Release of information, managed from start to finish.
Whether records are electronic or paper, and whether you’re a hospital or a solo practitioner, SMDS frees your staff from every aspect of ROI — at no charge to your facility.
Complete ROI service
We keep the personal touch in everything we do — you’ll never wade through an automated menu to talk to us about your service.
Requestor phone calls
We handle the frequent calls from requestors about their records, so your front desk doesn’t have to.
Real-time tracking
Electronic tracking of every request at every stage of the release process.
Accounting of disclosures
Creating and maintaining the HIPAA accounting of disclosures, including input for Meaningful Use modules in your EHR.
Manager portal access
Up-to-date information about our ROI activity with your sensitive PHI, whenever you need it.
Full legal compliance
Every release meets the numerous federal and state law requirements that apply — including subpoenas and legal requests.
Trained personnel
Technicians who handle your PHI receive ongoing training and updates on legal changes that affect ROI.
On-site or remote
Service the way you want it — including an encrypted, protected link with no off-site scanning of PHI.
Reduced liability
Decrease your HIPAA liability exposure for ROI activities performed by our trained staff.
On-site or remote — tailored to your facility.
Need every inch of space? If you have an EHR, we can provide service without taking up any physical space at your busy facility.
On-site
A trained, uniformed SMDS technician works quietly within your facility, handling paper and electronic records.
Remote*
Secure, encrypted log-in to your EHR. Charts are never scanned to a remote facility and stored for processing.
*Remote service requires encrypted access to your EHR via secure log-in procedures in accordance with the Privacy and Security Rules of HIPAA and HITECH.
Every type of records request.
Technicians process requests from paper and electronic formats into paper or electronic delivery — whatever the requestor needs and the law allows.
- Patient requests
- Attorneys & law firms
- Subpoenas & court orders
- Insurance carriers
- Workers’ compensation
- Disability & rehabilitation
- Continuity of care
- Government agencies
We stay current, so you stay compliant.
SMDS meets all federal and state requirements regarding your PHI and continually stays abreast of changes to keep your release of information compliant.
HIPAA
Privacy and Security Rules, including the Omnibus Rule and minimum-necessary standards.
HITECH
Electronic health record security, breach safeguards and accounting of disclosures.
FTC Red Flags Rule
Identity-theft prevention built into how requestors and patients are verified.
Louisiana law
Including rules affecting HIV information, workers’ compensation, disability and rehabilitation services.
Release of information questions
Is there really no charge to our facility?
Yes. SMDS provides release of information service at no charge to providers. Processing fees are collected from qualifying third-party requestors — such as attorneys and insurers — within the limits set by federal and Louisiana law, so your facility never receives an invoice from us.
Do you need space in our office?
Not necessarily. We can work on-site with a trained technician, or remotely through encrypted, secure log-in access to your EHR — so every square foot of your facility can stay focused on patient care.
Are our patients’ charts sent off-site for scanning?
No. Your patients’ charts are never scanned to a remote facility and stored for processing. Records stay under your control, whether we work on-site or through secure remote access.
Who handles calls from requestors?
We do. SMDS fields every status call from requestors about their release of information requests, from start to finish — and anyone who calls us reaches a live person, not an automated menu.
How do managers see what’s been released?
Every request is tracked electronically in real time through our custom software. Practice managers can log in to our secure web portal at any time to review the accounting of disclosures for their facility.
Can you help with Meaningful Use and the accounting of disclosures?
Yes. We build and maintain the accounting of disclosures required by HIPAA, and can provide input in whatever module or format your EHR requires for Meaningful Use reporting.
Which regulations do you follow?
All federal and state requirements that govern PHI, including HIPAA, the HITECH Act and Omnibus Rule, the FTC Red Flags identity-theft rule, and Louisiana law — including rules on HIV information, workers’ compensation, disability and rehabilitation services. SMDS also maintains professional liability insurance.
Take release of information off your staff's plate.
Talk with a real person — never an automated menu — about on-site or remote ROI service for your facility, at no cost to you.