EMAIL COMMUNICATION POLICIES
- EMERGENCY AND URGENT PROBLEMS
Email messaging should never be used for emergency, urgent problems or other time sensitive matters.
In the event of emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest Hospital Emergency Room. In case you are uncertain if your symptoms are urgent, please do not email us but call our office at 905-883-4777 to discuss your concerns.
- SENSITIVE MEDICAL INFORMATION
Email should be brief and never include too complex or sensitive information such as information regarding sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS/HIV, mental health or substance abuse. In such a case, please do not email us but call our office at 905-883-4777 to discuss your concerns.
All electronic messages to or from the patient will be saved as a part of the patient’s electronic medical record.
- APPROPRIATE EMAIL USE
Email communication with the office staff is restricted to the following uses: request to schedule non-urgent appointments, providing directions or referral information, providing general educational and health promotion advice, sending electronic documents, resources, and links.
Email will only be checked during clinic office hours and NOT on weekends.
Email will be triaged and answered according to our physician’s prioritization. While we strive to return all email within 48 hours, we cannot guarantee this turnaround time.
It is the responsibility of the patient:
- to inform our staff of changes in email address
- put your (the patient’s name) in the body of the email and include a phone number at which we can reach you
- to follow up on all email communications and confirm that email has been received and read the electronic message from the office staff or physician
- take precautions to preserve the confidentiality and safeguard email communication
- withdraw consent for email communication in writing to our physician
- RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH EMAIL COMMUNICATION
Despite reasonable efforts to protect the privacy and security of electronic communication, we cannot guarantee the security and confidentiality of electronic communication. Please consider the following risks of using email communication:
- Email can be forwarded, intercepted, circulated, stored, or altered without knowledge or permission of the physician or the patient
- Email can be misdirected and received by unintended recipients
- Email can introduce malware into a computer system and potentially damage or disrupt the computer, networks, and security settings
- Even after the sender and recipient have deleted copies of electronic communications, back-up copies may exist on a computer system
- Electronic communication may be disclosed by a court order or in accordance with a duty to report
TERMINATION OF THE EMAIL COMMUNICATION
Our physician has the right to terminate the electronic communication with patients if it is determined, at his/her sole discretion, that the patient has violated the terms and conditions set forth above , or has engaged in conduct which our physician deems, in his/her sole discretion, to be unacceptable. The email communication between the physician and the patient will be terminated in the event the physician , in his/her sole discretion, no longer wishes to utilize the electronic communication with all of his/her patients.