How to Make the Most of Online Healthcare Patient Portals

Patient portals are websites offered by healthcare providers to help you manage your health. I have been familiar patient portals since high school. I started using them to make doctor's appointments for myself rather than having my mom making them for me. However, I only started to really utilize the many aspects of portals once I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) and I needed to communicate frequently with my doctor.¹

Since visiting numerous doctors and healthcare facilities, I have found that the majority of them use patient portals. But unfortunately, most of them did not provide me with sufficient instructions on how to utilize or access their portal.

Accessing patient portals

Sometimes the most complicated aspect of patient portals is obtaining access. I have left multiple healthcare offices unaware a portal existed. Maybe I was too overwhelmed to retain the information or the email invite went to my junk folder, but communication about portals can be improved.

To prevent confusion, I recommend trying accessing your portal on the spot to ensure it works before leaving your doctor's office. If your doctor provides you with an appointment reminder or after visit summary on paper, you can write a note on the bottom so you don't forgot to sign-in to your portal.

What information can you view in a portal

Patient portals are free. They store your personal health information within your profile. By accessing them, we can view things such as:

• Upcoming appointment dates
• Previous visit summaries
• Test results
• Preventative care reminders
• Billing and payment reminders
• Prescriptions and refills
• Our providers and referrals
• Insurance details
• Notifications from doctors and offices

Within portals, you can typically update your insurance and contact information, complete paperwork and forms before appointments, make payments, and communicate with providers.

Communicating with my healthcare team

Since diagnosed with MG, I've had to communicate with my MG specialist to get them in contact with my other healthcare providers, discuss medication, and arrange surgery and procedures. I've reached out about new or worsening symptoms, worrisome side effects, other conditions and their possible impact on MG, test results, and referrals for other specialists.

I love that I can make appointments in the portal. I do not have to feel anxious about calling to schedule an appointment or leaving my questions for the receptionist to transfer to my doctor. Not playing phone tag with an office saves time and unnecessary stress.

Completing forms before an appointment

For me, one of the most valuable aspects of patient portals is the option to fill out forms and questionnaires before arriving to my appointment. My hand weakens rapidly when I write, especially when feeling rushed and nervous in an office, so this is a big help.

Sometimes, I still have forms to fill out in person, especially if it's the first appointment with an office. Bringing someone with me can help. Often, after that first appointment I can fill out most forms online ahead of time.

Viewing visit summaries

Visit summaries are essential for us with MG! When I go into an appointment, I'm often fighting nerves and MG symptoms, trying to remember my questions, and trying to retain the information a doctor is telling me. This can make it challenging to try and write down all the information discussed.

Most patient portals have a section for past appointments that includes a visit summary. I noticed that sometimes, these only include the notes a nurse takes. At the beginning of your appointment, you can ask the doctor to also write a summary of the key points the 2 of you discussed during your visit and add it to portal.

Adding and tracking tasks

Some of my patient portals have a to-do page where my doctors and I can add tasks I need to complete. There is also a section where I can track and see my progress. I can create a reminder schedule and select whether I want daily reminders or reminders when tasks are due.

With my brain fog always acting up and sometimes my planner being too full for something to catch my attention, these reminders are crucial for my healthcare and self-care.

Checking preventative care reminders

It can be difficult to stay on top of preventative care with MG. The preventative care section in some of my patient portals can be a super helpful reminder. I try to check it every couple of months to ensure I'm not over due for anything.

Managing alerts and communication preferences

If you are not receiving the information you believe you should be from your doctor, your communication preferences may not be correctly turned on. We can manage our alert preferences in the portals. I recommend turning all the different options for alerts and notifications on that you can so you never miss anything.