The Patient Portal—Help or Hindrance?

For me it’s been a blessing, I am retired and spend a lot of the time studying my reports, it’s because of this that I knew my Dr was wrong and thankfully I found Mayo Clinic who did listen to me. I had surgery right away and found out I have non-small cell lung cancer in both my lungs. Stage 1, has not spread. If I would of did what my original Dr. wanted, I’d still be waiting.

I am retired and always read the reports too! 14 months ago, I had an abnormal chest-x-ray and went to first available local Pulmonologist. Based on radiologist's recommendations they ordered CT scan and then PET scan. The resulting reports stated potential cancer. I knew the local Pulmonologist had no expertise in lung cancer and requested my scans be sent to Mayo and was called the next day by Mayo. I had surgery three weeks later and had a cancer removed and a diagnosis of multifocal lung cancer. Not only are those reports important to read, but looking up the doctor's background and specialty is also important. Because they do not all have background in desired subject matter, nor does their institution offer the latest treatment options.

That is great advice. It’s frustrating when you wait 3 months to finally see a specialist then find out they’re not exactly the right specialist for your case, so you get referred to a different one with another 3 month wait. Add to it the tests and scans that can take weeks to schedule to complete the diagnosis, then the wait to get treatment scheduled if needed. I lost 4 months in a process once with an entrapped nerve in my elbow; with my symptoms, my PCP referred me to an orthopedic doctor who specialized in shoulders. When I got to him 4 months later, he felt bad that he couldn’t help me, because my elbow fell under orthopedics HAND specialty, not Shoulder. So I had a 3 month wait to get to the Hand specialist, who could finally diagnose and treat my elbow issue. If I had researched on my own up front, perhaps I might have been able to avoid going to the wrong specialist first.

I have 5, yes FIVE, different patient portals. Some of my doctors can see results from more than one portal, but only my Primary Care Physician can see all of my results. My tech skills are pretty good; yet even so, dealing with multiple portals is stressful.

One doctor has set up his portal site but has no information posted in it and has not provided directions for how to join it.

I cannot access the portal of my most significant specialist, even after spending close to 3 hours with 3 different tech advisers. And that doctor's office prefers the portal to phone calls.

Around the year 1999, then vice president Al Gore identified the problem of multiple portals.

I am retired and always read the reports too! 14 months ago, I had an abnormal chest-x-ray and went to first available local Pulmonologist. Based on radiologist's recommendations they ordered CT scan and then PET scan. The resulting reports stated potential cancer. I knew the local Pulmonologist had no expertise in lung cancer and requested my scans be sent to Mayo and was called the next day by Mayo. I had surgery three weeks later and had a cancer removed and a diagnosis of multifocal lung cancer. Not only are those reports important to read, but looking up the doctor's background and specialty is also important. Because they do not all have background in desired subject matter, nor does their institution offer the latest treatment options.

Some health systems make the process for a patient to recieve their own records onerous. I had a PetScan back in August which has led to a quandary over is it or isn't it lung cancer. To get a copy of the actual scan imgaery I have to jump through the hoops of sending a "cd" and waiting for them to download it and send it to me in their own sweet time. Fortunately a regional health system which has a top notch cancer center where I've since switched for health care has some sort of shared/mutual aid agreement and they have the imagery.

clearly when $$ is part of the prescription patients are on their own.

You have to give them a CD???
They could not send electronically the actual scan to your desired medical center?

I've actually went to my doctor I'm in Georgia they're in California I contacted them through computer system and they sent me all my records all I had to do was sign a waiver stating that I was requesting this I have all 416 pages worth of my medical records it is possible I'm not saying that it's against the law and I'm not going to tell you what doctor gave it to me but I can say there are those out there that will make sure that you have your medical records it's better to have them all in one place it took me a long time to get all my stuff together because I've lived in a few States over the past years so having six patient portals on my phone takes up a lot of space but if you talk to them they'll send them to you to where you can get them and upload them into your one app. I'd have to take a look but I do have a medical porthole that all my records are on from every doctor that I go to just one. I'm not can't remember who it was I was asking but I really hope this helps @ornerydog