Getting Started
Creating an HCNN Account
Activating your Account
How it Works
Signing in to My Account
Managing you HCNN Account
Privacy and Security
Feedback
The HCNN is an online service that delivers important patient safety alerts that are product-related and mandated by the FDA, to physicians and other healthcare professionals via email. Currently, these alerts (also known as "Dear Doctor letters") are sent to physicians on paper via traditional U.S. mail - a slow, error-prone process.
The HCNN may also be used to notify physicians in the event of national public health emergencies or bio-terror events. The HCNN is designed to improve the speed and efficacy of the delivery of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated patient safety alerts to physicians and other healthcare providers. Under the current system, patient safety alerts sent out via US mail can be significantly delayed, and in some cases, may not even reach the intended recipient. Today, safety alert letters arrive in the mail at physician practices along with large volumes of marketing materials, further diluting the efficacy of the alerts and decreasing the likelihood that a physician will see an important patient safety alert. Since the HCNN uses a dedicated online network as the alert notification vehicle, physicians and other healthcare providers can have confidence that they will receive recall alerts in a fast and effective manner, before their patients learn about them in the press.
The HCNN is good for health care providers and for patients because it improves the speed and efficacy of patient safety alert delivery. U.S. liability carriers, medical societies, health plans, government officials and other healthcare leaders are asking all physicians to register for HCNN because it improves patient safety, reduces physician liability, and ensures the fast and convenient delivery of patient safety alerts to everyone.
Medical societies, as well medical liability carriers, patient advocacy groups, as other healthcare industry groups are highly supportive of the HCNN because of its ability to improve patient safety and decrease physician liability.
The FDA endorses the online delivery of patient safety alerts to physicians and provides liaison representation on the iHealth Alliance , the HCNN’s not-for-profit governing board. In 2006, the FDA changed their official guidance to industry and stated that electronic delivery of patient safety alerts are preferable in most cases to paper-based delivery.
You may create an account with HCNN using the online registration form, by contacting HCNN Customer Service or by responding to a fax back letter sent by your medical malpractice carrier of medical society. Our online form is secure and all data is stored by HCNN under strict privacy and security standards
The Physicians and their staff are eligible to join the HCNN, however only physicians can be primary account holders with the HCNN. Physicians can invite up to three other email addresses onto their account. As an example you may designate a staff person to receive emails in order to help disseminate FDA Alerts throughout the practice.
Physicians who do not enroll in the HCNN will continue receiving patient safety alerts on paper via U.S. mail and will receive no benefit from the HCNN. Relying upon traditional paper and U.S. mail to learn of new patient safety alerts will mean ongoing delays in receiving these alerts and may create increased liability exposure for their medical practice.
All enrollments require an email address, as this is the mechanism in which you will receive electronic communications and patient safety alerts instead of U.S. mail.
Our service requires year of medical graduation and date of birth be provided by each physician for the purposes of authentication. Physician information is authenticated against the AMA Physician Masterfile to verify that all enrollees are physicians. These data elements are required in order to match your information to the AMA database, and are not shared with any outside entities.
You may receive Alert Reminders, if not enrolled through a physician, by completing an offline form available through HCNN. You will receive an email when an alert is sent and will be able to view all alerts at hcnn.net. To request an offline form, please contact HCNN Customer Service.
While physicians may choose for their practice staff to receive copies of alerts sent to physicians via the HCNN, this is not a requirement. Most physicians surveyed expressed interest in having copies of alerts sent to one or more staff members via the HCNN. You may add or remove staff emails from your HCNN account at any time by logging into the HCNN and accessing your Account, however the primary account holder must be an authenticated physician.
Online registration on the HCNN Web site is gathered through a secure form using HTTPs protocol. If you are concerned about entering your information online, our HCNN Customer Service can take your enrollment offline by calling toll free at 1-866-925-5155 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PST.
The HCNN is free for physicians and other health care providers who wish to receive alerts electronically. The HCNN is not mandatory to join. It is simply a more immediate and eco-friendly alternative to receive patient safety alerts in-lieu of receiving them through the U.S. mail.
HCNN is funded by the pharmaceutical carriers as the current system is funded.
No. The HCNN is governed by the iHealth Alliance , which prohibits unauthorized use of the network, including advertising. Physician information will not be sold or disclosed to third parties.
