Agreement for Electronic Correspondence
Clients may want to use email or other electronic formats to facilitate communication. Federal regulations impose a "duty to warn" clients of risks associated with unencrypted email. If you are a client who receives applied behavior analytic services, ACT Inspired Behavior Coaching must document in the client record that clients have been advised that email communications could potentially be read by a third party. Upon receipt and documentation of this notification, the client has the right to request communication via email.
Risk of using email include, but are not limited, to:
Email may be forwarded, printed, and stored in numerous paper and electronic forms.
Email may be sent to the wrong address by either party.
Email may be easier to forge than handwritten or signed papers.
Copies of email may exist even after the sender or the receiver has deleted his or her copy.
Email service providers have a right to archive and inspect emails.
Email may be intercepted, altered, or used without detection or authorization.
Email may spread computer viruses.
Email delivery is not guaranteed.
Clients are responsible for:
Agreeing not to use email for medical emergencies or sending time-sensitive information to providers.
Following up with their provider if they have not received a response to an email within a reasonable time period.
Informing ACT Inspired Behavior Coaching of any changes to an email address.
Informing their provider in writing if they decide to discontinue using email communications.
Recommendations for client use of email:
Clients who send email messages should state a question or concern briefly and clearly, and include:
A subject line that describes the question or concern, and
Clear client identification, including client name and telephone number in the body of the message.
Requests for communicating with clients in other electronic formats:
Clients may request to be contacted via other electronic formats like texting. If a client requests to be contacted via text message, the provider must warn the client of the risks of using a text message (the message is sent in plain text and may be intercepted, forwarded, stored in multiple locations, and delivery is not guaranteed) and document in the client record that clients have been advised of the associated risks. If the client still requests that text messaging be used and the technology for accommodating this request is available, brief text messaging using the minimum necessary information may be used.
