At IHA, my fellow providers and I are always looking for new ways to improve the patient experience. One of the patient-focused tools IHA offers is the IHA Patient Portal, which is your web-based link to our electronic health record (EHR) that allows you as a patient to be more proactive about your health and physician visits.
First, we all know that “phone tag” is a frustrating and time-consuming game to play and no one wants to wait for a response to come by “snail mail.” The great thing about the Patient Portal is it provides another way for you to communicate with your physician and their office. Additionally, it provides a method for us as physicians to communicate effectively with you. Not only are patients able to view new messages from their physician or physician practice, but they can also view lab results within days of testing, request medication refills, view their statements and pay their bill online. Plus, it is available 24 hours a day, allowing you to view and manage your health information day or night, at your own convenience.
Another great benefit is the security features in place. No health information is sent via email. When a message is sent from the doctor’s office, you receive an email stating you have a new message from IHA and are directed to the IHA Patient Portal to review. As a physician, I can communicate with my patients any time of day and feel confident that they will get the information and understand it clearly. For example, I can prescribe a complicated treatment regimen, or review the potential side effects of a medication and feel comfortable that the information will not get lost in translation. The portal provides a great benefit to patients and doctors alike. Coming in 2012 are the added features of on-line appointment requests and the account manager, which will allow you to manage your family’s health information all under one single account.
The enrollment process takes just a few steps to complete, and the benefits of being enrolled in the IHA Patient Portal are well-worth the time. For more information or to enroll visit the IHA Patient Portal.