An Overview of the Patient Portal
The OpenEMR Patient Portal is a secure online platform that allows patients to actively participate in their healthcare management. It serves as a digital bridge between the patient and the clinic, providing convenient access to medical information and communication tools.
Key Features for Patients
Once a patient is granted access, they can perform a variety of actions, including:
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View Health Records: Access visit summaries, lab results, and other clinical documents.
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Request Appointments: Schedule new appointments directly through the portal.
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Secure Messaging: Communicate securely with providers and clinic staff.
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Manage Personal Information: Update demographic and insurance details.
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Online Bill Pay: View statements and pay medical bills online.
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Fill Out Forms: Complete new patient forms or other necessary documents prior to a visit.
Administrator Setup
To begin using the portal, an administrator must first enable it for the practice and configure its settings.
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Navigate to Admin > Config in the main menu.
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Select the Portal tab.
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Check the box for "Enable Patient Portal".
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For Patient Portal Site Address, enter the URL for your deployment (e.g.,
https://myclinic.prd.opencoreemr.com/portal/). -
Save your changes.
How to Authorize a Patient for Portal Access
Once the portal is enabled globally, you must authorize each patient individually.
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Open the patient's dashboard.
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Navigate to the Demographics section.
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On the Contact tab, ensure that both a Contact Email and a Trusted Email have been entered for the patient.
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Switch to the Choices tab and set "Allow Patient Portal" to YES.
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Return to the main patient dashboard.
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Under the Patient Portal / API Access section, click the Create+ link under Credentials.
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Save the new username and password. You can then copy/paste the login credentials to email to your patient, or save the generated PDF.