Have you heard? We’re changing to a new patient health record system! To better care for our patients and continue providing excellent customer service, we will be transitioning several of our technology tools at the end of this week. We listened to your feedback and have been working hard to find new solutions that will be easier to use and to navigate.
Here are a few highlights:
Online Appointment Check-In (Phreesia) will cease and we will instead return to in-person check-ins by our friendly medical receptionists. The online process began at the start of the pandemic as a way for patients to safely and conveniently check in from home and decrease exposure time in our offices, but we recognize the process was challenging for many of our families.
Appointment Confirmations will continue via text message, email, or phone call but through a new platform. Simply confirm your appointment and be done! No further “check-in” action will be required of patients. The new platform also offers enhanced texting features.
Online Scheduling will no longer be available after Thursday, June 2nd. We know how important convenient online scheduling is for our patients and are working hard to find a new option. Stay tuned!
The Patient Portal will be improved as part of our transition to a new electronic health record system that is specifically built for pediatrics. This will help families better access care and electronic health information in a more user-friendly environment than our patient portal currently offers. Easily view appointment history and upcoming appointments, past visit details and care plans, immunizations, labs, submit forms, request medical refills, message your care team, and pay your bill online.
Our current patient portal messaging features will be disabled beginning this Friday, June 3rd. Historical information will continue to be accessible through the existing portal up to June 15th, 2022, but the communication features will not be available as of June 3rd. If you have any patient portal messages that you would like to keep and refer back to, please download, print, or save these before June 15th. Previous messages will not be transferred over.
Our new portal will be available on Monday, June 6th. To set up your new patient portal account, please call our office after June 6th. We can also assist you with this the next time you come in or call to schedule an appointment.
*Patients 12 years and younger: We will automatically initiate new portal system accounts. You will receive an email or text with a link to verify and complete the set-up of your account.
*Adolescent Patients: The new patient portal will also allow for linked parent/guardian accounts for adolescent patients while still complying with confidentiality laws which require us to protect sensitive health information. Much like our current patient portal, once patients reach the age of 14 years old, parents/guardians will no longer be able to view a patient’s medical information, but will still have access to send a secure message, refill medications, and submit medical record and referral requests on behalf of the patient. As a reminder, this only
pertains to an adolescent’s electronic health record on the patient portal. We still encourage you to be involved and we always welcome questions, concerns, and discussions with parents/guardians.
For youth who have special healthcare needs that render them unable to care for themselves, we encourage parents/guardians to speak with their provider. Depending on the patient’s unique health circumstances, an exception may be made to retain access to the electronic health record.
Patient Screening Tools will be sent ahead of time through our new secure patient portal so families have ample time to complete the questionnaires rather than feeling rushed at check-in, and your provider can spend more time discussing the results during the visit. These will include our standard developmental screens for younger patients, anxiety screens, and adolescent screens for drug & alcohol use and depression.
What does this all mean for our patients?
Even better healthcare and patient experience at Pediatric Associates of the Northwest. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about these changes; we are here for you! Thank you for trusting us to continue caring for your family in innovative and comprehensive ways.
