Welcome to the便捷 and secure way to manage your healthcare with Stonecreek Family Physicians! We are pleased to offer our patients online access to their medical charts through our Patient Portal. This guide will help you understand how to use the portal effectively and make the most of its features.
The Stonecreek Family Physicians Patient Portal provides you with secure, online access to your health information, often referred to as your “chart.” By registering with a valid email address, you will receive a unique username and password to log in. Whenever new information, such as lab results or a message from your care team, is added to your portal, you will receive an email notification. This email is simply a prompt to check your portal and does not contain any sensitive health details. For security reasons, you will always need your username and password to access the portal.
It is crucial to use the Patient Portal specific to the individual patient you have questions or requests for. Messages sent through the portal are directly linked to the patient’s medical record. Therefore, parents should not use their own portal to inquire about their child’s health, and vice versa. While you can register your entire family under one email address for notifications, each family member will need their own unique username and password for portal access. Parents can manage their children’s passwords unless a child, especially older children and adolescents, requests privacy. At Stonecreek Family Physicians, we prioritize patient confidentiality and respect every patient’s right to keep their health information private, even from parents.
Understanding Your Patient Portal Access
Password Security: Once you change your initial temporary password, only you will know your new password. Our system’s security is designed so that your password is not stored, except for the brief moment when we input your temporary password, after which it is immediately erased. If you happen to forget your password, we can generate a new temporary one for you. You have the flexibility to change your password as often as you wish. Since we do not keep a record of your personal passwords, if you forget it, you can reset it online or contact our office for a new temporary password.
Account Lockout: For security purposes, repeatedly entering an incorrect username or password will lock your Patient Portal account. If your account is locked, you will need to call Stonecreek Family Physicians to unlock it and receive a new temporary password.
Accessing Lab Results and Imaging Reports: Your physician at Stonecreek Family Physicians will review all lab and imaging test results before making them available for you to view on the portal. You will receive an automatic email notification at the end of the day if any new results have been posted to your portal. This email will prompt you to log in and review them. Results from procedures performed in our office, such as flu screenings, urine tests, or EKGs, will also be posted to your portal with a notification. While we strive to post in-office test results on the same day, there may be slight delays in some cases. For bloodwork sent to external labs, the turnaround time can vary from one day to two weeks or longer, depending on the lab’s processing time. However, we generally review lab results within 24 hours of receiving them and promptly post them to your portal.
In the Lab/Imaging section of the portal, tests are listed with their basic results displayed. Please be aware that these initial results may sometimes be presented in medical terminology, reflecting how we interpret the data. For a clearer understanding, simply click on the specific lab test for more detailed information and any notes from your Stonecreek Family Physicians doctor. If you have questions about abnormal lab results, we encourage you to visit our website and find the link to helpful resources that explain lab results, normal ranges, and when an abnormal value might not be cause for concern.
Occasionally, you might see “See Scanned” in the results section. This indicates that your results were scanned directly into your medical chart, and the digital image is not yet directly viewable through the portal. We are working towards a future enhancement where you will be able to see exactly what we see, including radiology reports and scanned EKGs. For now, “See Scanned” means the order and results are entered, but the final detailed reading is in the scanned document.
Secure Messaging with Your Care Team: If your Stonecreek Family Physicians doctor or nurse sends you a message through the portal, you will receive an immediate email notification prompting you to log in and read it. Similarly, sending messages to our office through the portal is preferred over phone calls for many reasons. Messages submitted through the portal are directed to the on-call physician and then forwarded to your primary care doctor, ensuring efficient communication.
Referral Tracking: The Patient Portal allows you to view a list of specialists to whom you have been referred by Stonecreek Family Physicians. Our staff works diligently to keep this list updated, including appointment dates and times whenever possible. If you notice any inaccuracies in your referral information, such as an incorrect appointment date, please notify us so we can update our records. Tracking referrals helps us ensure we receive reports back from the specialists we send you to, allowing for coordinated care.
Understanding Diagnosis Codes: You might encounter a diagnosis code listed on your chart or associated with a test that you do not recognize or agree with. It’s important to understand that we are required to provide reasons for ordering tests, often for insurance authorization. Sometimes, a “suspicion of a problem” is used as the diagnosis code to ensure test coverage. For example, your X-ray test might list “Assessment: Esophageal Reflux,” even if you don’t believe you have this condition. This does not mean you have been diagnosed with esophageal reflux. It simply means that the suspected condition was used as a justification to perform the test. Always discuss any concerns about diagnoses with your physician at Stonecreek Family Physicians.
Appointment Reminders: As a helpful feature, you will receive an email reminder up to three days before your scheduled appointment at Stonecreek Family Physicians. If you find the appointment time is incorrect or need to reschedule, please send us a message through the Patient Portal as soon as possible.
Health Alerts and Preventative Care: Our system includes alerts to help us flag when patients may be due for routine preventative care. These alerts are based on general guidelines, such as annual mammograms, pneumonia vaccines for those over 65, and colonoscopies every 10 years. If you see an alert in your portal, it simply indicates a suggested check-up or screening. Please send a message to your Stonecreek Family Physicians doctor through the portal to review your specific health record and determine if the recommended test is appropriate for you at this time.
Accessing Billing Statements: You can conveniently view your current and past billing statements within the Patient Portal. Please note that statements listed in the portal are not updated immediately after a payment is made. Once you pay your bill, you will not receive another statement for that specific visit and amount unless there are further charges. If you receive a statement after paying your bill, please verify that it is not for a more recent visit or outstanding balance. While the current system shows past statements, we are working towards future updates that will provide a real-time snapshot of your account with up-to-date billing information. After viewing your statement in the portal, you can securely pay your bill online with a credit card through a link on our homepage. We will then update your account in our office, and you will not receive further statements until a new balance is incurred.
We hope this guide helps you navigate and utilize the Stonecreek Family Physicians Patient Portal effectively. If you have any further questions or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our office. We are committed to providing you with the best possible healthcare experience, and our Patient Portal is one of the many ways we strive to make managing your health easier and more accessible.
