Patient portals allow secure messaging, test result access, appointment scheduling, and record viewing. Portal messages between patient and provider become part of the designated record set.
Access logs record when a patient viewed results and communications.
Alternative Names:
Portal Messages, Patient Portal Communications
Why it Matters?
Portal messages are an underused discovery source in injury litigation because patients describe symptoms and activities to providers in writing, often more candidly than in formal testimony. Access logs are separately useful, since they establish when a patient actually viewed a result, which bears on notice and on failure-to-follow-up claims. These records require a specific request, since a general medical records demand may not produce them.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why request portal messages specifically?
What do access logs establish?
