Activ Doctors Online

Frequently Asked Questions

About Activ Doctors Online

Who are the physicians providing Second Medical Opinions?

We serve a multitude of specialties, and our international team of experts reflects this. Our physicians are selected from a worldwide panel of over 700 leading specialists to review and consult on cases that fall within their specialty. Prior to being sought out for consultation by Activ Doctors Online, viable candidates must go through a detailed screening process involving full review of all credentials by the Activ Doctors U.S. Medical Director. Our specialists have been trained at top medical schools, and any conclusions they reach will also thereafter be reviewed by a regional and finally by our national Medical Director. To make sure that your best health care interests are served, and to best protect you, we've chosen a multi-level approval approach based on the very simple idea that when it comes to offering you the best health care services, more heads are always better than one.

Our objective is to provide the best patient-centered health care to our clients. We therefore choose our consulting specialists accordingly and with great selective care. Experts are chosen to our Second Medical Opinion team following several stages of selection and based on a large number of criteria and professional qualifications. Read more about the details of our selection process.

Why get a Second Medical Opinion?

A Second Medical Opinion can help to reassure and provide peace of mind to you as a patient with regard to a first diagnosis provided by a physician or any doubts that might follow therefrom. A second opinion can also help to shed light upon or solve a stagnating situation regarding some of the following issues:

A medical condition that doesn't improve following physician-prescribed treatment;
Clarifying or reviewing the necessity of major surgical interventions;
Long term illness;
Rare illness;
Unclear or serious diagnoses;
Cases where the course of treatment is unclear;
An independent opinion regarding how your treatment is working;
Persons living with permanent or long-term disabilities;
Persons who have relocated abroad (expatriates);
An event that causes you to doubt your physician, or dissatisfaction with patient-doctor communication;
Athletes;
Etc.

A second medical opinion should always be sought when a patient has to go through a complicated, expensive, or threatening procedure as suggested by the first opinion. Moreover, a second opinion is important to avoid potentially major problems, including misdiagnosis. It is also important that when you undergo any procedure that you're sure that it's the right thing to do. Patients often cannot afford mistakes, and they should never have to.

What is a PHR and why do I need one?

A Personal Health Record or PHR is a web-based set of tools that enables access and coordination of an individual’s lifetime health information. The individual controls his or her PHR, and how appropriate portions are made available to others who may need it. A true PHR is portable, private, secure and accessible 24/7, with transparency as to who entered data, where it was transferred from and who has viewed it.

PHRs help lower medical costs by reducing the risk of errors and preventing unnecessary diagnostic tests or procedures. Studies indicate that widespread adoption of PHRs can save billions of dollars each year in inefficient healthcare spending. A PHR can save more than time and money – it can save your life. Be well prepared for travel, unforeseen medical situations, natural disasters and emergencies by taking charge of your personal healthcare information.

Why should I choose Activ Doctors Online for my Patient Health Record (PHR) service?

That's an easy one! Activ Doctors Online provides an unmatched level of client support. We are always there to help you, not only by providing you with as much information as possible through our website, but also with actual people. Furthermore, our PHR has been designed by doctors to specifically meet the needs of patients like you. That's what makes our PHR so user-friendly. With our PHR you can even have access to doctors, not just computer programmers. Through our Second Opinion and Therapeutic Education services, these doctors can even go to work for you. That's something no other PHR can say.

What makes Activ Doctors Online different?

Designed by doctors to specifically meet patient needs;
Data collection and management on your behalf*(for a small fee);
Global network of 1,000+ physicians plus national medical directors;
Second medical opinion in 48 hours;
Highest level of security, HIPAA-compliant;
120,000 members worldwide since 2008.

For Individuals

Why do I need a PHR?

There are several reasons to keep your medical and dental records in electronic format. By choosing to do so, you are able to take greater control of your medical and dental health matters by having constant access to your documents. You can also save time and money by having everything consolidated onto our easily-accessible portal, and help make filing insurance or disability claims far more simple. Major life events, moving, tragic or natural disasters can make your paper-based records disappear when you least expect it, and leave you completely helpless without the documentation that you need most.

