What is a
Patient Portal?
Michael Paquin, FHIMSS
T
he Basics
A patient portal is a secure online
website that gives patients
convenient 24-hour access to
personal health information from
anywhere with an Internet connection. Using
a secure username and password, patients
can view health information such as:
• Recent doctor visits
• Discharge summaries
• Medications
• Immunizations
• Allergies
• Lab results
Some patient portals also allow patients to:
• Exchange secure e-mail with their health
care teams
• Request prescription refills
• Schedule non-urgent appointments
• Check benefits and coverage
• Update contact information
• Make payments
• Download and complete forms
• View educational materials
With patient portal implementation, your
organization can enhance patient-provider
communication, empower patients, support
care between visits, and, most importantly,
improve patient outcomes.
Why do I need a Patient Portal?
Why Is Using a Patient Portal Important?
Allowing your patients to access their
personal medical records through a patient
portal can help them be more actively
involved in their own health care. Accessing
your family members’ health information can
help you take care of them more easily. Also,
patient portals offer self-service options that
can eliminate phone tag between you and
your patients and in some cases eliminate
unnecessary patient visits.
What Can I Do With a Patient Portal?
The features of patient portals may vary,
but typically patients can securely view and
print portions of their medical records,
including recent doctor visits, discharge
summaries, medications, immunizations,
allergies, and most lab results anytime and
from anywhere you have Web access.
Other features may include
• Exchanging secure e-mail with your
health care team
• Requesting prescription refills
• Scheduling non-urgent appointments
• Checking benefits and coverage
• Updating contact information
• Making payments
• Downloading or completing intake forms
A patient portal may also allow patients to
access these features on behalf of their
children or other dependent family members.
Do I need to obtain consent from my
patients to implement a patient portal?
No. The Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) permits
the disclosure of health information to the
patient without requiring the patient's...
This article is Continued at:
blog.PhysiciansOfficeResource.com/volume-8-issue-2
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