Patient Ally – Part II

This article explains how to navigate the Patient Ally interface, enroll and set up a provider, invite patients, and share documents and information.

Key Differences: EHR vs. Practice Mate

There are a few important differences between Practice Mate and EHR when using Patient Ally:

• In EHR, documents, lab results, forms, and clinical summaries can be sent directly to patients and viewed within Patient Ally.

• In Practice Mate, documents must be uploaded and attached to a message before being sent. The patient can then view the message and any attachments within Patient Ally.

• The option to allow a provider to share and send documents to Patient Ally is only available in EHR — this option is not available in Practice Mate.

Steps

1. Enroll and Set Up a Provider in Practice Mate

• Click the Manage Office tab and select Patient Ally Settings under the Company Settings menu.

• Click the Edit icon for the desired provider.

• Select “Yes, I would like to join Patient Ally.”

• Make your selections. Available options include allowing patients to request appointments, send messages, and upload attachments.

• Grant staff permission to view and respond to messages, appointment requests, and eVisits on the selected provider’s behalf.

• Note: The option to allow patients to access lab results and documents is only available in EHR. The Pay Bill feature is not currently available. The provider must have a schedule defined for the process to complete.

• Click Update to complete the setup.

2. Enroll and Set Up a Provider in EHR

• Click the Manage Office tab and select the Patient Ally Settings link from the side menu.

• Select the desired provider and click the Edit icon.

• Select “Yes, I would like to join Patient Ally.”

• Check the appropriate boxes to set your preferences, ensuring that options allowing patients to view documents and other resources are enabled.

• Click Update to complete the setup.

3. Invite Patients to Patient Ally

The invitation process is similar in both EHR and Practice Mate.

• Select the Manage Patients tab and locate the patient you wish to enroll.

• Click the Edit icon next to their name.

• Click the Not Enrolled button to begin the setup process.

• Before proceeding, ensure all required demographic fields are completed: full name, date of birth (patient must be over 18), phone number, and a valid email address.

• In the patient enrollment form, verify all required fields are filled out and select a provider.

• Click Send Enrollment. The patient’s status will update to Pending, and they will receive an email with an invitation link to register and create a login.

• Once enrolled, patients can send and receive messages, view and set appointments, access their history, medications, and lab results, and send and receive documents.

4. Communicate with Patients via the Patient Portal

• Navigate to the Patient Portal tab. Enrolled patients can send, receive, and view messages and documents, as well as request appointments.

• To send a message, click Compose New. Specify whether the message is for a specific patient or all patients, select the sender, choose a template if applicable, and add the subject and message details.

• Attach files if needed, then send. Note: In Practice Mate, composing a message is the only method for sharing documents with patients.

• All messages, attachments, appointments, and shared information will appear in Patient Ally.

5. Send Intake Forms with Appointments

• Click the Appointments tab and select Add New Appointment.

• Populate the form and check the applicable boxes toward the bottom of the page.

• If the patient is enrolled in Patient Ally, they will be able to access the intake form directly within the portal.

6. Share Documents and Lab Results via EHR

• Select the Patient Charts tab and click on the desired patient.

• Hover over Documents and select View All Documents.

• If changes are needed, click Update, then click the Route button. This sends the document to Patient Ally for the patient to view.

• To send additional forms such as a clinical summary, click the Notes icon and then select the Route button.

Patient Ally is now configured and ready for use. Providers and staff can communicate securely with patients, share documents, and manage appointments all within a single platform. For additional assistance, contact Office Ally support.

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