The Patient Portal—Help or Hindrance?

I have several issue with the Patient Portal.
1) I can't even get into it with my new Doctor and the Receptionist has tried twice to no avail.
2) I really don't want to see it all; I would rather have my Doctor interpret the results.
3) I recently found out from a doctor that they are able to access other portals and he proved it to me!
So, where is the privacy in all of this IF any Doctor or savvy person can view what I think should be my private information?
Some progress really isn't progress.
Another example is online appointments. My husband actually had a skin cancer diagnosed via iphone pictures!
He went somewhere else and no cancer.
Beware.

The Patient Portal has been a Godsend. I do understand why it would not be for some people, depending upon temperament and background. If you don't understand something, make a note to ask your health care team about it.

I like the Patient Portal, at Mayo and at my primary clinic. I like being able to do my own research so I know what, if anything, I need to ask the doctor/nurse when they contact me with the results. I also know not all of my doctors communicate with each other, or read each other’s notes/lab results, so me being able to see everything means I can bring up test results to all of my doctors if needed.

I started using patient portal five years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer, it was a little scary at first being something so new to me but then being a cancer patient and dealing with a pandemic at the same time was very overwhelming. It took some time to learn how this worked but eventually I started getting better at using it, I must admit that it was daunting to read everything about my health and treatments especially the test results, of course it took me some time to figure out all the medical jargon and put it into perspective. I’m glad I decided to try it because I always had a hard time waiting for the results and the doctor didn’t contact me very fast due to so much confusion going on back then with the pandemic. I believe it’s helpful but definitely not for everyone and I’m glad that we have more options today to look after our health.

I always tell friends and family to read their files on the patient portal!!! There are often inaccuracies that need to be addressed.
Example: I recently went to local Urgent Care/Emergency Dept because I had a sore throat and deep cough which is dangerous for me given my lung issues. I needed to eliminate causes such flu, Covid, RSVP, Strep etc.
I read their Notes when I got home and was shocked to read that they reported that they had done a physical exam of my lungs, heart, abdomen etc. and all was normal. The notes said they had checked my right and left legs for Edema - I was wearing winter boots all the time!!!
In fact the Dr only looked at my throat!!!
And the summary written about my condition by a "Scribe" just pulled up a bunch of terms from my medical records but leaving out my most critical issues like lung cancer and pulmonary hypertension which is not the same as hypertension!
I obviously called them on it and now have to submit paperwork to change.
Realize that when incorrect health info is entered into your file it continues and is picked up by the next provider. If a provider is making decisions on how to treat you based on incorrect information that could be a problem!
Technology has given medicine a wonderful ability, but it takes time for people to adjust to inputting information, and the right kinds of programs to be developed to provide a clear concise patient profile.
I can't imagine what was going on before computers and Doctor Notes were available!!!!

I've had similar experiences with finding misinformation in my records, and sometimes (not always) it was difficult to get it corrected. Once I looked at my record and it stated that I had thyroid cancer. I was shocked since I was told that I had a benign tumor. Fortunately, it actually was benign. But the incorrect information had been passed between two different hospital systems. So, yes, we do need to check to ensure that the information in our records is accurate.

Appreciate this topic being addressed especially the "where is the privacy in all this?" comment above per who has access to what across different health care faculties. Early on that was not supposed to happen. One element I didn't see in the above was the number of characters limit when sending to the health care professionals for responses or updates. At times I feel like I'm back in grad school with the time required for editing per what I want to say in one message. I've actually started writing drafts in WORD because the system can count the letters and spaces ... then I copy and paste my "final draft" into the portal.

@joaf37
I do same thing, do a draft and try make my message as precise as possible. I find if my message address specific questions / problem, I get better responses.

Found this article from AMA, "What doctors wish patients knew about using patient portal"
https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-using-patient-portal
Has some good advice, only issue I have is with advice about if the message is long, they suggest maybe time to schedule an appointment. With long wait times for appointments, most people want answer now.

At this point in my life, it is a huge benefit that all of my providers have access across facilities and clinics - I worry more about getting the right care with the least time and energy.
Some benefits:
I do not need to repeat my (lengthy) medical history every time I see a new provider.
All medications are listed.
They know my prior surgeries - I don't need to carry a list for filling out new forms.
When I am in the hospital, they can see not only all of my medications, but all of those I cannot take.
Scan & lab test results are shared between clinics, saving time, energy & money in not having to repeat them. And I don't have to go to the imaging center, pick up a CD and carry it to the doctor - they see it in advance.

Not everyone in a facility has access to all the records - the appointment center, lab techs, receptionist, referral clerk, even the PT, can only see that which is pertinent to their jobs.

@joaf37, @roch, @ suninmn, and others... The Mayo portal is by far the best site I've used. It is frequently updated and usually improved. Since first using the portal, I found it friendly, reasonable, logical and extremely helpful communicating with my physician team. I also love the fact the medical systems are able to read reports, labs, testing, notes and see what's most current across the board. I'm finding my physicians from other than Mayo are getting used to the system and their medical communities are catching up with the Mayo quality.

I do not however find the site at all helpful making appointments. It is frustrating, time consuming, and ineffective! I tried many times to make appointments using the portal but am never successful so end up calling the department for scheduling. They are efficient and courteous, find the doctors notes and move forward. I do wish the portal could address this area more efficiently.

I also must apologize for occasionally sending long messages, when I am upset or actually have information they need. I should call in those cases, but still think it better to use the portal and not bother the office. Suggest the best option is to wait a moment and send a shorter message. It can be helpful getting statistics to the office, i.e. blood pressure readings and such when we are working on stablizing medications.

I also have an issue with the medications listing in the computer which I frequently update prior to an appointment. The computer, in my case, still has listed medications I've not taken since 2012! This becomes a serious issue when hospitalized and the medications are not up to date. It also takes a very long time to get the current meds on board which can cause patients serious issues. I now take 3 days of my own medications in the daily bins and have them on hand if the hospital isn't able to get them to me when needed. It would be helpful if the portal would keep a true medication update available that doesn't magically change meds or dosages confusing staff and patient.

Hopefully my ranting helps some others as we take this journey. I am extremely thankful for the Mayo Portal and Mayo excellence!
Blessings, Elizabeth