Email Policy

DEC will not forward emails to independent third parties without your prior consent, except as authorized or required by law, including the Health Information Portability and Accessibility Act of 1996.

• Although we will try to read and respond promptly to an email from the patient, we cannot guarantee that any particular email will be read and responded to within any particular period of time. Therefore, it is important that you not use email for medical emergencies or other time-sensitive matters.
• If your email requires or invites a response from DEC, and you have not received a response within a reasonable time period, it is your responsibility to follow up and CALL to determine whether the intended recipient received the email and when the recipient will respond.
• You should not use an email for communication regarding sensitive medical information, such as information regarding sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS/HIV, mental health, developmental disability, or substance abuse.

Inherent Risks Using Email

The following is a partial list of risks which are inherent any time you use email, but you should be especially aware of and take into consideration when determining whether to communicate with your physician using this technology.

• Employers and on-line services have a right to archive and inspect e-mails transmitted through their systems.
• Emails can be intercepted, altered, forwarded, or used without authorization or detection.
• Email can be used to introduce viruses into computer systems.
• Backup copies of e-mail may exist on your computer even after you have deleted your copy.
• Email senders can easily misaddress an email.
• Email senders can accidentally broadcast their message and be received by many intended and unintended recipients.
• Email can be circulated, forwarded, and stored in numerous paper and electronic files.

DEC will use reasonable means to protect the security and confidentiality of email information sent and received. However, because of the risks outlined above, DEC cannot guarantee the security and confidentiality of email communication, and will not be liable for improper disclosure of confidential information that is not caused by our intentional misconduct. Thus, patients must consent to the use of email for patient information.