Thank you for using our online patient portal, which provides a convenient way to manage your health and stay in touch with your care team, such as refilling prescriptions, and giving your care team updates on your health.
Over the past few years, our patient portal has also become another way to seek medical advice, rather than coming in for an appointment. This has resulted in a significant increase in the number of messages we receive. To account for the medical advice and expertise provided through our portal, we will begin billing for some of these medical advice responses that provide care or consultation that otherwise would have been done through an office or telemedicine appointment. Just like getting care in-person or on video, portal consultation via messages may result in cost sharing with your insurance. Messages that out staff can address without your providers' input will be addressed without a portal consultation. If your concern can be addressed via a portal consultation, your provider will do so within 3-5 business days. Of course, depending on the complexity and urgency of your concerns, you may prefer or decide to have your needs met in-person or by video visit, after consulting your provider. These options will continue to be available, as always.
Starting September 1st, 2025, medical advice messages may be billed to you and/or your insurance. If a patient portal message is billable, we will first bill your insurance provider, as we do for all other medical services.
Messages that will not be billed — You and/or your insurance will not be billed for the following types of online patient portal messages:
- Requesting a prescription refill
- Questions that lead to an appointment
- Questions related to a visit you had in the last seven days
- Questions about billing
- Messages that take less than five minutes of your provider’s time to answer
Messages that may be billed — While most patient portal messages will not be charged, replies that require medical expertise and more than five minutes of your provider’s time may be billed, as we do for other medical services. Types of messages that may be billed include:
- Requests for new medications
- Questions about new symptoms or problems
- Questions about social media posts, news, journal articles and online publications
- Questions about treatment plan and medications prescribed by another healthcare provider
- Changes to a chronic condition
- Requests to fill out medical forms
Medicare and most private insurance providers cover online patient portal messages after standard copays and deductibles are met. If you are not insured, self-pay rates may apply. Depending on your insurer, the costs may be covered at 100% or you may receive a bill which may represent a copay, coinsurance and/or deductible. Contact your insurer to learn your out-of-pocket cost for a medical advice message. If the insurer asks for a “CPT code”, the codes typically used are G2010, 99421, 99422 and 99423. If you do not have insurance or the service is not covered by insurance, you will receive a bill based on our self-pay rates.
We are honored and pleased to continue to provide new ways to access care and appreciate that our online patient portal has become a valued and convenient source of medical care for you, our patients.
Thank you for the privilege of being your health partner.