Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/86594
Strategy? M ANY HAVE PREDICTED that physicians will eventually use e-mail as the predominate form of patient com- munication. However, adoption rates of e-mail use have been slow. According to the 2010 Healthcare IT Insights and Opportunities Survey conducted by CompTIA, only 21% of physicians communicated with patients regarding medical questions by e-mail, and only 12% sent appointment reminders via e-mail. Reasons for Provider Hesitance Physicians do not receive reimbursement for time spent e-mailing patients, so e-mail could contribute to the amount of time that physicians spend on uncompensated tasks. Many phy- sicians are also hesitant to communicate with patients via e-mail because of security concerns, and it is recommended that physicians use passwords, encryption or other measures to ensure that confi- dential information remains safe. Another concern that physi- cians have involves e-ma i l response A Proper Communication E-MAILING PATIENTS: E-MAILING IS A CONVENIENT, COMMON FORM OF COMMUNICATION, WHICH LEAVES MANY TO WONDER IF PHYSICIANS WILL BEGIN USING E-MAIL AS A METHOD FOR PATIENT COMMUNICATION. IN THIS ISSUE OF MD NEWS, WE EXAMINE THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF E-MAIL EXCHANGE. times. For example, if a physician is out of town and patients send e-mails regarding time-sensitive health questions, he or she may not be able to respond to the request until they are back in the office a week later. The Benefits of E-mail Exchange While concerns do exist regarding e-mailing patients, there are some benefits to this type of interaction. For one, patients who are able to e-mail their doctors often have higher satisfaction rates, as they feel that their doctors are more accessible. Also, e-mailing eliminates the amount of time that physicians must spend answering phone calls and reduces the risk that messages will be misunderstood, as they will no longer need to passed along by staff members who may misinterpret the question. Getting the Most Out of E-mail Exchange There are several steps that physicians can take to ensure that e-mail exchanges with patients are successful. Adopt electronic health records (EHR) before beginning e-mail exchange. Physicians who experience the most success utilizing e-mail as a viable method of communication have already adopted EHR and exchange e-mails that can appear in a patient's overall EHR. Physicians who are still using paper records for documentation often lack the technological infrastructure to support secure information exchange. Set guidelines. Physicians should educate patients regarding what types of questions are appropriate to ask in an e-mail forum and let them know how long it will take to receive a response to a question submitted by e-mail. Utilize HIPAA-compliant security measures. To ensure confidential informa- tion is secure, use security measures, including requiring a password when patients open attachments such as laboratory test results.■