How UGA Makes Health Information Secure and Accessible for Patients with Cognitive Concerns
"We’ve had very good luck with Virtru. The system is by and large easy to work with, and customer support has been very good."
Dr. Stephen Correia
Associate Professor
The University of Georgia's Cognitive Aging Research and Education (CARE) Center has an assessment clinic that provides specialized cognitive evaluations to older adults experiencing memory loss throughout the region. The CARE Center and its clinic operate without direct university funding. This grassroots initiative needed a secure communication solution that would satisfy strict regulatory requirements regarding security of protected health information while remaining accessible to their older adult clients.
With Virtru Secure Share, UGA's clinic is able to:
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Securely exchange protected health information with patients and healthcare providers despite state regulations prohibiting PHI in university emails
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Transform patient communication from unreliable postal mail to efficient, encrypted digital delivery
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Maintain HIPAA compliance while operating with limited resources and a specialized patient population
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Support a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, doctoral students, and interns with easy-to-use security tools
"We’ve had very good luck with Virtru. The system is by and large easy to work with, and customer support has been very good." — Dr. Stephen Correia, Associate Professor
Using Secure Email as an EMR Alternative
Unlike many university clinics, UGA's cognitive assessment clinic started from scratch without dedicated funding or formal university administrative or information technology infrastructure oriented toward and informed by the unique needs of a community-facing clinic.
"We're a small university clinic with big aspirations…We're funded on goodwill and research dollars," explained Dr. Stephen Correia, Associate Professor at UGA.
The multidisciplinary team includes neuropsychologists, a geriatrician, a social worker, a pharmacist, and other specialists who provide assessment services to patients primarily within a two-hour radius of the university. As a training clinic, they also host doctoral students and master's interns from various departments and disciplines (e.g., social work, psychology, pharmacy) and medical students who participate in patient care.
This unique setup creates distinctive security challenges. Without a formal electronic medical record (EMR) system and lacking an email system capable of securely transmitting PHI , the clinic needed a secure communication solution that would work within these constraints while being accessible to their vulnerable patient population.
"We communicate with each other using Virtru, if we need to share secure information... but more for communicating with external providers — people we want to refer to or share patient data with." - Dr. Stephen Correia, Associate Professor
The Challenge: Slow Mail, Lack of a PHI-Secure Email System, and a Specialized Patient Population
Prior to implementing Virtru Secure Share, the clinic faced multiple communication challenges that impacted patient care and operational efficiency.
The clinic was forced to rely on antiquated communication methods that created bottlenecks and frustration. Dr. Correia described their previous process as "a disaster" that was "labor intensive for everybody," with patients having to physically pick up and drop off documents or send mail via the U.S. Postal Service.
These manual processes were particularly problematic given that USPS changes in Georgia rendered the speed of mail service, even in Athens, the home town of the University, unreliable at best. Documents sent to patients often took weeks or even months to get across town. CARE Center clinic reports that were sent to the referring provider well in advance of a patient’s follow-up appointment with that provider often had not arrived by the day of the appointment.
The UGA email system could not be used to circumvent the challenges from the USPS. Email addresses under the University System of Georgia, the oversight governance body of UGA and all other State of Georgia Universities and Colleges, cannot be used to send protected health information, which meant they needed a separate secure sharing solution rather than just email encryption.
Being a diagnostic clinic for those experiencing cognitive impairment, there were special considerations related to the patient population. Naturally, working with older patients with cognitive impairments required a solution that prioritized accessibility and ease of use for the patient, yet without compromising security.
The Solution for Ease of Use: Virtru Secure Share
After evaluating options, the clinic implemented Virtru's Secure Share solution based on Dr. Correia's prior experience with the platform. The solution was selected specifically for its ease of use and reputation for reliability.
The clinic integrated Virtru Secure Share into their workflows through several strategic approaches:
- They added Secure Share links to their website and email signatures, creating a dedicated "send us a secure message using Virtru" option for patients and partners.
- They established a two-step communication approach to ensure patients could successfully access important information.
- They now offer patients the choice between digital and physical delivery of results, enhancing patient satisfaction and control.
The Impact: Transforming Patient Communication
Since implementing Virtru Secure Share, the clinic has seen significant improvements in their communication efficiency and security posture:
Embracing Digital Delivery. Patient preferences have shifted dramatically toward secure digital delivery, proving the success of the implementation. Dr. Correia notes that Virtru usage typically follows a "bimodal distribution" during a patient case—first during initial communication, and then when delivering final reports.
“Increasingly, people are asking for it either virtually or both,” explained Dr. Correia. “Fewer and fewer people are asking for it just by snail mail."
Overcoming Accessibility Concerns: Despite initial concerns that their patients would have difficulty navigating the platform, the clinic found that Virtru Secure Share's user-friendly design was accessible to all:
"I was a little concerned given the population that we work with—folks with cognitive impairment or suspected cognitive issues—but most of the time there's a caregiver, a family friend who can help,” explained Dr. Sarah Saint Hamilton, a Virtru power user at UGA. “Cases where there's not, we can just walk them through it over the phone. So it's not an insurmountable impediment to using it. And I do think that most of the time, once people learn how to use it, they're good."
Dr. Correia adds that for the more cognitively challenged patients, it is often the patient’s Care Partner who is the Virtru user. The CARE Center ensures authorization of communication with the Care Partner through its consent-to-treat documentation process.
Personal Utility: The solution is so trusted that staff have begun using the platform for their personal secure communication needs:
"I've used it personally when I've needed to share something sensitive. I think we had something recently with our accountant where she was asking for tax documents and I sent them via Virtru because I was uncomfortable sharing personal identification information over unencrypted email" - Dr. Sarah Saint Hamilton
Setting a Precedent for Other University Clinics
The clinic's success with Virtru Secure Share has captured attention across campus as other departments struggle with the limitations of the university's standard file-sharing solution.
This potential expansion is particularly significant because the university's standard secure file sharing system (SendFiles) has created frustration across departments. The team believes their implementation has established an important precedent and pathway for other departments.
Conclusion: Superior Security Without Sacrificing Usability
UGA's cognitive assessment clinic exemplifies what's possible when dedicated healthcare professionals refuse to let resource limitations compromise patient care. Without direct university funding, this team has built a model clinic that rivals much larger institutions in both clinical care and security practices.
The clinic has navigated complex regulations, developed creative solutions for technology adoption among older patients with cognitive impairment, and established digital workflows that enhance the patient experience—all while serving as a training environment for the next generation of healthcare professionals.
When asked what he would tell others in similar positions looking for a secure communication solution, Dr. Correia's response was emphatic:
"We've had very good luck with Virtru, that the system is by and large easy to work with, and that the customer support has been very good."
Their approach to secure communication has become a model that other departments across campus now seek to emulate—a testament to what's possible when clinical expertise combines with thoughtful implementation of the right tools. By selecting Virtru Secure Share, the clinic can maintain their high standards of compassionate care while meeting their security and compliance requirements.
As healthcare continues to digitize, the UGA CARE Center’s clinic offers valuable lessons for other institutions, proving that security, compliance, and exceptional patient care can all be achieved even with limited resources.
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