Many doctors say :( to e-mail | Arthritis Information

 

Many doctors say :( to e-mail

Physicians worry about patient privacy, increased workloads and legal liability

By Alicia Chang

Associated Press

11:57 PM CDT, April 22, 2008

LOS ANGELES — Suzanne Kreuziger is a registered nurse who uses e-mail almost exclusively to communicate with friends. But when it comes to reaching her doctor, there's a frustrating firewall.

The barrier is her doctor's reluctance to talk to patients through e-mail.

"It makes sense to me to have the words laid out, to be able to reread, to go back to it at a convenient time," the Milwaukee woman, 34, recently wrote on a social networking site. "If I were able to ask my physician questions this way, it would make my own health care much easier."

Kreuziger's experience is shared by most Americans: They want the convenience of e-mail for non-urgent medical issues, but fewer than a third of U.S. doctors use e-mail to communicate with patients, according to recent physician surveys.

"People are able to file their taxes online, buy and sell household goods and manage their financial accounts," said Susannah Fox of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "The health-care industry seems to be lagging behind other industries."

Doctors have their reasons for not hitting the reply button more often. Some worry it will increase their workload, and most physicians don't get reimbursed for it by insurance companies. Others fear hackers could compromise patient privacy — even though doctors who e-mail generally do it through password-protected Web sites.

There are also concerns that patients will send urgent messages that don't get answered promptly. And any problem raises the specter of legal liability.

Many patients would like to use e-mail for routine matters such as asking for a prescription refill or scheduling a visit. Doing so, they say, would help avoid phone tag or taking time off work to come in for a minor problem.

Still, a survey conducted early last year by Manhattan Research found that only 31 percent of doctors e-mailed their patients in the first quarter of 2007.

Two major health insurers, Cigna Corp. and Aetna Inc., this year expanded pilot programs that compensate doctors who use a secure Internet site to make virtual house calls with patients. That includes the ability to send encrypted e-mail, a move some hope will increase the number of doctors who go digital.

mab522008-04-23 09:34:00I read this article this morning.  "It makes sense to me to have the words laid out, to be able to reread, to go back to it at a convenient time" is exactly how I feel, but my docs don't seem to use e-mail either.  So I've made a habit of faxing them my detailed message, and asking them (or their staff depending on the issue) to call with a response.  Seems to work better for me than just leaving a voice message with the staff, which tends to get garbled before it reaches its destination.  I'd still prefer e-mail though for non-urgent issues.One of my docs use that program 'so they get compenstated'.  He charges me to answer my email.  I got a bit upset so I wrote a letter.  LOL I like being able to put things in writing, too, but that just might be why doctors don't like e-mail.....giving their "word" without being able to see you.  I can understand that.

I would be happy to e-mail questions to "the office".  No phone tag, no confused messages (a rash on my daughter's bottom was thought to be on her feet by the time we saw our ped; it was concerning enough that the ped rheum's office had called him; that one event wasted so many people's time!).  My question could be passed around, intact, until it reached whoever was worthy of being the "answerer".  They could answer in e-mail or call with an answer, or (best case) e-mail approx. WHEN they will call. 

As it is, I call and leave a message and pray I'm not in a public bathroom stall when my call is returned....
My son's pediatric GI dr. uses email. In fact-anytime there is a med. change or another issue, he wants weekly e-mail updates. I love it. Especially as a parent. When Nathan was a baby and a toddler-it was hard to know exactly what was wrong since he couldn't verbalize. Email let me ask the dr. questions and it provided an easy back and forth record of the conversations and what the next steps should be.I think email would be great for the patient and hell for the doctor. Emails take A LOT of time, plus people would start barraging them with trivial questions every time they had a little thing wrong or a twinge of pain or a stomach ache. There is always the danger of misdiagnosis with an email, too. But it would be helpful for things like clarifying instructions and the like.My GP has an email I can contact him at, but I have yet to find me RD's email addy. I know she gets emails, but not sure if they are from patients or not. I would love to be able to email my doctors. I realize that their time is valuable, but basically all I need is an basic response.

1> Appointment needed. Let's schedule
2> Prescription called in.
3> See specialist so and so
4> Get this test
5> Go to the ER!
This ain't any different than a phone call query but having it spelled out can make a difference.
Way overdue and this could be even done on a Blackberry.
It seems to me like it's just a law suit waiting to happen.  As soon as someone misinterprets instructions, or a doc doesn't get back with the "go to the ER" in time, he's goin down.I would presume that the ER instructions would be phoned in addition to email. Misinterpretation is always an issue. Remember the recent lawsuit about John Ritter. He never went for the followups. [QUOTE=mab52]I would love to be able to email my doctors. I realize that their time is valuable, but basically all I need is an basic response.

1> Appointment needed. Let's schedule
2> Prescription called in.
3> See specialist so and so
4> Get this test
5> Go to the ER!
This ain't any different than a phone call query but having it spelled out can make a difference.
Way overdue and this could be even done on a Blackberry.
[/QUOTE]

Our pediatrician used to offer online appointment scheduling.  They found that the rate of missed appointments was much, much higher, so they went back to the old way.

Whenever I need a refill, I use my pharmacy's online system.  They call the doctor's office.

I can make appointments with a specialist without a referral.  However, if I've got a serious issue that requires a specialist, I usually like to see my regular doc first.  Often times, he can evaluate, get initial tests/x-rays done before I see the specialist.



Copyright ArthritisInsight.com