Consent

Consent to appropriate use of the MyOSCAR secure messaging system (adopted from the Physician-Patient E-mail Communication Template Consent Form of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario)

MyOSCAR offers you the opportunity of communicating electronically with your health care team, as well as storing personal health information online.  Transmitting private health information poses risks of which you should be aware. You should not agree to use MyOSCAR to communicate with your health care team without understanding and accepting these risks.  The risks and conditions for using MyOSCAR include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. MyOSCAR makes every reasonable attempt to protect your privacy and security.  Messages sent through MyOSCAR are far more secure than regular email because the messages remain within the MyOSCAR server. They travel only to other MyOSCAR accounts and never travel through the Internet where they may be intercepted. Your health information, including the messages sent and received, is stored in an encrypted form in our data server, which is kept in a secure location. Off-site backup of the database is also stored in an encrypted format with the encrypted key stored in another secure location. Operators who handle these storage media have all signed non-disclosure agreements.  However, we still cannot guarantee 100% the physical safety of these databases nor completely rule out the possibility of someone accessing your information illegally.  The system does provide extensive audit ability so the perpetrator can be discovered.
2. All entries and messages are indelible.  No information is ever deleted from the system even though it may be edited; backup copies of the original messages or entries will be stored in encrypted form.
3. Messages become part of the medical legal record and can be used as evidence in court.
4. Your messages may be forwarded from one health care provider to another within the health care team, allowing for collaboration and to provide complete care. However, we will not forward your messages to independent third parties without your prior consent, except as authorized or required by law.
5. Although your health care provider will try to read and respond promptly to your message, we cannot guarantee that any particular message will be read and responded to within any particular period of time. Thus, you should not use MyOSCAR for medical emergencies or other time-sensitive matters.
6. MyOSCAR is not a replacement for regular clinical exams. If you have a health issue and your health care provider has reccommended an appointment via MyOSCAR, you are responsible for following up on his or her message and scheduling the appointment.
7. If your message requires or invites a response from the health care provider and you have not received a response within a reasonable time period, it is your responsibility to follow-up to determine whether he or she received the message and when he or she will respond.
8. If there is any type of information you do not want to be discussed via MyOSCAR (perhaps sensitive issues that you would prefer not to be seen even by authorized users) you are responsible for informing the physician of your preference. You can add to or modify the list of not-to-be-discussed items at any time by notifying your physician in writing (regular mail, at an appointment.)
9. The physician is not responsible for information loss due to technical failures (computer crashes, bugs, etc.)
10. You will be required to acknowledge your agreement to this list of conditions.