The Patient Portal (or Client Portal if preferred) is the website that your patients can log into directly to access records that you are sharing with them, upload information to share with you, request appointments online (if allowed by your clinic), read and send secure messages, etc. Patients that self-register online set up their Patient Portal login in the registration form. Patients that are manually added to Cerbo by clinic staff would be invited via email to set up their Portal login.


This section of System Settings allows you to customize which specific functions and pages your patients can access via the Patient Portal. As well as to customize the instructions and options on specific pages. 


General

These settings affect all pages in the portal:

  • How you refer to the people you serve ("Patient" or "Client")
  • The name of the portal (such as "Patient Portal", "Client Portal", or "Member Portal")
  • The name of your clinic or practice, as it appears throughout the portal
  • Whether the portal should show your address
  • Whether to collect health insurance coverage information


Note that there is a separate place to manage certain specific 

Login Page

The login page is what patients will see when they first navigate to your Patient Portal and are prompted to login. You can customize the instructions on that page, as well as renaming the links below the login fields (for patients to use to reset their password, get a username reminder, set up their portal account for the first time as a returning patient, or self-register online as a new patient).


Home Page & Menu

Use these settings to customize the portal's landing page. The welcome message is the text that appears at the top of the portal homepage. It is a great place to put bulleted instructions, especially for new patients, indicating their important to do items on the patient portal. You can add links within the text to specific portal pages, if desired, for their ease of navigation.


You can also customize the header for the right-hand navigational menu to include or omit the patient's name and, if it's included, show the patient's first name or nickname.


Portal Pages

The following portal pages can be made available (or hidden) for your patients. There is online help available to patients with general information. But because the portal is highly configurable, the instructions include a warning that the page they see might differ in details from the defaults that are described.

My Account Details

If enabled, patients can use the My Account Details page to securely view and update personal information, photo, and insurance details. 


You can customize which patient information/ demographics fields show on the Patient Portal for patients to be able to add or update their own information.

  • Fields like Driver's License, pronouns, race/ ethnicity, billing address, time zone are optional, and you can choose whether to show or hide these fields on the My Account Details page.
  • Home address and phone number fields will always be shown on this page.
  • Certain core identifying information is not shown or editable on the Patient Portal, like the patient's name, email address, and date of birth. To update that information, the patient would need to contact the office directly.


Certain sections of the My Account Details page can be shown or hidden, based on the clinic's preferences regarding which information to collect from patients. The sections that may be shown or hidden on this page are:

  • Emergency contact - patients can add one or more emergency contacts here. Once those are accepted via the Patient Portal queue, they will appear as relationships to non-patients in the Relationships block of their patient chart.
  • Profile photo - patients can add or edit their profile photo. This can also be set to be a nudge/ harassment item, meaning that patients who do not yet have a profile photo will see an exclamation mark on the My Account Details menu item, and a hover over prompt to add a profile photo.
  • Power of attorney - patients can add a power of attorney name and address/ phone number. Once that is accepted via the Patient Portal queue, it will appear as a relationship to a non-patient in the Relationships block of their patient chart.
  • Insurance information - patients can add or edit their insurance information and/ or images of their insurance card. Missing insurance information can also be set to be a nudge/ harassment item, meaning that patients who do not yet have insurance information entered will see an exclamation mark on the My Account Details menu item, and a hover over prompting them to add this information. Once added and accepted via the Patient Portal queue, insurance card images are saved with the patient's profile photo in their patient chart. 


Contact Preferences


The "Contact Preferences" section on the My Account Details page allows patients to designate that they opt in or out of emails and SMS/ text messages. This is intended to allow them to communicate their preferences for non-medical automated notifications, such as informational, educational, or marketing messages. Typically, it would not be considered to apply to things like appointment notifications and reminders, notifications about a new secure message, notifications about a new encounter summary, etc. 


If an opt in or out designation is made in this section, that shows in their Patient Information block of their chart, and is included in the Advanced Patient filtered search export. An opt out designation is informational only. It does not block messages from being sent from their Cerbo chart, or prevent appointment notifications/ reminders from going out.


