings Via E-mail

    Posted 08-25-2020 09:14 AM
    Hi -
    We send email flyers and newsletters.  They are not encrypted.  They do not contain any patient information whatsoever.
    Diane

    ------------------------------
    Diane Snyder Cowan, CHPCA,MA,MT-BC
    Director of Western Reserve Grief Services
    Hospice of the Western Reserve, Inc
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  • 4.  RE: Sending Grief Support Mailings Via E-mail

    Posted 08-24-2020 10:06 AM
    Hi there
    I would be interested if anyone thinks differently, but I don't see the HIPAA issue with sending grief educational and supportive materials via email if we are not using any Protected Health Information.  In our letters and newsletters we do not mention the name of the patient nor that they were on service with us. I ad to stop and think about this though so thanks for the question!

    ------------------------------
    Robin Fiorelli LCSW
    Sr. Director of Bereavement and Volunteers
    VITAS
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Sending Grief Support Mailings Via E-mail

    Posted 08-25-2020 11:58 AM
    In thinking about this more, I have always considered our bereaved to have the same privacy needs as patients. All e-mails that we send our bereaved are encrypted even if the patient information isn't part of that communication. Plus all of our bereaved sign the HIPAA notification. Just wondering if this applies to letters being e-mailed as well.​