Patient-friendly patient portals

Posted by: West Georgia Eye Care Center in Frontpage Article on August 21, 2015

Beam me up, Scotty! Or, on second thought, maybe just beam down my medical records?

If online patient portals sound like science fiction to you, then hopefully this blog will help bring them down into reality. More and more physicians, clinics, and hospitals are offering patients the opportunity to register for accounts that allow online access to medical records.

Why should you, as a patient, take advantage of online patient portals?

1.) Feedback: When patients share insight on their office visit based on personal experience, it helps the practice improve care and customer service. What did the office do well? Where could it do better? Online portals provide an easy interface to make this type of feedback possible.

2.) Symptom and Medication surveys: Patients can create their own detailed symptom and medication lists without feeling rushed to write down answers on the spot. It’s easy to forget important details (like medication type or dosage) when you feel pressed for time. With online patient portals, you can compose and review at your leisure.

3.) Results review: If you’ve ever waited for test results or lab reports, you know how reassuring it is to finally get the news. An online patient portal gives you access to the written reports, allowing you to review and confirm results once you’ve heard from your doctor.

Have we piqued your interest in patient portals? If you’re intrigued, but still unsure how it all works, look out for next week’s blog. We’ll share a brief, simple tutorial on how to access your own patient portal with West Georgia Eye Care Center.