The New York Times has posted a well-written article about virtual consulting that touches on the world of plastic surgery. Should Surgeons Meet Patients Online?
Since some family practitioners have begun using electronic visits, the American Academy of Family Physicians has established guidelines, including the stipulation that a physician should evaluate only established patients virtually, and only over “safe, secure, online communication systems.”
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has no policy. Some plastic surgeons make it clear to their patients that communications through their Web site “are not necessarily secure” and that “you assume the risk of unauthorized use” of say, the topless pictures you send for evaluation.
