The confidentiality level of MOUD/SUD encounters created on or after July 22, 2025, will default to Restricted. This makes these encounters accessible to all Munson Healthcare staff and shareable through the Health Information Exchange (HIE). An exception is that all Munson Outpatient Behavioral Health clinic MOUD/SUD encounters will continue to have a Secure status. Patients who do not want their information shared through the HIE can be scheduled under an Opt-Out visit type. These visits will remain Restricted and visible to Munson Healthcare staff but will not be shared externally through the HIE.
Patient Consent and Opt-Out MOUD/SUD Appointment
Review Patient Chart
Within PowerChart, verify that a valid Consent for Treatment has been collected at a facility under the same certified hospital within the past twelve months. If the Consent to Treat is current, the existing process for MOUD/SUD appointments will remain unchanged.
Visual Description: A screenshot from the PowerChart system displays a patient's documentation. Key sections include "Documentation", "Interactive View", "Clinical Notes", and "Outside Records". Each section lists associated dates, times, types (e.g., HIPAA Privacy Document, Consent for Treatment), and facilities (e.g., Munson Family Practice, MMC). A consent form section shows fields for patient signature, date, and time, with a timestamp indicating 1/26/2025 8:00 am. The consent form text confirms the patient has been offered a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices and understands the consent form, with all questions answered. It lists several Munson Healthcare facilities.
Obtain New Signature
If the Consent to Treat signature on file is more than twelve months old, the patient must sign a new consent form. Once the updated consent is obtained, the check-in process remains unchanged. If a patient is hesitant to sign, discuss their concerns with them.
Address Hesitations
If a patient is hesitant to sign the Consent to Treat because they do not want their MOUD/SUD visit information shared, explain that while this information can be restricted from being released to the Health Information Exchange (HIE), it cannot be blocked from Munson Healthcare staff. This ensures that all relevant healthcare providers within Munson Healthcare have access to the essential information needed to deliver comprehensive care.
Declines to Sign
If the patient continues to decline to sign a new consent, cancel the MOUD/SUD appointment and the patient cannot be seen.
Opt-Out Appointment
If the patient chooses to proceed with the visit and restrict their information from being released to the HIE, they must still sign Consent to Treat. After the signed documents are collected:
- Cancel the MOUD/SUD appointment.
- Schedule the patient for an Opt-Out MOUD/SUD appointment type.
- If the original appointment was a MOUD/SUD New Patient visit, along with the reason, note ‘New Patient' in the Reason field.
- Follow the standard check-in process for the Opt-Out MOUD/SUD appointment.
- Following current procedures, submit a list of patients who opt out to both the Population Health Sr. Coordinator and the Systems Director of Digital Health.
- Use the Opt-Out MOUD/SUD appointment type for subsequent visits.
Visual Description: A screenshot displays a patient's appointment history, showing past cancellations and upcoming appointments. It includes options to modify, reschedule, or cancel appointments for a specific date like "Tue Jan 28, 2025". Another visual depicts a modal window in PowerChart for adding appointments, allowing selection of an "Appointment Type", with "Opt-Out MOUD/SUD" being the chosen option for this process.
