Technology has changed the entire healthcare landscape, and for many doctors, it has also transformed the way that they speak with their patients. Instead of communicating by telephone and letter being the only options, emailing and texting are now on the table. Do you know when you should call your patients instead of emailing or texting?

Why Do Doctors Email?

A growing number of doctors use email for most regular communications, as it can increase practice efficiency and prevent playing phone tag. Doctors also like being able to make themselves available for patient questions and concerns around the clock through email. Email communication can also be perfectly sufficient for quick messages requesting appointments, rescheduling or requesting prescription refills. However, there are HIPAA violations that can come to play over email that aren’t as possible elsewhere.

When Emailing Is Inappropriate

As with any other technology product, there are both upsides and downsides to emailing instead of calling your patients. Beyond potential murky water with HIPAA guidelines, there are many situations where emailing can lead to unnecessary stress and confusion:

• Discussing issues before completing a physical examination of the patient could lead to misdiagnosis.
• Email messages can be misinterpreted by the patient receiving them. If the misinterpretation leads to damage, you could be held liable.
• Anyone who is not the patient could open the email and read sensitive information.

If there is a chance that any of the above scenarios could occur, you should call your patients instead. Remember that the tone of your voice can have a huge effect on the message that a patient receives, and written words are not ideal for conveying tone.

If You Do Email

When it is appropriate to email instead of calling your patients, use the following best practices:

• Use email messages to supplement your existing patient relationship, send reminders and offer general health tips.
• Only use email if you have a firewall-protected server and both you and the patient are using encryption technology. Most standard email does not meet HIPAA requirements.
• Educate your patients about when it is appropriate to email the office instead of calling.

Learn When to Call Your Patients with Vetters Enterprises

Vetters Enterprises specializes in practice management, private practice business support and revenue cycle optimization. We can perform in-depth assessments of your practice or facility and identify potential issues. Let us keep your business as healthy as you keep your patients! Give us a call at (443) 352-0088.