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Sep 13, 2022 · A patient portal is a secure website set up by a health care system, hospital, or clinic. The tools (or features) vary, depending on the portal. Patient portals can help you...
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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.
- Overview
- What is in a Patient Portal?
- How do I use a Patient Portal?
- The Benefits of a Patient Portal
- When to Contact a Medical Professional
- References
- Review Date 8/11/2022
- Related MedlinePlus Health Topics
A patient portal is a website for your personal health care. This online tool helps you to keep track of your health care provider visits, test results, billing, prescriptions, and so on. You can also message your provider questions through the portal.
Many providers now offer patient portals. For access, you will need to set up an account. The service is usually free. A password is used so that all of your information is private and secure.
With a patient portal, you can:
•Make appointments (non-urgent)
•Request referrals
•Refill prescriptions
•Check benefits
•Update insurance or contact information
If your provider offers a patient portal, you will need a computer and internet connection to use it. Follow the instructions to register for an account. Once you are in your patient portal, you can click the links to perform basic tasks. You can also communicate with your provider's office in the message center.
If you have a child under age 18 years, you may be given access to your child's patient portal, too.
With a patient portal:
•You can access your secure personal health information and be in touch with your provider's office 24 hours a day. You do not need to wait for office hours or returned phone calls to have basic issues resolved.
•You can access all of your personal health information from all of your providers in one place. If you have a team of providers, or see specialists regularly, they can all post results and reminders in a portal. Providers can see what other treatments and advice you are getting. This can lead to better care and better management of your medicines.
•E-mail reminders and alerts help you to remember things like annual checkups and flu shots.
Patient portals are not for urgent issues. If your need is time-sensitive, you should still call your provider's office.
Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW. The health record. In: Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW, eds. Seidel's Guide to Physical Examination. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 5.
HealthIT.gov website. What is a patient portal? www.healthit.gov/faq/what-patient-portal. Updated September 29, 2017. Accessed August 11, 2022.
Han HR, Gleason KT, Sun CA, et al. Using patient portals to improve patient outcomes: systematic review. JMIR Hum Factors. 2019;6(4):e15038. PMID: 31855187pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31855187/.
Irizarry T, DeVito Dabbs A, Curran CR. Patient portals and patient engagement: a state of the science review. J Med Internet Res. 2015;17(6):e148. PMID: 26104044 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26104044/.
Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Aug 15, 2024 · A personal health record that's tied to an EHR is called a patient portal. Sometimes you can add information to your patient portal, such as home blood pressure readings. If you can add to yours, you may not need to keep your own personal health record.
Oct 19, 2023 · A patient portal is essentially a personalized website geared towards healthcare. It serves as a one-stop digital platform that caters to the unique health requirements of individual patients.
Dec 5, 2022 · A patient portal is a secure online website or application available either from a desktop, laptop, or mobile device that gives patients access to personal medical information or updates provided by their healthcare provider. Why should you care about acquiring a patient portal?
Jun 17, 2022 · An online patient portal is a website that is used to access personal health information. The patient portal is helpful for patients to keep track of their medical visits, test results, billing, prescriptions and insurance, among others.