Save Time
You are able to take control of your health care by actively tracking your health conditions, setting and reaching health goals for yourself, and refer to any of your personal information to to help you reach these goals whenever you need to. The PHR is also more than just a portal to store your documents, it also allows you to better organize your time by tracking and scheduling appointments or checkups, and provides readily available medical details to any new health care practitioners without having to worry about shuffling through documents or remembering technical medical terms. Your entire medical history can be kept in your control or easily transferred to a new physician should you change doctors, cities, or even countries.

Save Money
Like never before, with a PHR you are able to avoid paying for redundant or duplicate medical and dental testing, or even procedures by keeping accurate and constantly updated health records. You are also able to set up preventative care alerts that help you stay healthy and reduce the likelihood of having to incur any unnecessary health care expenses.

Improve Your Health
Through your PHR, you are furthermore able to track your health indicators and any health matters you feel the need to watch more closely. This allows you to consciously make better health care decisions and be more aware of your well-being and how best to manage it.

What does a medical record include and how is it assembled into my PHR account?

In addition to helping you manage your records and keeping you updated about your health, Activ Doctors Online can help you electronically assemble your entire medical file. This includes, without necessarily being limited to: your medical history, prescriptions, vaccinations, allergies, surgery reports, blood transfusion certificates, hepatitis tests and medical screenings, any additional medical exams, treatments or certificates, and your current health status. The Activ Doctors Online portal features a very easy-to-use application whereby you can effortlessly upload and organize your own medical records. You simply need to log into your account by accessing https://app.activdoctorsonline.com/en/userlogin where you will be prompted to enter your username (email address) and password. From there, you can easily upload your medical records in a variety of different file formats to our secure portal and have them available for you to consult and update as your medical history evolves and is documented accordingly. Should you ever require any assistance in doing so, our support team is just a quick phone call away and ready to lend a hand when you need it. Additionally, should you experience any difficulties gathering your records together, through the Medical Records Assistance Program, it is also possible for Activ Doctors Online to contact your health centers and assist you in in collecting your documents for a nominal one-time fee.

Who has access to my medical data?

Our ability to provide our service to you requires that we collect personal data from our clients. Your privacy is very important to us. Activ Doctors Online is legally bound by all applicable privacy legislation designed to protect you to and is highly committed to ensuring that all measures are taken to secure the privacy and confidentiality of all information collected. Rest assured that once you activate your Activ Doctors Online account, your personal data is protected by the highest standards of data encryption technology and guarded with utmost care and confidentiality. Activ Doctors Online operates in strict compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which establishes national standards for the protection of data included in electronic health care transactions. We also abide by any applicable Internet data protection legislation and connected regulations and only access your data to the extent necessary to provide the services you are registered for. To read more about how we work to protect you and your information, please review our Privacy Policy.

Do I need to have any specific health problems to benefit from the Activ Doctors Online service?

No. We strongly believe that in order to be well, you must be well prepared. Having all of your medical records centralized into a single, easily-accessible location, independently from any insurance providers can help you reach this objective almost effortlessly. By choosing to digitalize and store your records online, you give yourself the benefit of accessibility, mobility, and the peace of mind of being well organized, and therefore well prepared. We also have a range of different plans designed to meet your health care needs, whether you are seeking to simply store your records on our portal, or also seeking our second opinion services.

How do I input digital imagery or scans?

Most scans or images are stored as specific file types, which usually have extensions such as .jpg or .mpg immediately following the file name. The Activ Doctors Online platform supports any of these file types. Most radiology and x-ray providers will, at no cost, give you a copy of your file on DVD. From there it is an easy matter to upload them to your PHR. Please keep in mind that certain file types may require a specific program to be properly viewed. For instance, you can't open a Microsoft Word document without a word processing program on your computer. We therefore recommend that you acquire a copy of any such program on your computer so that the files can be easily viewed at any time. These programs will usually be provided for you on the DVD with your x-rays, MRI's, lab reports, etc.

How does the Medical Director select the doctors for my Second Opinion?

Activ Doctors Online only affiliates with physicians from the best medical schools and training programs. All of our doctors are experts in their respective fields. You need never worry that your second opinion will come from an unqualified physician. Because we place such a high priority on providing our second opinions within 48 hours of your medical records being fully uploaded and available for consultation, our selection of physicians is partly based on immediate availability. Rest assured, however, that we will always provide you with the credentials of the doctors who reviewed your case. We guarantee you will be more than satisfied.