If you haven’t received your activation email, please follow these steps:
If you still haven’t received the verification email after 24 hours, please contact HCNN Customer Service.
If your verification link doesn't work, it's possible that it was broken by your email system. If the verification link isn't clickable or part of the link is cut off, please copy and paste the entire URL into your browser's address bar and hit Enter.
If you're still unable to verify your email address after 24 hours, please contact HCNN Customer Service.
The AMA is working with HCNN to help authenticate physician information as physicians register for accounts on HCNN. If your account could not be automatically authenticated during the online enrollment process, you are asked to contact the AMA directly to verify your information on the Physician Masterfile. The AMA will work with you to resolve any data issues enabling your enrollment.
You may contact the AMA by calling 800-621-8335 during business hours (8:30 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. CST, Monday - Friday), or by sending an email to hcnnregistration@ama-assn.net.
There is no advertising on the HCNN. The HCNN is free for physicians and other health care providers who wish to receive alerts electronically.
The HCNN will be used solely for FDA-mandated and product-related patient safety alerts. Any other use, such as use in a public health emergency, will require specific authorization from the not-for-profit iHealth Alliance .
All pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers will be able to use the HCNN, and most major manufacturers have already committed to using the network. 2007 FDA guidance to manufacturers indicates that online alert systems such as the HCNN are preferred for delivering patient safety alerts to providers.
Product safety alerts may be sent to your patients using secure, HIPAA compliant communication tools. HCNN alerts will also provide suggested patient-appropriate language regarding product-related safety alerts
The not-for-profit iHealth Alliance governs and controls the HCNN and guarantees that physician email and mailing addresses will not be shared, sold, or leased to any third parties.
Patient Safety alerts will continue to be sent via U.S. Mail to physicians who enroll in the HCNN but do not open the alert sent via the HCNN. Providing an email address you check regularly is necessary to maximize patient safety and practice benefit, and limit medical liability.
The HCNN will not increase or decrease the total number of alerts sent to any one physician. The HCNN will simply replace paper alerts with electronic ones thus making them more timely and efficient.
Not at this time. The HCNN is heavily supported and endorsed by most Medical Liability Insurance carriers who agree that it is a way to help reduce your liability exposure
The HCNN will begin operation in Summer 2008. Enrolled and activated physician accounts will begin receiving alerts via the HCNN, and will not receive alerts via U.S. mail while using the HCNN.
Liability carriers promote and endorse the HCNN because rapid and effective delivery of patient safety alerts decreases medical liability exposure. Delays in receiving and responding to patient safety alerts may increase professional liability.
The alerts sent via the HCNN will be targeted in the same manner as are the alerts currently sent in paper via U.S. mail. Most alerts are targeted to specific specialties and/or those who prescribe a particular medication.
If you don’t open the email to view the alert within 48 hours of receipt, the alert will be sent to you via U.S. mail.
The 'Remember me on this computer' option is pre-checked, so every time you want to access a patient safety alert, you will not have to log in. We offer this option as a convenience however you can select to disable at any time.
If you keep this option checked and successfully activate or log in to your HCNN Account, our system won't ask you to log in again for future visits. If you do not want this option, or are using a public computer, you may uncheck this box at any time and you will be required to log in each time you access your account.
Please note that if you log out of your account, the 'Remember me' function will be turned off. If this feature is not working for you, even though you have the box checked, you may need to enable cookies on your computer. Finally, if you delete the HCNN cookie on your computer, this will cause our system to 'forget' you.
To change or update your email addresses or other contact information, you can simply change the email address you use to sign in. To do so, please follow these steps:
Note: If you can't remember the exact email address you used to create your account, try signing in with different possible email addresses. For additional support, please contact HCNN Customer Service
Your privacy and trust are our greatest assets. Information that you provide will only be used for patient safety alerts and HCNN communication. No email addresses or contact information that are provided to the Health Care Notification Network (HCNN) will be sold, shared or disclosed to any third parties.
Any information provided for an HCNN enrollment will be for the sole purposes of establishing and authenticating your HCNN account. Information is transmitted through a secure form, and customer service representatives are required to sign security documents.
The HCNN is governed by the iHealth Alliance, which prohibits unauthorized use of the network, including advertising.
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