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Create an Email Policy
Time to Complete: 1 week to create; communicate continuously
Difficulty: Easy to implement
Outcome: Documented policies & procedures
Steps
Read the AMA's Guidelines
The American Medical Association's Guidelines for Physician-Patient Electronic Communication address a number of communications and medico-legal issues.
Create an Email Policy for Your Practice
Download this policy, written at a 6th to 8th grade reading level, and modify it for your practice (2-page Word document; About downloading files). It's important to have patients acknowledge that they've received this policy, so make it a part of your standard HIPAA documentation process.
What You'll Need
- Decision-making authority
- Time to read the AMA's guidelines (20 minutes; 1 person)
- Time to create your own policy (1 day; 1 to 2 people)
Example
Download this generic policy (2-page Word document; About downloading files) and modify it to fit your practice. It's written at a 6th- to 8th-grade reading level.
As with any other informed consent agreement, it's important that patients receive and understand this policy. Once the policy is complete and before you put it into use, incorporate it into your standard HIPAA disclosure and documentation process. Discuss with patients your practice's use of email and its policy before engaging in email communication. Document these activities in the medical record and provide patients with a copy of the agreement.
As with any other informed consent agreement, it's important that patients receive and understand this policy. Once the policy is complete and before you put it into use, incorporate it into your standard HIPAA disclosure and documentation process. Discuss with patients your practice's use of email and its policy before engaging in email communication. Document these activities in the medical record and provide patients with a copy of the agreement.
Where to go for help
Family Practice Management: "Online Communication with Patients: Making it Work" provides more detailed information about how to determine whether your practice and your patients are ready to start communicating via email.
American Medical Informatics Association: "Guidelines for the Use of Electronic Mail with Patients" offers guidance on developing site-specific email policies.
American Medical Informatics Association: "Guidelines for the Use of Electronic Mail with Patients" offers guidance on developing site-specific email policies.
Join a free collaborative online network committed to practice transformation. Learn more about Delta-Exchange.
This Patient-Centered Medical Home section of the AAFP web site was supported in part by a grant from Merck & Co.
This Patient-Centered Medical Home section of the AAFP web site was supported in part by a grant from Merck & Co.
Email with Patients
Create an Email Policy
