Patient Portal Help

Tips for using My Health Portfolio

Welcome to My Health Portfolio, our secure patient web portal. Via My Health Portfolio you now have access to much of the pertinent health information contained in your medical record. We know how important having access to this information is to you. We also recognize that communication with a physician office via phones and voicemail can be ineffective and frustrating. Our web portal not only provides you with 24/7 access to your health information, it also gives you a powerful communication tool. You now have the ability to communicate directly with your physician via a private, secure messaging system. We’re sure you’ll appreciate the convenience of this service. To help you use My Health Portfolio to its fullest, here is some additional information.

 

Here are a few helpful hints to get you started:

® The only way to get to My Health Portfolio is from our homepage, www.fmsflorida.com Clicking on the link will transfer you to the logon screen. Look for the icon displayed here.

® When you log on for the first time, you will be asked to change your password. You will also be asked to provide an e-mail address and select a secret question along with the answer to that question. This information will be used to verify your identity in the future when you log on to My Health Portfolio. (If you forget your username or password, the information will be emailed to the address you provide.)

® Your password is case sensitive. Check your Caps Lock key before entering your password.

® To send a message to a provider or employee, Click “compose” from the main screen in My Health Portfolio. To help choose the best recipient, the dropdown list of all recipients now includes names and titles.

® For password and account problems, follow the “forgot password’ from the main log-in screen. You may also report a problem via phone to our front office staff.

® Instructions and helpful hints are available at this link, http://www.fmsflorida.com/HelpfulHintsMyHealthPortfolio.htm

 

Messaging Basics

You can send a message to almost anyone who works for either Drs. Gimness or Aref. A list of key recipients is posted on our website at the following link, www.fmsflorida.com (Look for the “Send Message Guide” under the My Health Portfolio drop-down menu.) This guide will help you identify the best recipient for your message. If you already know the name of the person you want to web message, look for it in the dropdown list.

The email address you provide to My Health Portfolio when you first log on will be used to send alert messages to you. The messages will encourage you to log in your web account to pick up important information. The alerts are triggered when new lab results have been published for you, when a new web message is in your web account inbox and to remind you of an upcoming appointment. The messages sent to your email account will not contain protected health information. If you have been one of our patients for some time and are just now signing up for a web account, you may receive alerts for lab results that were reported a while ago (in addition to recently ordered lab test). It is a signal that these historical results are available for you to view in your web account.

 

Clinical Questions

My Health Portfolio is a convenient way to get additional information about your visit and your healthcare. We will send messages about test results and follow-up recommendations to your web account inbox. And we will respond to clinical questions you ask via web message.

Although our providers answer clinical questions via web message, it is important to remember that My Health Portfolio is not a place where clinical advice is provided. If we think your questions should be addressed in an office visit, we will encourage you to come into the office. Although we believe it is important to make sure your questions are adequately answered, My Health Portfolio is not intended to replace the face-to-face physician-patient interaction. We reserve the right to revoke web messaging privileges if the messaging is excessive or inappropriate.

You should never report urgent medical problems via a web message. If you need an urgent (but not emergent) medical question answered, call our office, (813) 567-5679 (Dr. Gimness) or 813-567-5682 (Dr. Aref). During the day we have nurses available to triage your problem. After hours, our answering service will make sure our on-call physician contacts you promptly. If you experience an emergency, call 911 immediately.

If you send your message to a physician, please allow 72 hours for a response. If your message was sent to nursing or non-clinical personnel, expect a response the same day or the next day. If you require a faster turn around, please call the office for assistance.

 

Lab Results

On My Health Portfolio, we display all of your lab results for you. Some lab test results are reported as numeric values. (A thyroid stimulating hormone test is a good example.) For numeric values, the range of normal values is also displayed for your benefit so you can easily understand the result. Some results are reported as a “positive,” “negative” or “non-reactive.” A Group Beta Strep (GBS) test is an example. Some other tests are reported as qualitative assessments that require physician interpretation. (A Surepath Pap test, or screening for cervical cancer test, is an example.) For qualitative assessments, the reported results are sometimes confusing or difficult to understand. Typically, we will send a message to your web account providing an interpretation of the result. We will send an alert to your email address letting you know that a new result (or a new web message) has arrived approximately 24-48 hours after the result arrives.