You can customize the wording for the marketing email/ SMS opt in/ out using System Settings so that your patients best understand what this opt in/ out does.


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Secure Messages

If enabled, this page can allow patients to send secure electronic messages to, and read secure messages from, the clinic. You can customize the instructions/ prompts on the Secure Messages page. 


You can also place limitations on patients' ability to send secure messages:

  • Disable patients' ability to send secure messages - this setting would apply for ALL patients, and would allow them to read past secure messages but not send secure messages. Some clinics may use this across the board, if they prefer for patients to communicate with the clinic some other way. Or some may use this to temporarily turn off patients' secure message sending, for example over a period when the clinic is closed. 
  • Require valid payment information on file to be able to send secure messages - to use this, you must use integrated merchant processing with Cerbo. Only patients who have a payment method on file would be able to send secure messages. This can be useful, for example, if there may be a fee for time spent by the clinic in reviewing and responding to messages.
  • Limit the number of characters in a message - use this setting to limit the length of secure messages. For reference, 250 characters is a couple of sentences, and 500 characters is a medium length paragraph. The most commonly used limitations are between 500 and 1000 characters.
  • Limit the number of secure messages that patients can send in a period of time - this setting can be used to limit patients to sending only a specific number of secure messages in a period of time. If set, that is a rolling limitation. Meaning that if a patient sends one secure message on Saturday, and then 3 on Sunday, they will be able to send 1 more the following Saturday. This limitation applies regardless of if the patient is sending a new message or responding to a message from the clinic. It can cause frustration for patients. So we generally recommend using other mechanisms to control secure message volumes, like charging for time spent in responding, or asking patients to schedule an appointment for inquiries that require more than 5 minutes of a provider's time.


By default, patients can select which staff member to direct the secure message to. If a specific staff member is selected, the incoming secure message will arrive already assigned to that person in the EHR Patient Portal Queue.


You can set which staff members should be massageable, and how their name should appear, in the staff members' user profiles under Admin > Manage > Users. However, if you do not want patients to select a specific staff member at all, but instead will triage these on the EHR side, you can turn off this option in System Settings using "Show options for 'which staff member would you prefer to respond to this message?'" Alternately, if you want to force them to make a selection, you can disallow the "No preference" option.


If desired, you can include a required acknowledgement for the patient to check to be able to send the secure message. This is a good place for an acknowledgement that there may be a charge that applies, or that they may be requested to schedule an appointment, for example. 


When secure messages come in, those appear in the Patient Portal Queue in the EHR. If you are ultra part time and not necessarily logging into your EHR often, you can enable an email notification for new secure messages as well. 


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My Appointments

If enabled, this is where patients could view upcoming appointments, and (if set up) request and cancel appointments online. You can customize the text at the top of the page, as well as the message that the patient will see if there is no appointment availability, based on the work schedules that you do or do not have set up in the EHR.


Appointment Requests

You may limit appointment requests:

  • Based on timing. There is a minimum 2 hour buffer prior to the desired appointment start time built into appointment requests on the patient portal. You can set a different buffer, requiring appointments to be requested the day before, two days before, or longer. Note that the buffer is in calendar days, not business days.
  • To require a payment method on file before the patient may request an appointment. This option is only available if you use integrated merchant processing with Cerbo. And is useful, for example, where the clinic takes a deposit when the appointment is scheduled.
  • Based on patient status. You can disallow prospective status patients from requesting appointments online. This can be useful, for example, when prospective status patients must first become a member, or complete a certain type of appointment, before having access to the full suite of clinic services.


You may adjust how availability is shown on the Patient Portal, including the start and end time, as well as the increment of time and whether that increment should auto-adjust for shorter appointment durations. Note that if you set up availability outside of your desired start and end times, the additional hours WILL show on the patient portal, per the work schedules that you've set up in the EHR.


You can also choose to hide the appointment end time, so only the appointment type and start time is shown. This can be useful, for example, if you add a buffer period to the duration of your appointments in the EHR. This setting applies to appointment requests and upcoming appointments


Upcoming appointments

You can choose whether and how a patient's upcoming appointments are shown. Including whether upcoming appointments with resources (rather than users) are shown, and whether the appointment type or the appointment title is shown to the patient.


