How many here talk email with their PCP

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Here on average its at least twice a week, and she replies as quick as she can. She is a very special PCP and Woman.
She also encourages me too email her whenever I need her. I feel so blessed.
But its a two way street, such as I try very hard to follow her orders and ideas for me. Actually it makes my life much better

 

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Here in the UK you can often get an appointment on the day with a nurse, but if you want to see a particular doctor you have to book up to a month in advance. The sort of service you describe is only available privately, cheers, Phil

 

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I find it to be most efficient for simple requests, refills, etc. Other stuff not so much.

 

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PATIENT PORTALS:
It's unusual for a medical practice to have or accept regular email, and I don't know one that takes attachments (Virus Phobia). Want to send a report from a test, record of your self-done blood pressures? Fax it, hand type it, Snail Mail. Three of the practices i use have one of those internal communication systems. You sign in (User ID & Password) and there is a way to send a message. When they answer, you get a email or text or RoboCall to check in and read your message. There's a name for it, often "Patient Portal". "My ----------" (Name of hospital or office). "MyChart". Etc.
Some of those Patient Portals are excellent, even having access to lists of doctors, dictionaries of medical terms, make appointments, etc etc etc. List of current medications, ability to renew an Rx. Read your file/record.
One small hospital/multiple specific practices has a setup that is pathetic, another big hospital has one that is useless (That's one of three reason why i don't use that hospital, anymore.)
This website - NAFC - is essentially a partial Patient Portal along with a Support Group. And a Darned good one.
If i get a new doctor/nurse/etc, now, i ask if they have a Portal. It might take a day or three to get a response, sometimes longer. You may get a Doctor's "team" member, but usually a nurse will speak to a doctor or ask the Doc to read it & respond, if the message you sent needs that. But do you want to talk to the doctor, or the nurse that really knows what's going on, or the receptionist who makes appointments?

 

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AlasSouth, I failed to explain it was "MyChart" I guess my thoughts were not the mechanics, but the communication, and how that does work out for them.

But I have had a urologist that gave me his private cell phone# and the urology nurse also gave me hers. I didn't abused, but did use it at times

 

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Dang, Boomersway, nice!
Call a couple of my Doctor's office and get a list of office hours and an emergency number. Not sure who you get; with dentist, it is one of the Dental Techs or the Doc. I've used only one, once - and it was my wife (I was too incapacitated and at the ER). Down south, in one hospital, it's a "dispatcher" and they pass it on. You get a call back, the Doc, or his nurse, or the Doc who has the weekend-on-call duty. Virginia Mason excels in communication, I hear Swedish does too, and both have satellite hospitals and Clinics all over the area, up to 2-3 hours away. Big hospitals often have more than one doc in a given specialty, and a biography, list of education, list of sub-specialty, up on the website.
I judge a doctor or facility by the communications and access, these days, too, along with everything else.
Hell, our vet has that deal - but extra charge for evening, and extra-plus for after midnight. Dog bit a porcupine, over 100 quills. We got the evening rate by driving 90 mph (55 zone) and beating midnight. Not sure any human Doc does that, but maybe. To get a urologist like yours, you have a good one - and maybe a silver tongue! To get a local urologist here, the ER has to call him. There's only one, rest are 3-4 hour drive, or almost $1,200 round trip flight, 3 hours one way.

 

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I use patient portals with several of my doctors and my son’s doctors and I really like it. More for simple things but its much easier than trying to save them up for an appointment or playing phone tag.

 

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With security and privacy so important to all electronic communication it’s great to see the progress that some are making. Those portals are extremely expensive for the docs and hospitals so it’s a huge investment. Of course it was mandated. But did you know the docs cannot say anything bad about their portals—that’s right it’s a contractual obligation when buying into them.

 

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I use the patient portal for communicating between visits (for example, when a specialist changes my medication).

 

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The email system at Kaiser Permanente in CA is great.