EMERGENCY PROBLEMS
E-mail should never be used for emergency situations. In the event of an emergency, call 911 URGENT PROBLEMS
E-mail should never be used for urgent situations. In these cases, the patient should call our main number 651-222-6050 during business hours (M-F 7:30-4:30). After hours you can contact our on call answering service or go to an urgent care.
1. RISKS OF USING E-MAIL TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CLINIC
Reproductive Medicine & Infertility Associates referred throughout this consent as “Clinic.” The Clinic offers patients the opportunity to communicate by e-mail. Transmitting patient information by email, however, has a number of risks that patient should consider before using e-mail to communicate with the Clinic. These include, but not limited to, the following risks:
- E-mail can be circulated, forwarded, and stored in numerous paper and electronic files
- E-mail sender can type in the wrong email address
- Backup copies of e-mail may exist even after the sender or the recipient has deleted his or her copy.
- Employers have a right to archive and inspect e-mails transmitted through their system.
- E-mails can be used to introduce viruses into computer systems
- E-mail can be intercepted, altered, forwarded, or used without authorization or detection.
- E-mails can be used as evidence in court.
2. CONDITIONS FOR THE USE OF E-MAIL
Provider will use reasonable means to protect the security and confidentiality of e-mail information sent and received. However, because of the risks outlined above, the Clinic cannot guarantee the security and confidentiality of e-mail communication and will not be liable for improper disclosure and confidential
information that is not caused by the Clinics intentional misconduct. Thus, patient must consents to the use of e-mail for patient information. Consent to the use of e-mail includes agreement with the following conditions:
a) All e-mails concerning diagnosis or treatment will become part of the patients medical records.
b) Patient shall not use e-mails for medical emergencies, urgent problems or other sensitive matters.
c) If the patient has not received a response back from the Clinic within a reasonable time period, it is the patient’s responsibility to follow up to determine whether the intended recipient received the e-mail and when the recipient will respond.
d) The patient acknowledges the risk in using e-mail for communication regarding sensitive medical information, such as information regarding, but not limited to laboratory testing, mental health, or health history.
e) The patient is responsible for protecting his/her password or other means of access to e-mail. The Clinic is not liable for breaches of confidentiality caused by the patient or any third party.
f) Clinic shall not engage in e-mail communication that is unlawful.
g) It is the patient’s responsibility to follow up and/or schedule an appointment if warranted.
3. PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND INSTRUCTIONS
To communicate by e-mail, the patient shall:
a) Limit or avoid use of his/her employer’s computer
b) Inform Clinic of changes in his/her e-mail
c) Put the patient’s name in the body of the e-mail.
d) Include the category of the communication in the e-mail’s subject line
e) Review the e-mail to make sure it is clear and that all relevant information is provided before sending the e-mail.
f) Take precautions to preserve the confidentiality of the e-mail, such as using screen savers and safeguarding his/her computer password.
4. ALTERNATE FORMS OF COMMUNICATION
I understand that I may also communicate with the Clinic via telephone or during a scheduled appointment and that e-mail is not a substitute for the care that may be provided during an office visit. Appointment should be made to discuss any new issues as well as sensitive medical information. I also understand that the Clinic also utilizes Notify MD as I go through active treatment and that is also a way to communicate results and changes in my treatment plan.
5. TYPES OF E-MAIL TRANMISSIONS THAT PATIENT AGREES TO SEND AND/OR RECEIVE
The types of information that can be communicated by e-mail with the Clinic include prescription refills, patient referrals and appointment scheduling reminders and requests, billing and insurance questions, consultation summaries, signed consent forms, IVF treatment plan (calendar) and instructions, and patient education. If you are not sure if the issue you wish to discuss should be included in an e-mail, you should call the Clinic to schedule an appointment. If you elect not to provide us with your email, but contact us through e-mail, we will
correspond to any email sent to us. In most occasions, you will receive an encrypted email via ZixMail. You must provide a username and password to log into ZixMail to retrieve your message(s). The Clinic will be notified of any message not picked up. The Clinic will make one attempt to resend via ZixMail or will mail document(s) to you. If you do not receive our email(s), please check your spam or junk mail folder. If you find it there, please identify it as “non-junk” or “non-spam” email. You may also want to add noreply@rmia.com to your contact or ‘Safe Sender’ list so that these emails do not go to your junk mail folder.
6. SECURITY MEASURES USED BY CLINIC
As stated above, communication via e-mail does come with privacy risks as stated above. While the Clinic can not guarantee total confidentiality, the Clinic will use reasonable safeguards to protect your health information as required by law.
7. HOLD HARMLESS
I agree to hold harmless the Providers, Reproductive Medicine & Infertility Associates, its employees, and website designers against all losses, expenses, damages, costs, including attorney’s fees, relating to information loss due to technical failure. The Clinic does not warrant that the functions contained in any material provided will be uninterrupted or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that the Clinic website or server that makes such site available is free of viruses or other harmful components.
PATIENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND AGREEMENT
I have discussed with the Clinic representative and we acknowledge that I have read and fully understand the consent form. We understand the risks associated with the communication of e-mail between the Clinic and us, and consent to the conditions herein.