How do I access my records?
You can go online to your patient portal to access any records from October 2020 forward, as well as a complete list of any vaccines we have on file. Alternately, you can fill out a Release of Information form, which you can find in the patient portal or pick up in our office.
How can I get a copy of all my vaccines, or my kids’ vaccines for school?
You can go online to your patient portal to see any vaccines we have on file. Select “My Health” on the lefthand column, then “Medical History” from the sub-headers in the top-center of the screen on the page that appears. Scroll down until you see a section called “Vaccinations.” There is a button to print these directly from your browser.
For your kids’ vaccines, you will need to have access to their patient portal. Call 907-455-4567, option 1, to be connected to our Patient Services Representatives for assistance with this process.
If you do not have an email address or do not wish to make a portal account, you may need to fill out a Release of Information for your vaccine records. For children’s back-to-school vaccine records, we do our best to expedite the request, so please call our medical records custodian at 907-455-4567, option 7, to ask for these records.
How do I access my elderly parent or adult child’s records, or sign forms for them if they are unable?
Federal privacy laws dictate that only the patient has the right to request copies of their record unless they explicitly sign a form, typically a Power of Attorney, that gives someone else the right to request records on their behalf. In the state of Alaska, Power of Attorney forms must explicitly indicate permission to request records, make healthcare decisions, or sign consent forms on the patient’s behalf in order to be valid for those purposes. You cannot provide a general Power of Attorney form that does not include provisions for access to records or making healthcare decisions or signing treatment consent forms on the patient’s behalf. See Resources for a link to the Alaska Power of Attorney form.
Power of Attorney forms are complex documents that are best prepared in advance of the patient becoming unable to sign for themselves. If you do not have an adequate Power of Attorney, and the patient is no longer or was never able to sign or make decisions for themselves, you must have a court ordered Guardianship in order to assume those rights on the patient’s behalf.
What is a Guardianship and how do I get one for my elderly parent or adult child?
See the Alaska Court System Self-Help Services page on guardianships for everything you need to know about Guardianship and healthcare. Once you have a Guardianship in place, please provide ICHC with a complete copy of the Guardianship paperwork detailing your rights as Guardian. You must also provide an Advance Health Care Directive, if the patient has one.
What is an Advance Health Care Directive?
An Advance Health Care Directive is a form a patient creates in advance of becoming incapacitated that dictates their wishes for their healthcare treatment. Patients can indicate, for example, what kinds of treatment they want or don’t want, such as comfort care, prolonging their life when on life support, getting blood transfusions, etc. Advance Health Care Directives cannot be overridden by someone with a Power of Attorney or a Guardianship.
Do I have to wear a mask?
The CDC has changed its recommendations, so you only have to wear a mask if you have COVID-19 or other respiratory illness symptoms! Please also be sure to inform us when you schedule your appointment and when you arrive for your visit if you have been exposed to COVID-19, or have had a positive COVID-19 test, in the week before your visit.
We still provide masks for your convenience, and may require you to don one if we have reason to believe you could infect our staff or other patients. If you are asked to don a mask for this reason, you must wear it properly throughout your visit with us. Like you, we are very excited to no longer have to wear a mask all day every day, but we still must do our best to protect our patients and our staff and prevent the spread of infectious disease of any kind.
How long does my COVID-19 result take?
COVID-19 tests are submitted to the State of Alaska Virology Lab, which provides them at no cost to patients. Typical turn-around time for a COVID-19 test is 2 to 4 days, but limited available supplies at the lab sometimes cause delays. We will do our best to notify you if this happens and we are made aware of it.
