Q: What topics should physicians discuss with patients via email, and what topics should they avoid?
A: Emailing patients is an individual decision made by each physician, however we discourage physicians from giving their email address to every patient. The patient who calls every day is probably going to fill his or her physician’s Inbox in the same way. We suggest a printed information sheet be given to a patient with whom the physician is agreeing to communicate. The information sheet should lay out the following ground rules:
- The topics that may be covered
- The topics that should not be discussed in an email (e.g. “Do not email about chest pain, vomiting blood, or significant changes in mental status). Instruct the patient to call the office or 911 immediately.
Additionally, the information sheet should note who reads the physician’s email, when and how often. It should remind the patient that if they share a computer or email account with another individual, that the doctors email response may be accessed by that person.
Q: What are the record-keeping requirements when physicians email patients? Should everything be printed and included in paper records? How should this information be recorded in an electronic medical record?
A: All emails should be printed and kept in the patient’s paper medical record. If you have an Electronic Health Record (EHR), also known as Electronic Medical Record (EMR), email communications should be saved or scanned into the EHR/EMR. This includes all email coming In from patients and those going Out. Keeping copies of every email is vital, as they may be needed for defense purposes.
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Author Ann Whitehead is Vice President of Risk Management & Patient Safety for the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc (CAP).
If you have questions about this article, please contact us. This information should not be considered legal advice applicable to a specific situation. Legal guidance for individual matters should be obtained from a retained attorney.