Our practice adopted this system of patient to physician messaging about 10 years ago with the idea we could use it to start messaging with our patients from home or when we were out of town. It was a way to take some of the pressure off of the on-call provider and to introduce electronic prescription writing to the practice. We now have over 1400 patients online and growing. It has reduced our office call volume by about 270 phone calls per month, so our staff like it.
I used it today to take care of a nephew with special needs that lives in Detroit, but couldn't get into either of his doctors this week, since they are both out of town. My sister was able to attach a picture of a skin problem to a message and I could look at it from over an hour away and send a prescription and a care plan to the local pharmacy for him to start medication today. His treatment is documented in his chart and can be passed on to the local hospital or forwarded to his doctor when they are back in town. I did all of this from my desk at lunch.
Ask your doctor if they do web messaging or have a patient portal. Many Electronic Medical Records have them today.
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