 

Appointments and Diagnosis Codes

Your web account also displays information about previous office visits. The information available includes the dates of service, the provider you saw and the primary diagnosis codes used for billing purposes. Some patients are concerned and/or curious about the codes used and ask for an explanation. Diagnosis codes sometimes describe a confirmed diagnosis that applies to you. If you are pregnant for the first time, you will see “Supervision of Normal First Pregnancy” (V22.1) often in your list of office visits. If you come in to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases, a prerequisite for receiving treatment for infertility, you may see “Screening Examination for Venereal Disease (V74.5)” listed as a diagnosis code. This is not an indication that you have been diagnosed with a venereal disease. It merely explains to your insurance carrier (when we submit a bill) why the tests were ordered.

 

Other Requests

Besides clinical questions, MHP is a great way for you to conduct other business with Family Medical Specialists of Florida. You can request an appointment, submit prescription refill request, update demographic and insurance information or inquire about a balance on your account. Your requests will be handled promptly.

 

Password Problems

When you first log on to My Health Portfolio, you will be asked to provide personal information that will be used by the web portal to identify you in the event that you forget your username or password. The information you provide is maintained by the website. We’ll ask for your date of birth, social security number and an email address. We’ll also ask you to select a secret question along with the answer to that question. In the future, if you forget your login information, go to the My Health Portfolio website and click on “Forgot Password.” You must then provide name, DOB, SSN and the answer to the secret question you selected. Then, your login credentials will be emailed to the email address on file. (If you change your email address in the future, you should return to My Health Portfolio and update your account information.)

 

Changing your E-Mail Address

If you change your email address in the future, you should return to My Health Portfolio and update your account information. You must change this information under the heading “User Preferences.” Doing so will ensure My Health Portfolio has your preferred email address. Submitting an email address change to FMS via the “Personal Information” category will not change the email address on the website.

 

A Note about Spam Filters

Many internet service providers (ISPs) (AOL, Comcast, Mindspring, etc.) and free email services (Hotmail, Google Mail, etc) now offer powerful spam filters. These filters prevent emails from unknown senders from reaching your inbox. Since we rely on email to communicate with you about your account, it is important that you add our email addresses to your trusted sender’s list. Email coming from us will have one of two addresses after the @ symbol: someone@fmsflorida.com or FamilyMedicalSpecialistsofFlorida@a4secure.net.

 

A Note about Web Browsers

My Health Portfolio is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer. There are known problems with other browsers such as Mozilla, Firefox and Netscape. To avoid these problems, please use Internet Explorer when accessing My Health Portfolio.

 

Closing Your Web Account

My Health Portfolio may not be for everyone. If you decide you do not want to use our web portal, please inform your provider’s medical assistant. If an account was never created for you, we will place a reminder on your chart to ensure you receive test result notification via regular mail. If an account was already created, we will close the account.

Feedback

Our goal is to make using My Health Portfolio easy and reliable. If you have suggestions or comments about My Health Portfolio, send a web message or submit a comment from our website, here.

We hope you enjoy My Health Portfolio and we welcome your comments and feedback.

 

Helpful Hints for My Health Portfolio Users

My Health Portfolio should NEVER be used to communicate with us regarding a medical emergency.
In the event of an emergency, please dial 911.

If you sent your message to a physician, please allow 72 hours for a response. If your message was sent to nursing or non-clinical personnel, please allow 24-48 hours for a response. If you require a faster turn around, please call the office for assistance.

My Health Portfolio is currently compatible with Internet Explorer. Other web browsers such as Netscape or Mozilla Firefox do not work. Please use Internet Explorer to access My Health Portfolio

What we Offer

LOCATION

Family Medical Specialists of Florida,
PLC
1703 Thonotosassa Road, Suite A
Plant City, FL 33563
Phone: 813-567-5679
Fax: 813-567-5686

OFFICE/HOURS

Monday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed

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