For Doctors & Clinics

Small practice, no patient portal? There's a simpler way to share records.

Every person gets one health story, and one private Family Stork email address every clinic already knows how to use. For small practices without a patient portal, that email address is the shortcut — email a visit summary to it and the patient's record organizes itself.

In short
  • You don't need a patient portal. If you can email a PDF, you can send records to a Family Stork address.
  • No software to buy, no integration to build, no monthly subscription for the practice. Family Stork is free for every clinic.
  • Your patients get an organized health timeline from every provider — including yours — without you building anything.

Why do small practices struggle with patient record sharing?

Patient portals were built for hospital systems. They cost tens of thousands of dollars, take months to implement, and require dedicated IT staff to maintain. For a solo pediatrician, a two-provider family practice, or a small specialty clinic, the economics don't work.

The result: patients call your front desk for copies. Your staff prints, faxes, or scans records one by one. Transfer requests from other providers sit in a queue. And the patient's records from your practice stay locked in your EHR — invisible to the family, invisible to the next doctor.

How does Family Stork work for a practice without a portal?

The patient does the setup — not you. They sign up for Family Stork, get a private email address, and hand it to your front desk. From that point:

Your EHR stays exactly as it is. You don't install anything. You don't create an account. You send an email — the same way you already communicate with patients.

What about practices that already print after-visit summaries?

Many small practices print a paper summary at checkout and hand it to the patient. That piece of paper ends up in a kitchen drawer, a diaper bag, or the recycling bin. The information is gone.

If you already have the summary as a PDF in your system — and most EHRs generate one — emailing it to the patient's Family Stork address takes less time than printing it. The document lives in the patient's organized timeline instead of a drawer.

What does this replace for the practice?

Family Stork is not a portal replacement — it's the other side of the conversation. The practice sends records out. The patient receives and organizes them. Here's what changes:

Fewer records-request calls

When a family has their own organized record, they stop calling your front desk for copies. The immunization history, the allergy list, the growth chart — they already have it.

Easier transfers to other providers

When a patient transfers to a new doctor, the family shares their Family Stork record. You don't need to prepare a transfer package — the full history is already organized from every provider, including you.

Better-prepared families at appointments

A family that can see their complete health timeline asks better questions and gives more complete histories. Your visit time is more productive when the family arrives informed.

Common Questions

FAQ

Does the practice pay anything?

No. Family Stork is free for every clinic, always. The family pays $99/year for the full service. Your practice pays nothing and installs nothing.

Can I suggest Family Stork to patients who ask about portals?

Yes. You can suggest it the same way you might suggest a symptom diary or a medication tracker. The patient signs up on their own and shares their address when they're ready. Family Stork provides materials clinics can display.

What if I have a portal but patients don't use it?

Patients with supported portals (including MyChart) can also connect them to Family Stork. But the email mechanic works even when the portal doesn't — and for families seeing multiple providers, one record beats five portals.

Does Family Stork give medical advice to my patients?

No. Family Stork organizes records and helps families search their own health history. It never diagnoses, never recommends treatments, and always tells families: "ask your doctor." The clinical judgment stays with you.

Related resources

No portal? No problem. One email address per patient.

Email records to your patient's Family Stork address. Their health story builds itself — from every provider, including yours.

Free for every clinic, always. The family pays $99/year.

See how clinics use Family Stork →