Patient Portal Policy

All Children Pediatric Associates, PLLC (the “Practice”) offers its patients, as a courtesy and as an optional service, the use of a secure web-page portal (the “Portal”). To use the Practice’s Portal, you must contact the Practice to enroll in the Portal system. You must agree to the Practice’s Portal Policy and Procedures by signing the Informed Consent and User Agreement. The Practice will then enter your name, address, phone number and e-mail address into the Portal software and will provide you with your access code to the Portal’s Web site.

You will receive an e-mail containing a link to the Portal’s web site (call the Practice’s office if you do not receive this email within 48 hours of submitting your enrollment forms). Click on the link in this e-mail to access the Portal’s web page. You will need your access code in order to complete this step. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to notify you when you have successfully completed the enrollment process.

Important Information Regarding the Patient Portal

     Use is limited to non-emergency communications and requests.
     In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
     You should normally allow up to 48 business hours to receive a response from your physician or the staff to your communications and requests, although depending on the communications volume a longer period of time may be required before you receive a response.
     The Portal does not provide internet based diagnostic, triage and other medical services. A diagnosis can be made and treatment rendered only after the patient sees the physician at the office.

Patient Portal Features

     Access to Health Information: You may view a clinical summary concerning your most recent office visit, as well as lab and test results. You may request an electronic copy of your health information.
     Appointment Requests: you may request an appointment at our office. This is request only, and the office staff will contact you via the Portal’s messaging system or by phone with an actual scheduled appointment day and time.
     Educational Resources: You may view educational resources on various topics listed in the Portal’s library.
     Medication Requests: You may request a renewal of prescriptions for medications. Requests will not be accepted for new prescriptions or refills for conditions for which you are not being treated by your physician at the Practice. The Practice does not renew prescriptions for narcotics and other controlled substances through the Portal; you must call the office regarding such matters and for initial prescription requests.
     Messages: You may send messages to your physician or the staff, and you may view and respond to messages they send to you. These messages may address medication questions, requests for test results, routine follow-up questions concerning a specific condition, billing matters, etc. Communications regarding sensitive subject matters, such as mental health, HIV, etc., are not permitted through the Patient Portal.
     Additional Functionality: Additional functionality may be added in the future, such as permitting you to make changes to your demographic information, or changes/additions to your health records, medication lists, etc., provided, however, that no change in the permanent record which we maintain will be made without the Practice’s review of such information.

Etiquette When Using the Portal System

     Confirm that your name and other personal information in a message is correct.
     Review the message before sending it to make sure that it is clear and that all the relevant information is included.
     The system will send a notification to your e-mail address when a message has been sent to you in the Patient Portal.
     Your physician or the staff, in their judgement, may decline to respond to a communication, or to protracted communication requests, and may ask you to schedule an appointment at the office concerning the matter.
     Your are responsible to update your contact information with the office as soon as it changes, including the e-mail address you designate for messages outside of the Portal system.
     Although your physician or the staff will use reasonable efforts to respond within 48 business hours of receiving your request, you are responsible to monitor whether you have received a response to your requested communication. If you have not received a response to a communication request, you should call the office.

Privacy

     All messages sent to you will be encrypted.
     Electronic messages from you to your physician and any office staff should be through the Portal. Messages outside of the Portal system are not secure. Your physician and the office staff will normally send electronic communications only through the Portal’s system, except as noted otherwise in these Policies and Procedures.
     Any of the Practice’s staff may read your messages or reply to you, so that you may receive a response in a timely manner.

Privacy Protection of Your Health Information

     All communication concerning your personal health information carry some level of risk. While the likelihood of risks associated with the use of our Portal communications system is substantially reduced, there are risks which are important for you to understand. It is important for you to consider these risks each time you intend to communicate with us using the Portal system. You should communicate in a manner that reduces the likelihood of the risks occurring. Some helpful things to keep in mind include:

     Do not store, send or access messages on your employer-provided computer or hand-held device. Personal information is normally accessible by your employer.
     Use a screen saver or close your messages so that others nearby cannot read them.
     Keep your username and password safe and private.
     If you think someone has learned your password, you should promptly change it using
    â€‹ Never use a public computer to access the Portal.

The Practice, its physicians and staff are not responsible to you for security infractions or intrusions resulting from your failure to follow prudent security measures when you access the Portal, including those described above, or for network infractions beyond its reasonable control.

Access, Use of Online Communications and Conditions of Participation

    â€‹ The Portal is offered by the Practice, as a courtesy and as an optional service. Use of the Portal is restricted to current patients and is subject to all terms and conditions of the Practice’s Patient Portal Policies and Procedures.​
    â€‹ All communications via the Portal will be included in the clinical record maintained by the Practice.​
    â€‹ Online communication does not replace any of the other ways in which you can communicate with your physician. It is an additional option and not a replacement. You are encouraged to contact the office via telephone, mail or in person if​
    â€‹ In addition to online communication, you may be directed to contact us via telephone or in person at any time.​
    â€‹ The Practice does not guarantee that the Portal system will be accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Portal system may be unavailable, without prior notice to you, due to routine maintenance or due to circumstances beyond the control of the Practice. The Practice may suspend or terminate operation of the Portal without advance notice to you. The Practice and its physicians and staff shall have no liability or responsibility to any patient or other person authorized by the patient who is unable to access the Portal system for any reason.​
    â€‹ The Practice does not permit minors to use the Portal, whether or not they are legally emancipated.​
    â€‹ The Practice may disenroll at any time, without prior notice and without cause or for cause in its discretion, a patient or other individual from use of the Portal.​​
    â€‹ By logging onto the Portal, you agree to all terms and conditions of the Practice’s Patient Portal Policies and Procedures, and any amended or superseded Policies and Procedures adopted by the Practice. The Practice may amend, supersede or rescind its Patient Portal Policies and Procedures at any time, without prior notice. The Practice shall have the discretion to determine how its Patient Portal Policies and Procedures apply in a given situation, and its determination shall be final, binding and non-reviewable. The Practice is the owner of all of its records and data, whether in electronic, paper or other form, subject to such access, copying and other rights as may be provided to the patient by federal and state law.​
    â€‹ ​If you receive access to health care information which is not yours, you must immediately stop viewing such information and immediately notify the Practice via secure message on the Portal or by phone call.