Emory Student Health and Counseling Services

Student FAQs Regarding Your Patient Portal

  • What is “Your Patient Portal”?

“Your Patient Portal” is the familiar name for OpenCommunicator, the web-based access point to Point and Click, our new electronic patient-practice information system. With this online communication system, Emory students can:

  • Schedule appointments with healthcare providers at Student Health Services
  • Send and receive secure messages to staff at Student Health Services
  • Request prescription refills (click on “Messages” to access this service)
  • Access personal patient account information
  • How do I access “Your Patient Portal”?

You can log in directly at https://www.shspnc.emory.edu or click on the Your Patient Portal icon on the Health Services homepage at http://studenthealth.emory.edu/hs/index.php.

  • What do I do if I have a problem while scheduling an appointment online?

Our hope is that students will find this new system very user-friendly, but if you encounter a problem, please give us a call at 404-727-7551 and we’ll either walk you through the steps online or make the appointment with you over the phone. If you encounter a problem after hours, leave us a message and we’ll contact you during the next business day.

  • I’d like to schedule an appointment for several weeks from now. How do I do that?

When you request an appointment, the default is to show you the first 60 appointments available. The first 60 available appointments may span a few days or a few weeks depending on the provider or type of appointment you are requesting. If you would like to set a different start date for the search, follow the process of making an appointment, but then click the blue hyperlink “here” in the text above the list of available appointments rather than selecting from those first 60 available. That hyperlink will take you to a page where you can input an alternate start date. The list of available appointments will then start on the date you entered.

  • Why can’t I schedule my Counseling Center appointments online as well?

Though we share a common mission and a common name - Student Health and Counseling Services - the Counseling Center is in a separate location. Our colleagues in the Counseling Center in Cox Hall use a different practice management system that is not compatible with the online scheduling feature of OpenCommunicator. To schedule appointments at the Counseling Center at Cox Hall, please call 404-727-7450. As part of the Campus Master Plan, we are slated to unite with the Counseling Center in one, accessible, student-friendly location. Once we are in the same building (wherever that will be!), we hope to be able to better merge our practice management systems and online functionality. Stay tuned!

  • Can I cancel appointments online too?

Yes, once you book an appointment it will appear in your online account as a “currently scheduled appointment.” Below each appointment will appear a hyperlink of the text “cancel appointment” – click on that link to cancel your appointment. Non web-booked appointments will also show up in your online account so you can cancel them online even if they weren’t made online. There is a “no-show” fee associated with some visit types. You may be charged a fee if you fail to cancel your appointment within 24 hours. Read more online at http://studenthealth.emory.edu/hs/hs_no_show.php.

  • Whoa! The Health Center offers a ton of services. How can I find out more about them?”

We are pleased to offer Emory students comprehensive services for a healthier student body, mind and spirit. You can learn more on our webpage, http://studenthealth.emory.edu. We’ve divided our website into three areas to encompass our multidisciplinary scope: Health Services, Counseling Center, and Health Promotion. Click on the links to each area (particularly the “services” sub-pages) to learn more.

  • I don’t remember my password for university accounts like OPUS. What do I do?

If you are having trouble with your Network ID or Password, please contact the IT Help Desk at 404-727-7777. (If you don’t want to have to call the IT Help Desk every time you forget your password, you can sign up for the Emory Self-Service Password Reset feature at the Self Service Password Change Page at http://it.emory.edu/showdoc.cfm?docid=4128.)

  • I liked MedBuddy-U – why did you replace it with this new system?

MedBuddy-U offered students a lot of great features, but one drawback was that students could only request appointments online. Now, with Your Patient Portal, you can actually make most appointments online to select the time that is most convenient for you. In addition, OpenCommunicator is part of an overall practice management system called Point and Click that we started using in winter 2008. Your Patient Portal represents the latest in our roll-out of the capabilities of this new system. We’ll be steadily adding features and will ultimately move to an electronic medical record system.

  • Can I fill out required paperwork online now too?

    Because OpenCommunicator will interact with your electronic medical record, it is necessary to have certain information about you in the new system (such as your health history, allergies, privacy preferences, etc.).  We also will need an electronic consent for treatment and acknowledgement of our financial policies.  The good news is you only have to do these electronic forms once.  For certain types of appointments, such as visits with our dietitian, you may also be asked to answer some questions prior to your appointment (e.g. about your diet and overall nutrition).  This will allow your provider to spend more time helping you, rather than asking questions and writing in your chart!

  • Will my browser be compatible with OpenCommunicator?

    We are not aware of any browser incompatibilities at this time.

  • How do I refill contraceptive prescriptions with this new system?

    You can use Your Patient Portal to send a secure prescription refill request, for contraceptives or any other prescription, provided that the prescription was previously prescribed to you by a provider at Student Health Services. Log on to Your Patient Portal à select “Messages” from the left  navigation bar à select “new message” à select “request a prescription renewal” à complete and submit the form.

  • This is really cool! What else are you doing to enhance online communication with Student Health Services?

    We know many students spend a lot of time hanging out and taking care of business online. We’re trying to meet you where you are. You can check out our fan page on Facebook or subscribe to our podcasts on iTunesU in the Exclusively Emory section. Our album appears under Campus Life. If you have ideas for further online content or want to get involved in making podcasts with us, please contact Shirley Banks, Health Educator, at 404-727-7312 or shirley.banks@emory.edu. We’ve also redesigned our Student Health and Counseling Center website. Our website editor is Ray Jarvis, PA-C. You can reach Ray via email at rjarvis@emory.edu.  And, of course, we are in “real space” across campus and not just in cyber-space: you can interact with our staff at Wonderful Wednesdays, at info tables in the lobbies of many classroom buildings, in guest lectures in classes, residence halls, sororities, fraternities, at athletic events, in mini-courses, and more!

 

To recommend changes to these FAQs, please contact Heather Zesiger, MPH, CHES, Director of Health Education and Promotion, 404-727-1736, heather.zesiger@emory.edu.