How to Create a Free Virtual Health Portal with Google: 5 Easy Steps to More Efficient and Effective Care

Virtual Health News – Joel, a meticulous CPA in his fifties, always prided himself on his attention to detail. From the precise columns of numbers he managed daily in his own thriving business to the quality moments he cherished with his grandchildren and wife during his downtime, Joel had a life he had meticulously crafted since his college years.

However, life threw him a curveball when his mother, Mrs. Johnson, was diagnosed with dementia. Though geographically separated by state lines, Joel’s heart was always close to his hometown and, more importantly, to his family there. His two younger sisters, living in the same quaint town as their mother, naturally turned to Joel. Not for his physical presence, but for his knack for understanding intricate paperwork and making sense of medical jargon.

As the weight of managing his mother’s condition from afar settled in, Joel’s life could have been ensnared in a web of uncertainty and frustration. But a recommendation from Mrs. Johnson’s neurologist introduced them to the Patient Better Health Advocacy Program, a beacon of hope in their tumultuous journey.

This article is dedicated to all the ‘Joels’ out there, managing healthcare long-distance, seeking a bridge to connect them more closely to their loved ones and their care teams. Joel and his two sisters were able to come together as a cohesive care team. His sisters designated him as the Clearinghouse, while they served as the primary caregivers due to their closer proximity. This arrangement made Mrs. Johnson’s at-home care a shared responsibility, allowing them to focus on more important things like spending quality time with their mother, maintaining established relationships, and upholding health and lifestyle goals.

To effectively coordinate and manage their mother’s care, Joel and his sisters utilized an Individual Virtual Health Portal.

An Individual Virtual Health Portal is a specialized subset of a traditional document management system set up by the individual, such as a patient or caregiver. In this case, we use Google as the technology of choice.

Patient Better recommends using Google as the Individual Virtual Health Portal due to its familiarity to the public, ease of use, and minimal learning curve. As interoperability expands, so does access to more modern document management systems. For now, Google’s suite of tools provides a secure, user-friendly, and effective platform for managing healthcare information.

For at-home care teams, this portal helps family members and caregivers enhance collaboration, making it easier to manage and share health information, track appointments, and communicate effectively.

For healthcare providers, the Individual Virtual Health Portal offers a reliable and secure way to communicate protected health information with primary caregivers and higher-level care team members about what exactly happened during the office visit. This portal demonstrates a care team’s dedication to improving the quality of information transferred, even if they couldn’t be present. Providers can trust that the information shared through the portal is accurate and up-to-date, facilitating better decision-making and improving overall health outcomes for the entire care team.

Embracing Google as the Virtual Health Backbone

The digital landscape offers an array of tools and platforms that promise ease and efficiency. Yet, when dealing with something as sensitive as healthcare, reliability and integration become paramount. Google, a trusted name in the tech world, emerges as the ideal backbone for navigating the virtual health landscape, especially in the context of health advocacy.

• Universal Recognition: Google’s ecosystem is almost universally recognized. For Joel, this means fewer hiccups when syncing with various medical platforms. From his mother’s local clinic to specialized medical facilities, Google’s compatibility ensures smooth communication.
• An Integrated Suite of Tools:From Google Drive’s secure storage of medical records to Google Calendar’s reminders for medications and appointments, the cohesive range of tools streamlines the health advocacy process. Google Hangouts facilitates real-time communication, allowing Joel to be virtually present for consultations and family discussions.
• Stringent Security Protocols: The safety of sensitive medical information is non-negotiable. Google’s robust security mechanisms, adherence to privacy standards, and compliance with regulations like HIPAA give Joel peace of mind. His mother’s data remains confidential and protected.
• Adaptive and User-Friendly: Even for those not well-versed in technology, Google’s intuitive design ensures easy adaptation. This adaptability ensures that Joel, whether accessing information from his office computer or his mobile while on the go, has a seamless experience.
• Collaborative in Nature: Google’s platforms, like Google Docs and Sheets, promote collaboration. Joel and his sisters can jointly maintain logs, share observations, or even draft a care plan, updating in real-time and ensuring everyone stays informed.

In an age where virtual health is redefining patient care, Google stands as a robust pillar, simplifying complexities. It’s not just about digital tools, but about crafting a connected, secure, and collaborative space for health advocates like Joel, ensuring they’re always in sync, informed, and involved.

Tools and Applications: Streamlining Health Advocacy

As Joel grapples with the overwhelming responsibility of overseeing his mother’s health, having an organized, reliable system in place becomes indispensable. Google offers a bouquet of tools and applications tailored for this purpose, ensuring that health advocacy is not only manageable but also efficient.

• Google Chrome: Internet navigation tailored to healthcare needs.  Being more than just a browser, Chrome offers personalized healthcare browsing experiences. With its bookmarks and history features, Joel can effortlessly save and revisit medical articles, research dementia treatments, or find local specialists for his mother. Moreover, its extension marketplace offers health-centric tools that can further refine his browsing experience.
• Google Mail (Gmail): Centralizing communication for health-related correspondence and scheduling virtual health visits. With a dedicated folder or label system in Gmail, Joel can centralize all of his mother’s medical correspondence. This ensures that appointment confirmations, prescription notifications, and even virtual visit links are easily accessible and organized. The integrated calendar also prompts timely reminders, ensuring no consultation is missed.
• Google G-Suite: A suite of tools enhancing virtual health organization and communication. The G-Suite applications are a boon for organized health advocacy. Joel can use Google Calendar for appointment reminders, Google Sheets for medication tracking, and Google Docs for jotting down notes during consultations. Collaborative in nature, these tools allow real-time updates, ensuring that Joel’s sisters are always in the loop.
• Google Drive: Organizing and sharing health records seamlessly. Gone are the days of bulky files and misplaced medical reports. With Google Drive, Joel can create dedicated folders for his mother’s health records, ensuring easy access anytime, anywhere. Sharing becomes a breeze, too. Whether it’s granting access to a specialist for a second opinion or updating his family, Drive ensures data is at the fingertips of those who need it.
• Google Hangouts: Facilitating communication with the entire healthcare team.  The intricacies of healthcare often necessitate swift and clear communication. Using Google Hangouts, Joel can hold video consultations, discuss care strategies with his sisters, or even hold check-ins with his mother’s caregivers. The platform fosters a sense of connectivity, ensuring that Mrs. Johnson’s care remains a collaborative effort.

Through the labyrinth of healthcare advocacy, Google’s suite of tools lights the path, offering clarity, organization, and connectivity. For individuals like Joel, it means less time grappling with logistics and more time focusing on what truly matters: ensuring the best for their loved ones.