Please read this FAQ fully before using our portal.
Ask Non-Urgent Questions and Get a Response Within 3 Business Days
Athenanet provides online access to your care team for a wide range of medical needs, including prescription refills, appointment scheduling and non-urgent medical questions. We recognize the vital role virtual options play in health care, and we want to make sure our clinicians and patients have access to convenient new ways to communicate.
Please note: Your message may not be read for three business days. Our clinicians do not typically review messages in the evening or on weekends when the office is closed. If you need to urgently reach your clinician’s office, please call their office number. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. Do not leave a message through Athena for emergencies.
Please note that our physicians make every effort to call promptly with results that we receive. By accessing your records online, there is a possibility that you will see the results before a physician has a chance to call you personally. The results will appear in this system at the same time that our physicians receive them. We highly suggest that if you are waiting for testing that may have abnormalities that you speak to a physician before using the Athenanet Portal.
While most PrimeCare of Michigan Athenanet messages with your care team are free, responses that require medical expertise and five minutes or more of your clinician’s time may be billed to your insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are medical advice Athena messages being billed to insurance?
Virtual options have become a standard part of health care. Insurance companies now recognize some Athenanet medical advice messages as billable services. We want to make sure our clinicians have the time they need to review and respond appropriately to your concerns, just as they would with an in-person or video visit. If your message takes five minutes or more to respond to, you may be billed.
PrimeCare of Michigan will closely monitor the impact of this new workflow for patients.
What type of Athena messages will be billed to insurance?
Most Athenanet messages you send will not be billed, but there are times when patient-initiated messages require more time for review and response. Here are some examples of topics of messages that may be billed:
- A new issue or symptom requiring medical assessment or referral
- Adjusting medications
- Chronic disease check-in and management
- Flare-up or change in chronic condition
Are there messages that will not be billed to insurance?
Yes — in most cases, you will not be billed for Athenanet messages. Here are some examples of patient-initiated messages that will not be billed:
- Prescription refill requests
- Scheduling appointments
- Messages about an issue addressed during a visit in the last seven days
- Messages that lead to a visit in the next seven days
- Follow-up care linked to recent surgery
- Messages that do not require a response
- Messages that take less than five minutes to answer
How much will I be billed for medical advice through MyChart messages?
Most Athenanet messages are free. Clinicians may only bill for messages that require at least five minutes of time spent reviewing the medical record and providing medical advice. If you do not have insurance, out-of-pocket costs will range from approximately $15–$50, depending on the amount of time spent by your clinician. For most insurance plans, if your message is billed, you may not be charged at all or you may see a low out-of-pocket cost.