Introduction | VitalCheck Process | Questions and Answers

Introduction

The University is partnering with VitalCheck, a telehealth screening program, to perform health screening of all employees and students returning to campus, as required by the New York State Reopening Guidelines. The screening process is being implemented to ensure that the Fordham community is free of COVID-19 symptoms when returning to campus. 

Our goal is to keep you and the entire Fordham Community healthy and to minimize the risk of the spread of the virus on our campuses. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and adherence to this process.

VitalCheck Process

Here is how the VitalCheck process works:

1. Once registered with VitalCheck you will receive daily notifications from VitalCheck to self-certify your health. You will be asked if any of the following apply to you for the prior 14 days: 

• have you experienced new cough, fever, chills, loss of smell or taste, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, or any other symptoms that may be caused by a COVID-19 infection;
• have you tested positive for COVID-19 infection (not antibodies); 
• have you traveled internationally, or to or from another state where rates of COVID-19 are increasing; and 
• have you had close contact with someone confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19, or who has traveled recently?

Once you attest to none of the above conditions, you will receive a dated color-coded clearance QR code on your smartphone, as well as an email. If you received the clearance, your name will be added to the Fordham Clearance List to permit you on campus. 

You can customize the specific time of day, as well as the delivery method (only text or only email) of your daily notification by referring to your VitalCheck email. Please note that you are required to self-certify daily, including weekends and holidays. If you do not self-certify daily, you will be logged out of your account. 

2. If you are not immediately cleared by the VitalCheck daily health screening assessment, VitalCheck will send a registration link to your smartphone and your email to schedule a telehealth clearance appointment with one of its physicians prior to your return to work. The telehealth appointment takes approximately 15 minutes. The physician will ask if in the prior two weeks:

• you have been tested for COVID-19 or antibodies;
• you or someone that you live with is experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or in contact with those who have been;
• you have experienced any symptoms related to COVID-19; and
• any additional general health and well-being questions.

The VitalCheck telehealth visit with the physician may advise you of the next steps to follow which may include a recommendation and prescription to test you for COVID-19 at an authorized location or to quarantine for a period of time. 

If you do not want to use the services of the VitalCheck physicians, a medical clearance through your personal physician will be accepted. In order to ensure the privacy of your medical information, please use your fordham.edu email to send medical clearance information which is an encrypted email platform. If you choose to send from your personal email addresses, please visit Fordham’s Email Encryption website and follow the steps to safeguard your information.

Once your medical clearance documentation has been processed, you will resume receiving VitalCheck’s daily health screening assessment and the dated clearance QR code to access Fordham’s campus. However, you will not be able to return to campus until the required medical documentation is reviewed. 

Testing Positive for COVID-19

If you test positive for COVID-19, as required by New York State Department of Health, the lab will immediately notify the state and local health departments to cooperate with tracing efforts. This includes notification of potential contacts, such as co-workers or visitors, who had close contact with you. This process will be handled discreetly to maintain confidentiality as mandated by New York State and federal laws and regulations. 

Please note that daily screening is meant to capture as many cases as possible, however, it will not identify those individuals who are asymptomatic.

General Questions & Answers

When will I receive my notifications?
VitalCheck provides you the option to customize the time of day as well as the delivery method (text only or email only). To make your selection of time and delivery method, please refer to your VitalCheck email. Please note that based on the New York State Reopening Guidelines, you cannot opt out of the daily screening process.

Why do I have to respond to the daily health screening questionnaire on weekends and holidays?
The daily health screening questionnaire from VitalCheck is a requirement from New York State Department of Health’s New York Forward Safety Plan. The plan requires implementation of a mandatory health screening assessment. For the health and well-being of you and your community, it is best to fill this out every day. For your convenience, any suspicion of COVID-19 exposure resulting from the daily health screening assessment can connect you to VitalCheck for a telehealth visit with a physician to provide you with medical care as soon as possible. You also have the option to contact your personal physician if you suspect COVID-19 exposure or symptoms.

Why did I not receive my daily questionnaire?
You will receive VitalCheck’s daily health screening questionnaire every day, as long as you continue to respond on a daily basis. If you do not receive your questionnaire, it is likely that you missed a day and, accordingly, you have been logged out of your account. Please see the additional information below for instructions on how to log back in to your account.

Will there be a cost to me for this service?
The daily health screening questionnaire is at no cost to you and does not go through your medical insurance. However, if a telehealth visit with a VitalCheck physician is needed or you visit your personal physician, co-pays and cost-share may apply depending on your insurance coverage.  

What happens if my medical insurance provider is not listed on VitalCheck’s medical insurance intake form for a telehealth visit with the physician?
If your medical insurance provider is not listed on the medical insurance intake form, please fill out ‘Other’ and write in the name of the carrier in the space provided with the additional information that is requested.

What is VitalCheck’s corporate origins?
The VitalCheck program is a collaboration between ED Medical Associates, a New Jersey based medical practice, and Klarion Wellness, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is located in New York, NY.

ED Medical Associates oversees all medical services that are provided to Fordham University as part of the return to campus program pursuant to which licensed physicians conduct telehealth assessment for COVID-19 screening. The physician-ownership of ED Medical Associates is affiliated with Englewood Hospital and Holy Name Medical Center. Klarion is the administrative agent for the VitalCheck program and provides proprietary technology and other administrative services. 

How is my health information protected with VitalCheck?
The VitalCheck program is a collaboration between ED Medical Associates, and Klarion Wellness, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is located in New York, NY.  Medical Associates is a New Jersey-based medical practice which provides services like flu shots and on-site annual physical exams. Klarion is the administrative agent for the VitalCheck program and provides proprietary technology and other administrative services.

For the following reasons, among others, Fordham believes reasonable and appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards are maintained to protect health information under the VitalCheck program:

• ED Medical Associates provides licensed physicians to conduct telehealth assessments for COVID-19 screening.
• ED Medical Associates maintains compliance with the HIPAA privacy and security regulations, as indicated by its HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

The safeguards securing faculty, staff, and student health information collected via VitalCheck program application include, without limitation:

• Limiting access to such information only to VitalCheck personnel, including licensed physicians, who have a need to know such information. Designated members of Fordham will have access only to COVID-19 related information on a need to know basis.
• Licensed physicians providing services under the VitalCheck program can access such information only through Klarion’s fully encrypted electronic health record solution. 
• All data is transmitted from VitalCheck to Fordham in an encrypted manner, and such information is encrypted at rest.

Fordham periodically reevaluates its data security policies and procedures, including the security of the services provided by its vendors.