My Health Record Guide

We want My Health Record to be as convenient and easy to use as possible. So we have created this guide to get you started and to answer Frequently Asked Questions.

Tips for using My Health Record
Welcome to My Health Record, our secure patient web portal. Via My Health Record you now have access to much of the pertinent health information contained in your AWS medical record. We know how important having access to this information is to you. We also recognize that communication with a physician office via phones and voicemail can be ineffective and frustrating.

Our web portal not only provides you with 24/7 access to your health information, it also gives you a powerful communication tool. You now have the ability to communicate directly with your physician via a private, secure messaging system. We're sure you'll appreciate the convenience of this service.

To help you use My Health Record to its fullest, here is some additional information.

You can reach My Health Record from the icon on the top right of all sites pages or by going to "My Health Record" in the My Account section of our site.
When you log on for the first time, you will be asked to change your password. You will also be asked to provide an e-mail address and select a secret question along with the answer to that question. This information will be used to verify your identity in the future when you log on to My Health Record. (If you forget your user name or password, the information will be emailed to the address you provide.)
Your password is case sensitive. Check your Caps Lock key before entering your password.
To send a message to an AWS provider or employee, Click "compose" from the main screen in My Health Record. To help choose the best recipient, the drop down list of all recipients now includes names and titles. Add hyperlink to staff directory here as well.
For password and account problems, click "forgot password' from the main log-in screen. You may also report a problem via phone to our front office staff.

Messaging Basics
A list of key recipients can be found here. This guide will help you identify the best recipient for your message Unfortunately, this directory is not displayed in My Health Record; it is only displayed on our public website, so be sure to look there before logging in. If you already know the name of the person you want to web message, you'll find that name in the drop-down list when you go to compose a message in My Health Record.

The email address you provide to My Health Record when you first log on will be used to send alert messages to you. The messages will encourage you to log in your web account to pick up important information. The alerts are triggered when new lab results have been published for you, when a new web message is in your web account inbox and to remind you of an upcoming appointment. The messages sent to your email account will not contain protected health information. If you have been one of our patients for some time and are just now signing up for a web account, you may receive alerts for lab results that were reported a while ago (in addition to recently ordered lab tests). It is a signal that these historical results are available for you to view in your web account.

Clinical Questions
My Health Record is a convenient way to get additional information about your visit and your healthcare. We will send messages about test results and follow-up recommendations to your web account inbox. And we will respond to clinical questions you ask via web message.

Although our providers answer clinical questions via web message, it is important to remember that My Health Record is not a place where clinical advice is provided. If we think your questions should be addressed in an office visit, we will encourage you to come in to the office. Although we believe it is important to make sure your questions are adequately answered, My Health Record is not intended to replace the face-to-face physician-patient interaction. We reserve the right to revoke web messaging privileges if the messaging is excessive or inappropriate.

You should never report urgent medical problems via a web message. If you need an urgent (but not emergent) medical question answered, call our office, (404) 252-5196. During the day we have nurses available to triage your problem. After hours, our answering service will make sure our on-call physician contacts you promptly. If you experience an emergency, call 911 immediately.

If you send your message to a physician or nurse practitioner, please allow 72 hours for a response. If your message was sent to nursing or non-clinical personnel, expect a response the same day or the next day. If you require a faster turn around, please call the office for assistance.

Lab Results
On My Health Record, we display all of your lab results for you. Some lab test results are reported as numeric values. (A thyroid stimulating hormone test is a good example.) For numeric values, the range of normal values is also displayed for your benefit so you can easily understand the result. Some results are reported as a "positive," "negative" or "non reactive." A Group Beta Strep (GBS) test is an example. Some other tests are reported as qualitative assessments that require physician interpretation. (A Surepath Pap test, or screening for cervical cancer test, is an example.) For qualitative assessments, the reported results are sometimes confusing or difficult to understand. Typically, we will send a message to your web account providing an interpretation of the result. We will send an alert to your email address letting you know that a new result (or a new web message) has arrived approximately 24-48 hours after the result arrives.

Appointments and Diagnosis Codes
Your web account also displays information about previous office visits. The information available includes the dates of service, the provider you saw and the primary diagnosis codes used for billing purposes. Some patients are concerned and/or curious about the codes used and ask for an explanation. Diagnosis codes sometimes describe a confirmed diagnosis that applies to you. If you are pregnant for the first time, you will see "Supervision of Normal First Pregnancy" (V22.1) often in your list of office visits. If you come in to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases, a requirement for a marriage license in Georgia and also a prerequisite for receiving treatment for infertility, you may see "Screening Examination for Venereal Disease (V74.5)" listed as a diagnosis code. This is not an indication that you have been diagnosed with a venereal disease. It merely explains to your insurance carrier (when we submit a bill) why the tests were ordered.

Other Requests
Besides clinical questions, My Health Record is a great way for you to conduct other business with Atlanta Women's Specialists. You can request an appointment, submit a prescription refill request, update demographic and insurance information or inquire about a balance on your account. Your requests will be handled promptly.

Password Problems
When you first log on to My Health Record, you will be asked to provide personal information that will be used by the web portal to identify you in the event that you forget your user name or password. The information you provide is maintained by the website. We'll ask for your date of birth, social security number and an email address. We'll also ask you to select a secret question along with the answer to that question. In the future, if you forget your log on information, go to the My Health Record website and click on "Forgot Password." You must then provide name, DOB, SSN and the answer to the secret question you selected. Then, your login credentials will be emailed to the email address on file. (If you change your email address in the future, you should return to My Health Record and update your account information.)

A Note about Spam Filters
Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) (AOL, Comcast, AT&T, etc.) and free email services (Hotmail, Google Mail, etc) now offer powerful spam filters. These filters prevent emails from unknown senders from reaching your inbox. Since we rely on email to communicate with you about your account, it is important that you add our email addresses to your trusted senders list. Email coming from us will have one of two addresses after the @ symbol: someone@awsphysicians.com or AtlantaWomensSpecialists@a4secure.net.

A Note about Web Browsers
My Health Record is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer. There are known problems with other browsers such as Firefox. To avoid these problems, please use Internet Explorer when accessing My Health Record.

Closing Your Web Account
My Health Record may not be for everyone. If you decide you do not want to use our web portal, please inform your provider's medical assistant. If an account was never created for you, we will place a reminder on your chart to ensure you receive notification about test results via regular mail. If an account was already created, we will close the account.

Feedback
Our goal is to make using My Health Record easy and reliable. If you have suggestions or comments about My Health Record, send a web message or submit a comment from our website.

We hope you enjoy My Health Record and we welcome your comments and feedback.

My Health Record Guide

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