Virtual visits and Using Our Portal
The Portal is a HIPAA-secure way to communicate with us, to check your lab and xray results, to complete feedback forms prior to visits, and to check on upcoming appointments. See tips below.
"How To"
The Nuts and Bolts
2-Factor Authentication
Accessing the portal Now requires 2 factor authentication - the purpose of this is to keep your medical information secure, though we know it has been challenging for many of you. When you start to log into the portal, the system will send you a confirmation number in your email.
YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE PORTAL LOGIN to go to your email - we recommend already having your email open in a different browser, or on a different device( i.e. your phone instead of your computer), so that you can check the confirmation number and enter it without leaving the portal website.
Write your draft elsewhere
Our portal is temperamental and will time out and erase your message if you take more than a couple of minutes composing it. We recommend you compose in a word processing document and cut and paste into the portal.
Records in the Portal - Click the records tab in the banner of your portal account to find most relevant information:
Finding your visit summary:
Telehealth visit summaries will be visible in the portal under "images" after the visit is complete. We will message you when staff have been able to process the summary and post it for you.
Finding your results:
Laboratory and x-ray results can be seen in the portal either under "Results" or under "Images." This will depend on the format with which they were imported into our system, which depends on external systems working, and in inimitable Humboldt style, that means that it can vary from one day to the next, depending on which system is the most broken at any given time. We recommend checking both locations.
Reviewing past portal messages:
There is a date filter at the top of the page for messages - if you cannot see previous messages, check those dates and consider widening the range To find older messages.
Patient Education Handouts:
Connie frequently posts handouts relevant to the topics you discussed in your visit in your portal account for review. Go to Records > Education.
Ignore a couple sections: We do not use the Clinical Summary section, and the Problem List in your portal account is generated by the system based on codes that were used to justify laboratory studies, for past billing, and so on. It will often include conditions that were not confirmed, or which are not relevant to your current care. The past medical history section of your visit summary is a more meaningful "Problem List" to review.
Remember, have your email open in your mail app or in a separate browser or even another device when you start to log in.
Appropriate Virtual Visits
Virtual office visits
Our portal can be used for visits conducted via email which don't require that you come into the office or even meet with us via telehealth. They are only available for established patients (you must have visited me in my office at least once prior to using this service).
I need to have seen you within the last year.
They can be used for new or existing problems, which, in my opinion, don’t require face to face care. We are doing less of these as documentation requirements from insurance have changed - it is problematic now for me to order tests without a visit note to document medical necessity, but sometimes I can order an initial test while you are waiting for an appointment for a problem.
Examples of appropriate virtual visits:
- Follow up on cholesterol or thyroid problems
- Uncomplicated sinus or urinary tract infections.
Examples of inappropriate virtual visits:
- Difficulty breathing
- Bleeding
- High fever
- Chest pain.
Call 911 now for any of these issues!
Don’t use virtual visits for things that need to be seen right away. Instead call 707-840-4701. I’ll get to virtual visits usually within 24 hours, but there are times when it might take up to 72 hours.
PAYMENT
As of 2021, more insurance companies are paying for virtual visits, including Medicare, so be aware we may be billing your insurance. The charge for a virtual visit is generally $15 - 30. If you are not insured, this is payable through paypal prior to starting the visit. If I review your virtual visit information and think you should come in, I’ll apply your on-line payment to your office visit charge.
NOT EMERGENCIES
Please CALL our Office ( or use the emergency line after hours) for things that require immediate attention.
When the day is busy, sometimes portal messages will not be checked until evening.
Virtual Visit Payment
$15.00
A way to honor Connie's time, particularly if you are needing labs ordered, prescriptions sent in, or there are multiple exchanges, not just clarification after an office visit.
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