Email Policy

  1. Email correspondence in lieu of an office visit is an option only after an individual is seen in the office for an initial visit. Patients desiring to communicate by email must sign a consent form, and the consent will become part of the medical record.

  2. Dr. Levy reserves the option to respond only to emails from existing patients.

  3. The following situations are inappropriate for email correspondence and better addressed by telephone or in person at an office appointment:

    • An urgent problem

    • A complicated question

  4. Examples of situations appropriate for email correspondence include:

    • Requesting or confirming an appointment (send to info@sanfordlevymd.com)

    • Requesting test results

    • A question related to a previous office visit

  5. Dr. Levy and only Dr. Levy will read all incoming email messages sent to him. No emails regarding medical questions will be forwarded to a second party without the express consent of the sender.

  6. All email correspondence will become part of the Patient medical record.

  7. There is no assurance or guarantee that email will remain confidential.

    • Dr. Levy cannot guarantee that somebody else does not read the email addressed to Patient.

    • To protect confidentiality, Dr. Levy subscribes to an email service (G Suite) which encrypts emails, Dr. Levy’s laptop computer is configured with a very strong password-protected screen saver, and emails are stored on a password-protected site.

  8. The patient should maintain electronic or paper copies of correspondence for their own records.

  9. Please complete the subject line with one of the following:

    • MEDICAL QUESTION FROM (Patient full name and date of birth)

    • MEDICAL INFORMATION FROM (Patient full name and date of birth)

    • PRESCRIPTION REQUEST FROM (Patient full name and date of birth)

    • APPOINTMENT REQUEST FROM (Patient full name and date of birth)

  10. Dr. Levy will reply to all emails within one business day, unless his vacation response indicates otherwise. If for some reason Patient does not receive a response in the specified time frame (first check ‘Spam’ or ‘Junk’ folder, as sometimes email services incorrectly route Dr. Levy’s emails with attachments to the ‘Spam’ or ‘Junk’ folder) please call Dr. Levy on his mobile phone (number provided to every patient at the initial visit) or call the office at (716) 867-4881.

  11. Patient is requested to reply to Dr. Levy’s email to acknowledge receipt of email correspondence from him. Dr. Levy is not responsible for email that is not received by the Patient due to a technical failure.

  12. Patient is required to inform Dr. Levy of changes in email address.

  13. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in termination of email privileges.

  14. Dr. Levy’s email address will be provided to the Patient at the initial office visit.

Page Updated March 18, 2024