The Costco Connection - December 2014

62 ;e Costco Connection DECEMBER 2014

Signing up

THE ENROLLMENT procedure can vary from portal to portal, but generally involves the following steps.

1. Get a personal identification number (PIN) from your doctor’s office during a visit, or on the phone after verifying your identity. Your PIN links you to your medical information.

2. Go to the portal website and enter the PIN plus other information, such as your name and birth date.

3. Create your account by selecting a user name and password, and provide answers to security questions such the name of your first pet.—AS

bring a list of my medications, but now it’s
online. Also, I never have to worry when I go
to an urgent-care facility that they might give
me a medication that could interact with what
I’m already taking.”
Marylander and Costco member Crystal
Paultre, a mother of two with another on the
way, loves the convenience of being able to
make her appointments online, “especially
since now I see the doctor every two weeks. I
was even able to change my husband’s doctor
for him. He was ready for a new primary-care
doctor, and I was able to put in his password
for his patient portal and there’s a link that
takes you to all the doctors and gives you
their profiles.”
Ravi Poorsina, a California resident and
Costco member says, “I try to take care of
most of my health needs online. I really like
being able to email my doctor with any ques-
tions I have. Usually when I called I didn’t get
the doctor in, and we ended up playing phone
tag. Emailing is so much easier, and they
answer quickly.”
Dr. David Wetherhold of Scripps Clinic in
San Diego says, “Anytime you give [patients]
more information that is easily accessible
online, they become more involved in their

The Costco Connection

Costco and Costco.com offer a wide variety of over-the-counter and pharmacy health-care products, as well as business and personal health insurance services.

For more information on these services,
go to Costco.com and click “Services.”
care, and it plays a big role in how healthy they
are.” Kaiser has done studies that show patients
with chronic diseases such as diabetes do bet-
ter by staying on their medications and have
fewer visits to the emergency room if they use
a portal. Wetherhold, a Costco member, adds,
“When patients can review their health
records, they may find something that is not
quite accurate and alert their doctor.”
Experts have found that patients remem-
ber less than half of what they’re told in the
office or on the phone by their health-care
team. Patients have reported that they felt
more in control of their care and had a better
understanding of their medical condition
when they could see them online.

Some health-care providers are even experimenting with allowing patients to view their doctor’s notes on their portals. Doctors,

in turn, will have to change how they write their notes up, by refraining from using such acronyms as SOB for “shortness of breath” or FU for “follow-up.” For now, Schricker and other portal users are just happy their health care has moved into the 21st century. C

Alice Shapin ( alishapin@aol.com) is a freelance writer who focuses on health and travel.

PORTAL POWER

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 61

WHICH OF THESE HAS

A NEW TRIPLE-ACTION FORMULA
FOR JOINT, CARTILAGE
AND BONE HEALTH?

HINT: THE TINY ONE HAS THE TRIPLE-ACTION FORMULA.

Just 1 small pill a day instead of two big pills.

A
E
V Y THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINIS TRA TION.

O E, TREA T, CURE OR PREVEN T AN Y DISEASE.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION.

THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

THESE STA TEMEN TS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUA TED B Y THE FOOD AND D N
THESE PRODUCTS ARE NO T INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE O
V Y THE FOOD
S NO T IN TENDED
E DISEASE.

THESE S TATEMEN TS HAVE NO T BEEN EVALUA TED B Y THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINIS TRA TION. THIS PRODUC T IS NO T IN TENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREA T, CURE OR PREVEN T AN Y DISEASE.

THESE S TA TEMEN TS HAVE NO T BEEN EVALUA TED B Y THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINIS TRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NO T IN TENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREA T, CURE OR PREVEN T AN Y DISEASE.

V
R
O E,
E
A
THESE S TATEMEN TS HAVE NO T BEEN
EVALUA TED B Y THE FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINIS TRA TION. THIS PRODUC T IS
NO T IN TENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREA T,
CURE OR PREVEN T AN Y DISEASE.