How do I access and use the Medical Records Assistance Program?

Our Medical Records Assistance Program has several components. Any of these can be accessed by calling 1-888-51-ACTIV. Examples of ways we can help include gathering your records from current or previous physicians, scanning of paper records, reviewing paper or electronic records in order to detect specific problems which you may have overlooked, and electronically uploading your records to the appropriate sections of our PHR. Although this may sound complicated, all of these steps are really quite simple, and our technical support team will happily explain how to complete any of those for free. If you want us to actually take any or all of these steps out of your hands entirely, we'd be more than pleased to do so for a nominal fee.

Is there anyone who can help me if I have any issues or problems with my account?

Yes. Our support staff is available to assist you with any questions or issues you may have from 9am to 5pm Eastern Time. It is also possible to contact us via our online "Contact us" form, or at 1-888-51-ACTIV and request to be contacted outside of these hours. We'd be more than pleased to answer your questions or concerns.

For Corporations/Employers

Why should the company pay for ADO's PHR and Second Medical Opinions for my employees?

Employers are already spending vast amounts on health care premiums and programs for their employees, and are persistently confronted with rising costs. On the one hand, the cost of internally developing and constantly maintaining an employee-sponsored PHR can be prohibitive and require a level of legal and technical expertise that your company may not necessarily have, or even reasonably require for its daily operations. By becoming associated with Activ Doctors Online, these elements need no longer concern you, as our experts manage all aspects of the application for you as well as ensuring complete compliance with all applicable legislation. On another hand, Activ Doctors Online also contributes to lowering prohibitive health care spending by contributing to the improvement of employee health as well as the quality and efficiency of the heath care that is delivered to them.

Additionally, access to the worldwide network of physicians providing Second Medical Opinions through Activ Doctors Online is virtually unprecedented. An Activ Doctors administered PHR allows both doctors and patients to access updated and readily-available information that will thereafter be the key to providing Second Medical Opinions and keeping patients as well-informed as possible. Only Activ Doctors Online has been able to recruit its exceptional medical team of over 700 specialists to serve both you and your employees. No other PHR portal can boast such a wide-ranging and far-reaching team of experts.

What's the benefit of ADO's PHR and Second Medical Opinion for my employees?

Offering employees access to their own PHR provides an excellent means to promote an employer sponsored Employee Wellness Program and motivate employees to track, become better acquainted with, and improve their health as well as give them greater control over their medical information. This greater control is ensured through a wide - virtually unlimited - range of access to important personal medical documentation. Where CD’s, DVD’s and USB pen drives can easily be lost or damaged, our portal has achieved a higher level of mobility and portability than ever before. Your employees will be able view or modify their medical records and seek a Second Medical Opinion at any time, and from anywhere in the world.

Time and money is also saved insofar as health care providers and insurers can easily locate and share complete and crucial medical data in order to render more accurate and better-informed decisions. This also reduces the costs and necessity of redundant duplicate testing, as well as shipping and storage of cumbersome paper records.

How do ADO's services benefit its users overall health?

The Activ Doctors Online portal provides patients with the opportunity to cross over into a new medical dimension: from simply being patients, to becoming empowered and proactive participants in their own health care. Through the Activ Doctors Online portal, your employees will not only be able to share important information with doctors and insurance providers, but also benefit from health management tools that are tailored to their personal needs and health care trends. They are able to enter and track any health issues, goals for improvement, keep up-to-date on appointments, and monitor prescriptions and vaccinations as well. Better health habits mean improved well-being and the possibility of preventing possible complications in the future.

Additionally, the ability to seamlessly share medical information with any number of doctors and health care professionals makes it easier to detect any irregularities or problems in diagnoses or documentation. Our Second Medical Opinion furthermore ensures that a patients’ request for review be performed by a team of experts assigned specifically to their dossier by our National Medical Director.

Finally, certain insurers may also offer reduced premiums for employees who accumulate discounts for using a PHR system, thereby creating another incentive for joining Activ Doctors Online.

Is there a measurable ROI for a company's investment in ADO's PHR and Second Medical Opinion?

