Take two aspirins and e-mail me in the morning

Doctors may no longer make house calls, but they are answering patient e-mail messages--and being paid for it.
The New York Times

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medical e-mail

My wife is a participant in the Palo Alto Medical Foundation E-Mail program. It has been a Godsend to us, assisting in monitoring several conditions. The elimination of telephone tag alone has paid the cost back.

Instant Medical Care and Presence Awareness

Now that patients are able to be in contact with their doctors through the convenience of online exchanges (e-mail communication) which has brought considerable improvement in efficiency and costs controls... efforts should now be focused on the integration and implementation of Presence Awareness Technologies - Instant Messaging and Conferencing that will enable "real-time" communication between doctors and their patients; also, between doctors and their patient and referrals, medical groups....

What about HIPAA requirements?

I work at a med center, and we're not allowed to send email because it can violate the new HIPAA requirements.
but we have a secure website where patients can login and ask questions, see lab results, etc.