An Overview of the Patient Portal

The OpenEMR Patient Portal is a secure online platform that allows patients to actively participate in their healthcare management. It serves as a digital bridge between the patient and the clinic, providing convenient access to medical information and communication tools.

Prerequisites

• At least one patient created in the system
• Login information for that patient

Key Features for Patients

Once a patient is granted access, they can perform a variety of actions, including:

• View Health Records: Access visit summaries, lab results, and other clinical documents.

• Request Appointments: Schedule new appointments directly through the portal.

• Secure Messaging: Communicate securely with providers and clinic staff.

• Manage Personal Information: Update demographic and insurance details.

• Online Bill Pay: View statements and pay medical bills online.

• Fill Out Forms: Complete new patient forms or other necessary documents prior to a visit.

Administrator Setup

To begin using the portal, an administrator must first enable it for the practice and configure its settings.

1. Navigate to Admin > Config in the main menu.
2. Select the Portal tab.
3. Check the box for "Enable Patient Portal".
4. For Patient Portal Site Address, enter the URL for your deployment. Your patient portal url is your base url with /portal/ at the end. For example, if your base url is https://myclinic.prd.opencoreemr.com, then the portal url is https://myclinic.prd.opencoreemr.com/portal/.
5. Recommendation: Check "Use Patients on-record E-Mail for new Portal Login Username". This setting will streamline the patient portal login process as it only requires patients to enter in their email instead of both a username and email.
6. Save your changes.

How to Authorize a Patient for Portal Access

Once the portal is enabled globally, you must authorize each patient individually.

1. Open the patient's dashboard.
2. Navigate to the Demographics section.
3. On the Contact tab, ensure that both a Contact Email and a Trusted Email have been entered for the patient.
4. Switch to the Choices tab and set "Allow Patient Portal" to YES.
5. Return to the main patient dashboard.
6. Under the Patient Portal / API Access section, click the Create+ link under Credentials.
7. Save the new username and password. You can then copy/paste the login credentials to email to your patient, or save the generated PDF.