Introduction
The Patient Portal is a complex, self-service digital interface that forms a modern bridge between the healthcare institution and its clients.
The primary objective of the platform is to provide patients with full control over their healthcare processes: it enables independent management of bookings, secure access to medical reports and documents from anywhere, and keeps personal data up to date.
The function significantly relieves the reception and call center, as patients can find information without telephone assistance. Digital document management minimizes paper usage and associated administrative costs, while the transparent interface increases patient trust and loyalty to the clinic.
Main Content
1. System-Level Administration and Branding Setup
The global operating parameters and appearance of the Patient Portal must be defined in the system's admin interface. To do this, navigate to the Contracts menu item in the left sidebar. When editing the specific contracting partner, locate the Patient Portal Settings section.
Branding Elements: Here, you can upload the institution's logo and the favicon displayed in the browser tab. The primary color of the portal can be defined to match the clinic's brand, and a custom URL suffix can also be set.
Identification Mode Choice: You can decide whether patients identify themselves using their Email address or their SSN (TAJ) number during login.
Access Type:
* Manual mode: Access must be activated manually and individually for each patient.
* Automatic mode: Every patient with validated data in the system immediately and automatically receives login authorization.
2. Permission Management and Technical Requirements
If manual access is configured, permissions must be granted under the Patient Portal tab by clicking on the patient's record in the Patient handling-> Patient database menu.
Importance of the Phone Number: A valid, recorded phone number is an indispensable and mandatory requirement for using the portal. Since the system performs SMS authentication at every login, the patient cannot log in without a phone number.
Notification Settings: The same interface allows you to control how the patient is notified when a new document is generated. You can choose between "Email only" or "Email and SMS". Note that SMS notifications are always subject to a fee.
3. Document Upload and Visibility Rules
Documents can only be uploaded by clinic staff under the Documents tab on the patient's datasheet. Patients do not have the option to upload files.
During the upload process, the following parameters must be specified in the pop-up window:
File Selection: The system supports pdf, jpg, and png formats.
Type: Define the nature of the document (e.g., Invoice, Report, Ambulatory sheet).
Patient Access: A toggle switch allows you to set whether the document should be visible on the patient's own interface (Yes/No).
Send Notification: You can separately control whether the patient receives an automatic notification (Email/SMS/Push) about the document at the moment of upload.
4. Login and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Patients can access the login interface from the header of the booking page or via the portal's direct link.
Identification: Providing the configured identifier (Email or SSN) and phone number is mandatory.
SMS Authentication: For security, the system sends a unique SMS code to the patient's phone at every login. This two-factor authentication is a mandatory security feature that cannot be disabled.
Password Management: A new password must be set during the first login or in case of a forgotten password. Requirements: minimum 8 characters, including lowercase letters, uppercase letters, and numbers.
Error Messages: In case of failed login attempts or incorrect data, the system assists the user with precise error messages.
5. Details of the Patient-Side Interface
After a successful login, the patient can navigate through a transparent menu system:
Bookings: They can view their current and active appointments, with the option to modify or cancel them if necessary.
Data: Patients can edit their personal and address data. Changes made here are immediately updated in the institution's central patient database.
Documents: All shared files are found here. By default, documents appear in descending order by the date of the examination. A smart search function assists navigation.
History: The list of previous visits are available here.
Tips
Tip: To protect patient data, the system automatically logs out the user after 1 hour of inactivity.
Tip: If a patient has access to multiple profiles (e.g., their children or family members), they can easily switch between different accounts using the patient selector function after logging in.
Tip: For clinics with multiple locations, the system offers an institution selector when starting a new booking from the portal to designate the exact location.
Summary
The entire branding and basic settings of the Patient Portal are configured in the Contracts menu.
A valid phone number and two-factor SMS authentication are essential for login.
Administrators can control document visibility and notification methods on a per-file basis.
Personal data modified by patients is immediately synchronized with the central system.
Using the portal significantly reduces the administrative burden on the reception.
FAQ
Why isn't the patient receiving the SMS code for login?
Why isn't the patient receiving the SMS code for login?
Check the patient's datasheet to ensure the phone number is recorded correctly in international format. If the code does not arrive, the "Resend" button becomes active after 60 seconds.
How can I disable SMS notifications for documents?
How can I disable SMS notifications for documents?
Navigate to the Patient Portal tab on the patient's datasheet and set the notification format to "Email only". This also helps in optimizing costs.
Can a patient who has never visited the clinic register?
Can a patient who has never visited the clinic register?
Not at the moment, although the need for this feature has been identified. In the meantime, clinic staff can manually add the patient to the records at their request and enable access to the patient portal for them.