The Austin Diagnostic Clinic E-Mail Conditions of Use and
Disclaimer Policy
Communication technology has changed in the past 5 years. More and more
information is being shared via the Internet, particularly through the use of
e-mail. The Austin Diagnostic Clinic wishes to provide an organized framework
and a set of guidelines and expectations to ensure appropriate and consistent
use of clinic/patient e-mail at ADC.
Conditions for the Use of E-mail
The Austin Diagnostic Clinic will use reasonable means to protect the
security and confidentiality of e-mail information sent and received. However,
ADC cannot guarantee the security and confidentiality of e-mail communication,
and will not be liable for improper disclosure of confidential information that
is not caused by ADC’s intentional misconduct. Thus, patient consent to the use
of e-mail is required and includes agreement with the following conditions.
The Austin Diagnostic Clinic will use e-mail to communicate the following:
Receive comments from patients - compliments, concerns, suggestions
Communicate information about ADC policy and procedures
Communicate information such as a patient newsletter, seminar/event
notification and registration, medical or drug alerts, announcements,
disaster information, new services, new staff, hours of operation, etc.
Receive requests for forms to release or transfer a medical record
ADC may forward patient e-mails internally to our staff. ADC will not
forward e-mails to independent third parties without your prior written
consent, except as authorized or required by law.
ADC will not disclose your e-mail address to any third party without prior
written consent.
ADC will not sell your e-mail address to any third party.
You should not use e-mail for medical emergencies or other time
sensitive matters. You should not use e-mail to communicate medical
information, particularly sensitive medical information.
ADC is not liable for breaches of confidentiality caused by you or any
third party.
Instructions
To communicate by e-mail, you are requested to:
Register your e-mail address with ADC and, afterward, inform ADC of
changes in your e-mail address
Put your full name in the body of the e-mail text and the category of the
message on the subject line i.e.: billing, seminar registration, etc. so ADC
can forward to the appropriate department.
Limit or avoid the use of your employer’s computer
Your consent to use e-mail may be withdrawn in writing or by sending ADC
an e-mail stating you no longer want to receive information via e-mail. ADC
also reserves the right to remove you from our e-mail database and will notify
you in writing.
Response Time
An ADC representative will respond to the e-mail message in a reasonable
amount of time. This will usually be within 24 hours during the normal
workweek and by Monday morning for those messages sent Friday, Saturday or
Sunday.
You will receive an automatic reply to acknowledge ADC has received your
message.
Risks of Using E-Mail
Transmitting information by e-mail has some risks that you should consider
before using e-mail. These include, but are not limited to:
E-mail can be circulated, forwarded and stored in paper and electronic
files.
Backup copies of e-mail may exist even after the sender or recipient had
deleted his copy.
E-mail can be intercepted, altered, forwarded, or used without
authorization or detection.
E-mail is easier to falsify than handwritten or signed documents.
E-mail senders can easily misaddress an e-mail.
E-mail can be used as evidence in court.
Your Acknowledgment and Agreement
I acknowledge that I have read and fully understand
the E-Mail Disclaimer Form.
I understand the risks associated with the
communication of e-mail between The
Austin Diagnostic Clinic and me, and consent to the conditions outlined in the
Disclaimer.In addition, I agree to
the instructions outlined in the disclaimer, as well as any other instructions
that ADC may impose to communicate with patients by e-mail.
10/02
Permission Form: (All fields with an
* are required)
