DR. IRA BERNSTEIN’S OFFICE NEWS

Dr. Bernstein is excited to introduce the following new services:

• DSG Secure – Provides a new method to communicate with you.  DSG Secure is a secure website that you can use to exchange messages with Dr. Bernstein and his staff. The different types of messages that can be sent includes email consultation and some other non OHIP covered service requests. Please see following more information on DSG Secure messaging.  Messages sent to Dr. Bernstein’s personal email will not be answered as secure email will be the exclusive platform for electronic communication.


• New Website – I now have my own website (drIB.ourmd.ca) where you can find more information on all these services as well as many other helpful resources.  My website has links to the secure emailing.


• New Appointment booking – I am working with a company called PetalMD to introduce real time online patient scheduling that will be integrated with our electronic medical record.  Further information will be available on my website.  Currently you can submit an electronic appointment request through my website ( if registered with DSG Secure or directly from the DSG Secure platform) which will be processed by my office staff.   Implementing this technology will not only provide more convenience to you but will also improve efficiencies with automated appointment reminders.

To read some common questions and answers regarding secure email please click on the link below
Secure Email Questions and Answers

The registration button is below which will allow you to start using this service.

Secure Email Registration

Risks of using email

The physician offers patients the opportunity to communicate by email. Transmitting patient information poses several risks of which the patient should be aware. The patient should not agree to communicate with the physician via email without understanding and accepting these risks. The risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The privacy and security of email communication cannot be guaranteed
• Employers and online services may have a legal right to inspect and keep emails that pass through their system.
• Email is easier to falsify than handwritten or signed hard copies. In addition, it is impossible to verify the true identity of the sender, or to ensure that only the recipient can read the email once it has been sent.
• Emails can introduce viruses into a computer system, and potentially damage or disrupt the computer.
• Email can be forwarded, intercepted, circulated, stored or even changed without the knowledge or permission of the physician or the patient. Email senders can easily misaddress an email, resulting in it being sent to many unintended and unknown recipients.
• Email is indelible. Even after the sender and recipient have deleted their copies of the email, back –up copies may exist on a computer or in cyberspace.
• Email can be used as evidence in court.
• Use of email to discuss sensitive information can increase the risk of such information being disclosed to third parties

Conditions of using email

The physician will use reasonable means to protect the security and confidentiality of email information sent and received. However, because of the risks outlined above, the physician cannot guarantee the security and confidentiality of email communication. Thus, patients must consent to the use of email for patient information. Consent to the use of email includes agreement with the following conditions:

• Emails to or from the patient concerning diagnosis or treatment may be printed in full and made part of the patient’s medical record. Because they are part of the medical record, other individuals authorized to access the medical record will have access to those emails.
• The physician may forward emails internally to the physician’s staff and to those involved, as necessary, for diagnosis, treatment, reimbursement, healthcare operations, and other handling. The physician will not, however, forward emails to independent third parties without the patient’s prior written consent, except as authorized or required by law.
• Although the physician will endeavor to read and respond promptly to an email from the patient, the physician cannot guarantee that any particular email will be read and responded to within any particular period of time. Patients should not use email for medical emergencies or other time-sensitive matters.
• Email communication is not an appropriate substitute for clinical examinations. The physician will not advise, diagnose or prescribe based on email communication. The patient should call the physician’s office for consultation or an appointment.
• The patient is responsible for informing the physician of any types of information the patient does not want to be sent by email, in addition to those set out in the bullet above

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The patient can add to or modify this list at any time by notifying the physician in writing.

• The physician is not responsible for information loss due to technical failures associated with the patient’s email software or internet service provider.
• If the patient’s email requires or invites a response from the physician, it is the patient’s responsibility to follow up to determine whether the intended recipient received the email and when the recipient will respond.

The patient should not use email for communication regarding sensitive medical information, such as sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS/HIV, mental health, developmental disability, or substance abuse.