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Website-Embedded Appointment Requests

In addition to allowing appointment requests via the portal, the system can generate code that you can embed for appointment requests on your clinic website. Generally, this would be used to allow prospective patients to request an exploratory consult, while existing patients would still log into the to request an appointment. More information and help here.


Because you can embed this code on your own website, you can control and customize how the page looks. That would be done by whoever manages your clinic marketing website, using the URL/ code that is generated when you turn on the website-embedded scheduler option. 


Specific configuration options available for the website-embedded appointment request module include:

  • Customizing the instructions at the top of the tool.
  • Including an option for the patient to select "Any Provider" at the provider selection step. If they select this, they will see availability for the selected appt type with any available provider. Note that if the tool is drawing on many appointment types and providers, including an "Any Provider" option can make the appointment availability search step run more slowly.
  • Requiring the patient to provide their sex/ gender. If this is toggled on, then the patient can be added to the EHR with the required field "sex assigned at birth" already specified. If you do require the patient to provide their sex, you can additionally include an option for "Other". If the prompt to add their sex is toggled off, or if they select an "Other" option that you have provided, they are added to the EHR with an unspecified gender (which defaults to "F" where required for things like labs). 
  • Customizing the final free text question prompt in the appointment request module. The default for this question is "Please describe why you want to be seen."
  • Customizing the message that the patient will see when their request is submitted, or re-directing the patient to a different page on your marketing website when their request is submitted.


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Invoices & Payment

If enabled, this page is where patients can securely add payment information, view the account balance, statement, invoices, and receipts, and make a payment online.


The patient's total current account balance is shown at the top.

  • Patient has the ability to make a payment via the Portal can be turned on (of you have integrated merchant processing) or off. And, if on, set to show only if they have a balance owing, or even without any balance due. 
  • Balance due can be a nudge/ harassment item, in which case an exclamation mark will appear on the Invoices & Payments menu for any patients that have an outstanding account balance.

If you have integrated merchant processing in Cerbo, "Show Credit Card/ Payment Information tile" (Add Payment Method in the above screenshot) allows patients to view the preferred payment method on file, if any, and add new payment information (credit card or ACH).

  • Missing payment information can be a nudge/ harassment item, meaning that any patients who do not yet have payment information on file will see an exclamation mark on the Invoices & Payments menu item, and a prompt to add their payment info.
  • You can customize the text at the top of the Add Payment Method page.

You can also choose to show or hide the My Invoices tile. That is where patients can access any insurance invoices (superbills) or service receipts you have created and saved/ shared with them on the Patient Portal. See Generate Insurance Invoice (superbill) or Receipt.


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Forms & Questionnaires

If enabled, this page is where patients can complete and submit requested consent forms and questionnaires.


There is a separate tool inside the EHR for managing the Forms and Questionnaires page on your Patient Portal. See Managing your Patient Portal Forms & Questionnaires Page. That tool allows you to set up which forms show for which patients (or for all patients), rename and reorder your forms, and even create your own forms and questionnaires. 


The forms and questionnaires configuration options within System Settings are therefore very limited. You can enable/ disable the page as a whole. And, if enabled, change the page title.


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My Medications

If enabled, this is where patients can review and update their medication list and request prescription refills. In addition to customizing the instructions at the top of the page, you can:

  • Add a nudge/ harassment item if a patient doesn't have any medications listed, and "not taking any medications" is not selected. That will add an exclamation mark by My Medications indicating that they need to add their medications.
  • Allow or disallow patients self-reporting their medications on the Portal.

You can also allow or disallow prescription refill requests. If allowed, the option would appear by default near the end of the Days' Supply on the original prescription. And you can customize:

  • The prompt that they see when submitting their prescription refill request.
  • Whether there is a set charge for completing prescription refill requests via the Portal.
  • The required acknowledgement that they must check to submit their refill request.
  • And how long before the Days' Supply expires they should be able to request a refill. Note that the time period is specified in seconds, so you will want to convert your desired period into seconds.