Improved employee health provides significant returns for your company. When your employees are empowered to become more active participants in their health through our PHR and personally-adapted heath indicator, they are delivered more efficient care, better general health, reduced absenteeism and increased productivity. Moreover, a healthy workforce boosts morale and helps secure retention and a lower turnover rate. By integrating a culture of wellness and pro-activity in your company, the returns could be immeasurable.

How is ADO different from other PHR companies?

Activ Doctors Online offers so much more than just basic PHR storage and thereby differs fundamentally from other PHR companies. Beyond our user-friendly and sophisticated PHR platform, our users have access to a worldwide network of medical experts operating in a vast range of specialties, available to render a Second Medical Opinion tailored to any patients’ medical records - in 48 hours.

In addition to our reliable and efficient services, we also provide an unmatched level of client support. We always aim to keep users as informed as possible of health care trends through our portal, and constantly strive to exceed expectations. The Activ Doctors Online PHR portal has been designed by doctors to specifically meet the needs of patients. By keeping patients first in mind, we have been able to develop an application that is exceptionally user-friendly, handing over control to real people and not just programmers. Should employers, or any employees ever experience any issues using our portal, our support team is just a quick phone call away.

Why should my company pay for a PHR for its employees when some PHR companies offer it for free?

With Activ Doctors Online, users benefit from a superior level of service and unparalleled customer support to quickly assist users, and even help them acquire medical records for a nominal fee should any assistance be needed in doing so. Users can also rest assured that their personal information and privacy are protected by the most sophisticated encryption technology available.

Furthermore Activ Doctors Online health indicators provide a system of personalized tools that employees will greatly benefit from in order to improve their own health and become more active participants in their health management thereafter. Since Activ Doctors Online also functions independently from any insurance providers and remains a third-party to any employers, we represent a reliable and secure domain for medical records and private health care information. Employees remain at ease that their information is securely kept and never shared without explicitly-granted permission do to so.

For Doctors and Medical Practices

Why integrate PHR into my practice when I have to adopt EMR?

By also integrating PHR into your practice you are providing a major incentive for your patients to become more aware of and involved in their own personal health care. Although highly valuable to your practice, EMR is a tool that mainly serves doctors, hospitals and health care practitioners, with limited direct benefit to patients. Consequently, a PHR provides an important health instrument for individuals, their families and their employers, whereby patients can contribute to and modify the content of their PHR - something that is either unavailable or very limited with an EMR. Having patients actively using a PHR means that they can easily share their medical documentation with you, and be more involved and proactive participants in their healthcare decisions.

How long does it take to upload my patients records?

Although our application is designed to be as user-friendly as possible, the time required to upload patient records varies depending on the file format, size and type of documentation, as well as the speed of the Internet connection being used. While it is possible for some patients have only very limited medical documentation to upload, it is equally feasible that they may have an extensively documented medical history with several hundred pages of records. Patients additionally have the option of uploading their own medical records or asking our support staff to both acquire and upload their medical documentation for a nominal fee.

Should you ever experience any difficulty uploading any files to the Activ Doctors Online portal, our staff is available with a quick phone call and always more than willing to assist you.

How does it benefit my patients?

By integrating a PHR into your practice, your patients will benefit from a more efficiently organized service structure and the ability to share all of their medical documentation with you, at any time and from virtually anywhere in the world. You no longer have to worry about relying on incomplete documentation to render a diagnosis, as you are effortlessly able to access an entire medical history to best serve your patients. By having their records consolidated into a single location, unnecessary redundant testing is avoided, as are diagnostic errors, since physicians now have the vital tools to help them deliver the best patient care possible.

How does it benefit my practice?

Our PHR boasts expanded health-tracking features allowing patients to monitor personally-tailored health indicators, appointments, vaccinations and other important reminders. Most importantly, patients can share their entire medical history with you, allowing you to deliver better patient care and rely on complete and updated information to render your diagnosis. Furthermore, office functions can be streamlined and conducted more efficiently, consequently reducing your staff’s workload and allowing you to communicate with staff and patients more thoroughly and effectively.

For Patients

Enjoy secure online medical records storage and second opinion consultations with internationally recognized physicians.

Patient Solutions

For Physicians

Offer new value-added services to your patients. Join our 'second opinion' network to increase your revenue and patient base.

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For Corporations

Join the many corporations already taking advantage of health portal technology and wellness programs. Learn how to save money with online health portal technology.

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