PPC Patient Portal - Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to email questions to Personal Physician Care healthcare providers?

The Personal Physician Care Patient Portal allows each patient or family member to submit a non-urgent question electronically to the primary care team. Questions and answers can be viewed online by logging into your user profile. Questions are generally answered within three business days. Families can also notify us of changes in address, phone numbers, insurance, etc., through the portal.

How secure is the Personal Physician Care Patient Portal?

All information within the Personal Physician Care Patient Portal is secure, providing the patient and family with complete privacy. The Patient Portal is accessed through a secure, password-protected web site. Password rules are in place to ensure password confidentiality.

How do I sign up for the Personal Physician Care Patient Portal?

Patients can register for the Personal Physician Care Patient Portal by coming into the office. An authorization form must be completed and scanned into the patient’s chart before access to the Patient Portal is granted. Please print the authorization form (in .pdf format), fill it out completely, and return it to our office in person or by fax at (561) 498-0753. After we receive your authorization form, an account will be set up and a notification will be sent to the email address you have provided.

To use the Personal Physician Care Patient Portal, you must obtain a username and password. You must have a permanent email address that you check consistently. Please contact Personal Physician Care, P.A. (PERSONAL PHYSICIAN CARE) and we will assign you a username and a temporary password. You may submit a request to change your password at any time by contacting our office.

-- Link to Personal Physician Care Patient Portal Authorization Form --
-- Link to Patient and Legal Guardian Patient Portal Access Authorization Form --

What are the Terms and Conditions of Use for the Personal Physician Care Patient Portal?

Before getting access to the Personal Physician Care Patient Portal, patients should take the time to review the Terms and Conditions of Use listed below.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE

Important Information Regarding the Personal Physician Care Patient Portal:

• Use of the Personal Physician Care Patient Portal is limited to non‐emergency communication and requests.
• The Personal Physician Care Patient Portal facilitates communication between appointments. However, the Patient Portal does not replace your scheduled office visits.
• It is not checked on the weekends.
• Please allow up to 72 hours to respond to communications and requests.
• Personal Physician Care will not send any private health information to your e‐mail.
• Personal Physician Care will send you an e‐mail only when necessary, to request that you access the secure Patient Portal to review private healthcare information that we have posted on your Patient Portal.

Take steps to keep communications private and confidential including:

• Do not store messages on your employer‐provided computer; otherwise personal information can be accessible or owned by your employer.
• Use a screen saver or close your messages so that any passerby cannot read them
• Keep your username and password safe and private.
• Do not allow other individuals or other third parties to access the computer(s) upon which you store medical communications.

Communication Etiquette:

• Confirm that your name and other personal information in the message is correct.
• Review the message before sending it to make sure that it is clear and that all relevant information is included.
• Update your contact information online as soon as it changes including your regularly used e‐mail address.
• Personal Physician Care will not use your e‐mail account to send private health care communication due to lack of security.
• Personal Physician Care will send a notification to your e‐mail address when a message has been sent to you in your Patient Portal.

Agreements & Procedures Relevant to Online Communications:

Personal Physician Care will keep a copy of all medically important Patient Portal communications in your electronic medical record. This means that appropriate members of the staff will have access to these communications as part of our medical records keeping, treatment, and billing.

You should print or securely store a copy of all Patient Portal communications that are important to you.

 Personal Physician Care will not forward Patient Portal communications to third parties except as authorized or required by law.

As a Portal user, you agree to follow the procedures that Personal Physician Care implements to verify your identity in connection with Patient Portal communications and acknowledge that failure to comply with these procedures may terminate Patient Portal communications.

Personal Physician Care Patient Portal communications will be used only for limited purposes. Patient Portal communications cannot be used for emergencies or time‐sensitive matters. It should be used with caution.

Personal Physician Care will make every attempt to respond within the timeframe we have designated. However, there may be times when this is not feasible, and you understand and agree to accept variations in response times and use other forms of communications with our office if Patient Portal responses are not satisfactory to you. Please note that Patient Portal communications should never be used for emergency communications or urgent requests. These should occur via telephone or using existing emergency communications tools.

While Personal Physician Care will take reasonable precautions to protect your information, we are not liable for improper disclosure of confidential information unless it was caused by our intentional misconduct.

Follow‐up is solely your responsibility. You are responsible for scheduling any necessary appointments and for determining if an unanswered online communication was not received or responded to in a timely fashion.

You are responsible for taking steps to protect yourself from unauthorized use of Patient Portal communications, such as keeping your password confidential. Personal Physician Care is not responsible for breaches of confidentiality caused by you or an independent third party.

Access & Use of Online Communications:

Online communications does not decrease or diminish any of the other ways in which you can communicate with our physicians and staff. It is an additional option and not a replacement. You are encouraged to contact our office via telephone, mail or in person, as always, if you have any questions or needs.

In addition to online communication, you may be directed to contact us via telephone or in person at any time.

We may stop providing online communications with you or change the services we provide online at any time without prior notification to you.

Risks of Using Online Personal Physician Care Patient Portal Communications:

All medical communications carry some level of risk. While the likelihood of risks associated with the use of online Patient Portal communications, particularly in a secure environment, is substantially reduced, the risks are nonetheless real and very important to understand. It is very important that you consider these risks each time you plan to communicate with us, and communicate in such a fashion as to mitigate the potential for any of these risks.

These risks include, but are not limited to:

• Online communications may travel much further than you planned. It is easier for online communications to be forwarded, intercepted, or even changed without your knowledge.
• Online communication is easier to falsify than handwritten or signed hard copies. A dishonest person could attempt to impersonate you to try to get your medical records.
• It is harder to get rid of an online communication. Backup copies may exist on a computer or in cyberspace, even after you have deleted your copies.
• Online communication is not private simply because it relates to your own medical information. We use a secure network for the Patient Portal and avoid using standard e‐mail or e‐mail systems provided by employers to transmit private health care information. 
• Employers and online services have a right to inspect and keep online communications transmitted through their system.
• Online communications are also admissible as evidence in court.
• Online communications may disrupt or damage your computer if a computer virus is attached.

Patient Acknowledgement and Agreement:

By using the “Personal Physician Care Patient Portal” you acknowledge that you have read and fully understand the Terms & Conditions of Use as described. You understand the procedures and risks associated with online communications with your healthcare team and you consent to the conditions described.