Frequently Asked Questions about the Patient Portal What Is a Patient Portal? A patient portal may also allow you to access these features on behalf of your children or other A patient portal is a secure online website that gives dependent family members. you convenient 24-hour access to your personal health information and medical records—called an How Do I Get Access to a Electronic Health Record or EHR—from anywhere Patient Portal? with an Internet connection. Ask your health care providers. If they offer a Why Is Using a Patient Portal patient portal, they will provide you with Important? instructions for setting it up. There may be a couple of steps involved in setting up your Accessing your personal medical records through a account, including creating a secure password. patient portal can help you be more actively This is to make sure only you have access to your involved in your own health care. Accessing your health information. family members’ health information can help you Once your account is set up, you’ll be ready to take care of them more easily. Also, patient portals conveniently access your health information and offer self-service options that can eliminate phone medical records. tag with your doctor and sometimes even save a trip to the doctor’s office. Your Health Information Is What Can I Do With a Patient Private, Secure, and Portal? Protected The features of patient portals may vary, but Patient portals have privacy and security typically you can securely view and print portions safeguards in place to protect your health of your medical record, including recent doctor information. visits, discharge summaries, medications, immunizations, allergies, and most lab results To make sure that your private health information is anytime and from anywhere you have Web access. safe from unauthorized access, patient portals are hosted on a secure connection and accessed via an Other features may include encrypted, password-protected logon. Exchanging secure e-mail with your health care EHRs also have an “audit trail” feature that keeps a team record of who accessed your information, what changes were made, and when. Requesting prescription refills Although patient portals use safeguards, there are Scheduling non-urgent appointments other safety tips you should follow when Checking your benefits and coverage accessing the patient portal. Always remember to Updating your contact information protect your username and password from others Making payments and make sure to only log on to the patient portal Downloading or completing intake forms from a personal or secure computer.

August 2012