The Patient Portal for SmartCare is just a log-in to SmartCare for certain types of users. These users are called “Non-Staff Users”. These types of users are very similar to “Staff Users”, which is how you log in to SmartCare. Non-Staff Users are assigned user roles just like Staff Users are. These user roles permission certain screens, documents, etc. However, the login screen for patient portal users is not the same URL as the login screen for staff users.
When the patient portal user logs in, they will see something very similar to what you see. However, their view will be limited based on their permissions. For example, they won’t be able to search for clients the way staff users can and will have limited quicklinks.
Patient Portal Users are not beholden to any privacy rules, so CDAG does not apply to them. After all, they’re allowed to see their records regardless of program. However, not all documents are automatically viewable by Patient Portal Users. CalMHSA manages the permissions for patient portal user roles and has currently set the permissions to view documents and related screens for documents that the client can complete. This generally includes consent forms and self-report assessments such as the PSC-35. These documents must be assigned directly to the patient portal user in order to associate a program to the document, which will allow CDAG rules to be implemented. (CDAG rules still apply to Staff Users, so all documents must be associated with a program.)
Updated 8/7/24