soloFP and Jon,
This is different than my experience. Also, my experience has been the same in both versions. Here are my findings:
1. Make a new message, e.g. highlight a name from the Patient List and attach it to the message writer. You can then save this to the chart, and the message will still be there so you can send it to some else. I agree with Jon, this seems like a bug but a helpful one.
2. If a message is highlighted in your Inbox and, therefore, viewed as a message, you can save that to the chart. You will be given two options: 1. Save it and delete it from your Inbox, 2. Save it and leave it in your Inbox. If you do the latter, you could then send it back to the sender or forward it to another.
3. You can also highlight a message in your Inbox, click on reply, add a message such as "Noted." You will then have the same options: Save it and delete from Inbox or save it and send it to another user.
4. The way I and I think most users do it is to send either a new message or reply to a message in your Inbox without first saving it. The MA, (as an example), then acts upon the message and based on the message, either saves it or sends it back to the provider who can then either send it or save it. The process can go on indefinitely.
5. One can highlight a message in his or her Inbox, then reply or forward it, and choose the option to send but NOT delete the message. You then still have the message in your Inbox which you can then do with what you wish. I find this very helpful in the following example. You have a patient with a lab value in your Inbox. You want your MA to call the patient with it, but you still need to research it or act on it in some way. This keeps it in your Inbox. Of course, if you want your message that you wrote to the nurse to remain in the message, you would have to copy it to yourself.
6. Finally, one can also attach a patient from the Patient List and write a message and send it to someone. In this case, it is gone. If you wanted that message to be in your Inbox, you would need to Cc it to yourself.
As you can see, there are multiple ways to use the messaging system, of which I only utilize maybe two. I think you have to work with your users enough that everyone knows when to save a note and when to reply or forward it. I know that my MAs will sometimes send me a note such as "Called patient and told them to go to the ED immediately," but will copy it to themselves and then save it, so they have proof that they did it in case I accidentally delete it.
Sorry so confusing.
