What are Connected Parties?
Connected parties are otherwise known as responsible parties or guarantors in other systems. They are intended to establish a connection between contacts. An example would be a mother that has multiple children attending the same doctor's office.
Why should I create connected parties?
Connected parties are important when it comes to communicating with a parent/guardian about a child’s PHI. In most states, practices are obligated by law to communicate with the parent regarding care for a minor patient, therefore this feature establishes the correct relationship and ensures compliance by allowing you to jump into the Guardian/Parents profile for communication about the patient.
How do you add a connected party?
A connected party can be added when you are creating a contact initially and also can be added to an existing contact when you edit the profile.
Step 1: Start by either creating a contact or navigating to the existing contact record
Step 2: Choose whether you would like to connect an existing contact by searching for them or to create a new contact
Step 3: If you need to create a new connected party, select create new contact. You will have the ability to create the contact and mark HIPAA Consent within the same screen.
Step 4: If needed, add a note to the connected party and mark as important if you wish for the note to display in red and draw more attention to it visually.
Step 5: Once you have filled in the desired contact information and established HIPAA consent, you will create the connected party by selecting create new contact
Step 6: If the connected party is a newly created contact, this will also be notated under the new contacts name
Step 7: Select the appropriate relationship by using the drop-down list shown above.
Step 8: To complete the creation of your connected party, select update contact in the bottom right-hand corner.
If I am integrated, will my connected parties be pulled over and automatically connected?
Each integration functions differently depending on your PMS/EHR. Some integrations only pull over patient data, while others have the ability to pull in responsible parties. If your integration supports pulling connected party data into your Rhinogram organization, they will be automatically connected. The relationship will display as other until specifically changed otherwise.
Can I remove a Connected Party?
Connected parties may be removed by editing the patient’s profile. At the bottom of the edit contact screen, you will find all connected parties. To delete the associated relationship, select the X next to the relationship type. However, if your integration pulls over connected party data as stated above, the connected party will return on the next refresh if it was not also removed in your PMS/EHR.
How do I change the relationship type for connected parties?
Within the patient or the family member's edit contact screen, you will find a drop-down list that allows you to establish the relationship between the two contacts. If you change the relationship type on one contact, it will automatically update the connected party accurately.
If your connected parties are integrated, the relationship type will default as Other. However, you may edit the relationship to provide further details on the association. Any manual updates made to the relationship will remain during any future updates received from the PMS/EMR.
