Beacon’s online tools make managing your family’s health care easier

Melissa Cook watches over her children doing homework.

Parenting young children means embracing the beautiful chaos — and sometimes it takes a Herculean effort just to get them out the door.

“It feels like Navy SEAL training to get them all ready and out of the house sometimes,” says Melissa Cook, mom to a six- and eight-year-old.

Everyone must be fed, dressed and bundled up when it’s cold outside. Not to mention keeping spirits up throughout the process. Each step is fraught with potential for meltdowns, which are just a missed snack or twisted sock away.

Melissa and her children go through this routine every time she takes them to their doctor. And with two active kids, routine checkups and minor illnesses can mean frequent trips. But Melissa connects with her doctor online, using virtual care tools from home, whenever possible to make life a little easier.

“Not having to get everybody out of the house is so helpful if it’s just a quick check,” says Melissa, who is familiar with the MyBeacon patient portal as both a patient and a nurse at a Beacon Medical Group family medicine practice.

Here are Melissa’s top tips for using virtual care and tools to make health care easier to navigate for families.

Seven ways to use virtual care for your family

1. Create an account and download the app

Getting started is easy. The MyBeacon patient portal is available online and as an app. To sign up, you’ll need to provide your name, birth date and phone number. You can find the app in the App Store or on Google Play.

2. Request access to your kids’ records

You can manage your children’s medical records using the same login information as your personal account.

Children under 18 can’t create their own MyBeacon account. Parents and guardians can request proxy access to their kids’ medical records via consent form. Start by setting up your personal account first, then request access to a child’s records. You can log into both your records and your child’s records by using the same email address when establishing a proxy account.

3. 

   Schedule appointments without calling

“Sometimes I’m lying in bed before I realize I forgot to schedule an appointment for my kid,” Melissa says. “I can easily log on to MyBeacon and make an appointment. I don’t have to wait until next day to call during business hours or wait on hold.”

She does this for herself, too. “I quickly scheduled a mammogram when I thought of it on my lunch break.”

4. Message providers for a quick response

Working in a family medicine office, Melissa fields many patient questions. “Patients often call in to ask questions, but it’s usually faster to ask through the portal. You don’t have to wait on hold, and the messages get routed directly to the provider, who might be able to answer them faster online.”

Melissa messages her kids’ doctor to ask if they need an antibiotic or if they should come in to be seen based on their symptoms. “The doctor is easy to access, which is helpful. Depending on when they were last seen or their symptoms, I don’t always have to bring them in.”

5. Request refills

You can request medication refills through the MyBeacon patient portal. Providers can easily authorize refills virtually.

6. View test results quickly

Any time you or your child gets bloodwork or tests, the results will be posted to MyBeacon when they become available. You can see results right when they come in. Your doctor will call you about test results that are not normal or need follow up. Sometimes this may take up to two or three business days. Doctors need time to review results carefully. They will share the right care options with you. Please be sure to call your doctor if you have a strong concern about information you see in MyBeacon.

7. Request virtual appointments

If your provider offers virtual visits, it’s a convenient way to check in without coming to the office. Virtual visits work well for follow-up appointments to monitor symptoms as they change.

Some conditions are easy to spot virtually. But if your provider wants to examine you in person, they might ask you to come in.

These tools help simplify and create a smoother, more connected healthcare experience for busy families like Melissa’s. “Overall, when I use MyBeacon, things seem to be faster and more convenient,” she says.

Learn more about MyBeacon and find guides to get started.

For a Healthier You

When you are sick or injured you not only want answers, you want someone to really listen to you. A listening ear and a shoulder to lean on goes a long way when you are in a scary moment. And that is what Beacon strives to provide, along with excellent health care. Beacon is on your side, working to get you healthy again no matter what you have going on in your life.