Using Virtual Patient Portals With Primary Care Physicians

Health & Medical Blog

There are an increasing number of primary care physicians moving to virtual patient portals as a way to communicate with their patients. These portals allow you to check appointments, cancel and reschedule appointments, as well as send non-urgent correspondence to someone at your physician's office. By having these virtual patient portals, dealing with your physician can fit into your busy schedule since you can access most of the portals through an app or website. When you first start using these portals, it can be a bit tricky, so here are some tips to help you out.

Notification Options

Make sure that you have checked off the notification options available to you for updates to the patient portal. Primary care physicians will have updates added to give you new appointments, cancel old ones, or update health records. If you rely on simply checking back on the site or app routinely, you may miss something vital like a cancelled appointment. Instead, consider having yourself notified of changes via email and text message. This will ensure you get the messages quickly no matter where you are or what you may be doing.

Use Correspondence Wisely

You may be tempted to use the correspondence option to ask questions regarding referrals or updates to paperwork like shots and vaccines. Though these can be handled through most patient portals, make sure you are using the feature wisely. For example, consider the time frame for normal question to be answered and the method in which they are answered. If you need to get a referral update, and need to know as soon as possible, it may be best to call and request the referral rather than send a message. Though this seems like something you would already consider, when you are facing agenda issues and possible related issues regarding a speedy referral you may forget and use what you feel the quickest way possible is, which may not be correspondence through a patient portal.

Use all the Features

Some of the virtual patient portals will allow you to download your medical records directly from the portal. You can usually do this through a pdf file format and save that to your computer or print it out. This can save a large amount of time if you need proof of  your medical history and it does not have to be a certified copy. In other words, familiarize yourself with all the features available to you through your family care physicians virtual patient portal and make use of those that will save you time, money, and get the job done.

These are just a few of the considerations and tips to take into account when using a virtual patient portal through your family care physician. If you have never used a portal like this or if you are unsure if your doctor offers it, ask about it during your next visit to obtain instructions and login information. To learn more, contact a health clinic like Rural Health Services Consortium Inc. 

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27 June 2016