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My Supplements

If enabled, this page allows  patients to review and add their own supplements.


In addition to customizing the text at the top of the page, you can:

  • Choose to show or hide the supplements free text area from the patient's chart.
  • Allow or disallow patients from self-reporting the supplements that they are taking on the portal individually. 
  • Allow or disallow supplement refill requests. If you sell supplements out of the office and drop ship those based on online refill requests, for example, you could turn this on.
  • Allow or disallow removing supplements from their supplement list via the Portal.
  • Add a nudge/ harassment item if a patient doesn't have any medications listed, and "not taking any supplements" is not selected. That will add an exclamation mark by My Supplements indicating that they need to add their supplements.


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My Vitals

If enabled, this is where patients can view and add vitals readings, such as blood pressure, height, and weight. You can choose to show or hide any of the standard vitals individually on the Portal. As well as setting whether to show BMI on the portal for patients age 2+.


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My Allergies

If enabled, this is where patients can view and add allergies. You can customize the text introduction at the top of the page. 


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Labs & Documents

If enabled, this is where patients can view lab results and other documents that are shared with the patient, and upload outside records or documents to share with the clinic. In addition to customizing the text at the top of the page, you can:

  • Choose to show the patient's open orders above their documents on this page of the Portal.
  • Set the time range for when a document is considered to have been shared "recently," such that the document is shown under Recent Documents when the patient navigates to this page.
  • Set the ordering for documents folders to be in alphabetical order, or as ordered in the patient's chart in the EHR.
  • Show or hide documents subfolders.
  • Show saved invoices and receipts on the Labs and Documents page, or only on the Invoices and Payments page. 
  • Show or hide sent Quest requisitions.
  • Allow or disallow bulk-downloading of all documents via the Portal.


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My Vaccine Record

If enabled, patients can use this page to view, print, and update their vaccination record. Customize the text that appears at the top of the page. As well as:

  • Whether to show who administered vaccines on the printable vaccine history. 
  • Whether patients can add their own historical vaccinations via the Portal.


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My Pharmacies

If enabled, patients can designate or change preferred and primary pharmacies on this page. In addition to customizing the text at the top of the page, you can make no preferred pharmacy a nudge/ harassment item. If that is set, then patients who do not have a preferred pharmacy specified will see an exclamation mark prompting them to add that on the My Pharmacies menu item. 


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My Care Team

If enabled, this page allows patients to provide information about other clinics or healthcare providers that they are working with. You can customize the name of the page, as well as the text at the top of the page.


To add their other providers on this page, patients would first search your specialists list in the EHR. If there are no matches in your specialist list, they can add 


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My Visit Summaries

If enabled, this page is where patients can view summaries of past clinic visits, including recommendations and follow up information, where applicable. Encounter summaries are generated automatically when the encounter note is signed, and include the encounter Assessment and Plan, as well as any part of the free text encounter note that is specifically shared in the encounter signing window. If desired for your workflow, you can set specific encounter types to not generate an encounter summary - that is done in the EHR under Admin > Manage > Encounter Types. 


In addition to being able to customize the text at the top of the My Visit Summaries page, you can:

  • Modify the text that the patient will see if there are no encounter summaries available.
  • Choose whether the encounter title that the patient sees is just the encounter type and date of service, or the encounter title as it appears in the EHR.
  • Include/ exclude diagnoses, which are the diagnoses from the Assessment box in the encounter note. If diagnoses are shown on the encounter summary, you can choose whether the ICD codes show for each diagnosis.
  • Include/ exclude medications that are prescribed in the Plan box of the applicable encounter note.
  • Include/ exclude orders that are added in the Plan box of the applicable encounter note.
  • Include/ exclude alternate plan items (supplements, IVs, injections, pellets, custom recommendations) that are added in the Plan box of the applicable encounter note.
  • Edit or remove the message that shows at the bottom of each encounter summary.


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Additional Portal Settings

Some additional portal settings are available separately. From the EHR, choose Pt Portal > Patient Portal Settings to configure a notice that shows on the Portal to all patients, and manage your online appointment cancellation policy. See Allow Patients to Cancel Appointments.