As you know, email can be a fantastic way to communicate although there are limitations.  A growing number of our patients have asked to have the ability to seek medical advice via email. We are pleased to announce that we will be offering a secure email program that will allow you to do this. This service is unlike regular email.  In this platform the email content never leaves the server and the only thing being sent via the internet are notifications that emails have been sent and can be accessed by logging into the secure mail server.  The Canadian Medical Protective Association advises against the use of regular email with patients as it may contain confidential medical information and is not secure.  Accordingly, medical correspondence will now only be accpeted by secure email.

Sending a note to your doctor instead of coming in for an appointment can be a very convenient method of getting an opinion from your physician. As always, medical advice from your doctor via email (or by telephone) is not covered by OHIP. There is a fee for this service. Please see our uninsured services policies in regards to this.

Please also read the information below which outlines some details on using email for medical advice. It is important you understand the risks involved in using email before signing up for the service. Also note that this service is not to be used for emergency medical purposes as it may take 1 - 3 business days for the doctor to reply to your email. If your concern is medically urgent please call the office as you would normally do. If you have a medical emergency, please attend the nearest emergency department.

The registration button is below which will allow you to start using this service. Please note it will take up to two business days to activate your secure email account.

Secure Email Registration

 

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

 

 

 

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.