Our Patient Portal Rules and Regulations
If you are an existing patient in our office, we have a free online service available called the "Patient Portal." The link below allows you to communicate in a secure online manner directly with members of our health care team.
To use the Patient Portal, you must obtain a username and password. This will be assigned to you during your office visit. You must have a permanent email address that you check consistently. You may submit a request to change your password at any time by clicking on the option "change/reset password" on the logon page. For security reasons, if you submit an incorrect password three times, you will be locked out of the Portal and will need to contact our office to unlock your account.
Important Information Regarding the Patient Portal
- Use is limited to non-emergency communication and requests primarily involving reviewing lab results, prescription refill requests, requesting appointments and staff messages.
- The Portal facilitates communication between appointments. However, the Portal does not replace your scheduled office appointments.
- It is not checked on the weekends or holidays.
- We expect to respond to communications, requests and password changes within 72 hours.
- We will not send any private health information to your e-mail (non-secure).
- We 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.
- Please keep your messages brief. There is a time limit on writing your message and the system may time out.
- Do not access the patient portal from public computers as there is a potential for a breach of privacy.
The following agreements and procedures relate to online communications:
- Our office will keep a copy of all medically important Patient Portal communications in your electronic medical record. This means that appropriate members of our staff will have access to these communications as part of our medical records keeping, treatment, and billing and will be released with your medical record when you authorize release of your medical record or when required by the law.
- We will make every attempt to respond to your communications 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. If you have not had a response to your request, please contact our office via the telephone.
- While we 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.
- You should print or store (on a computer or storage device owned and controlled by you) a copy of all Patient Portal communications that are important to you.
- You agree to follow the procedures that we implement that will allow us to verify your identity in connection with Patient Portal communications and you acknowledge that failure to comply with these procedures may terminate our Patient Portal communications.
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 can not 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.
- Standard e-mail lacks security and privacy features and may expose medical communications to employers or other unintended third parties. Do not use standard email to communicate with our office.
- If you no longer have or want access to this webpage, please notify us by written online communications or in writing to our office. Please allow one week for us to process the request.
Use good communications 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.
- We will send a notification to your e-mail address when a message has been sent to you in your Patient Portal.
The following pertains to access and use of online communications:
- Online communications does not decrease or diminish any of the other ways in which you can communicate with or see your physician. It is an additional option and not a replacement. You are encouraged to contact our office via telephone if you have any questions or needs.
- Dr. Nkwonta will decide which medical topics are appropriate for online communications and with whom we communicate with online. 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 notice to you.
Patient Acknowledgement and Agreement
By using the “Patient Portal” you acknowledge that you have read and fully understand the Terms & Conditions as described. You understand the procedures and risks associated with online communications with your healthcare team and you consent to the conditions described.
Alliance Primary care of New Jersey
JOYCE NKWONTA, M.D © 2013
1314 PARK AVENUE, SUITE 1, PLAINFIELD, NJ 07060
