Connected Patient Portal Overview and Data Management

When a patient connects an external portal (e.g., Epic MyChart) to SigmaMD, selected health information is automatically imported into the patient's chart.

Does the Imported Data Expire?

No.

Once data is imported into SigmaMD, it remains in the patient's chart indefinitely.

If the external connection expires, SigmaMD simply stops refreshing new data. Previously imported records are not removed.

The only way imported data leaves the chart is if the patient disconnects the portal and chooses to delete it. See Disconnecting a Connected Portal below.

Important: Data Imports Automatically

Imported data does not require clinician review before appearing in the chart.

For this reason:

Patients should be careful to connect the correct portal to the correct patient chart. Patients who are caregivers should ensure they are in the correct patient chart before initiating a portal connection.

Patient Control Over What Gets Imported

When connecting a portal, the patient chooses which health resources to share. For example, they may import:

Problems
Allergies
Prescriptions
Vitals
Encounters
Lab results
Clinical notes
Other available records

Some patients may choose to share all resources, while others may select only specific categories. Imported data is visible:

In the SigmaMD EMR (for clinicians)
In the SigmaMD patient portal app (for the patient)

How to Identify Imported Data

On the patient chart, each health resource includes a Source column.

This displays the name of the originating institution (e.g., hospital or health system).

How Long Does the Connection Stay Active?

During connection, the patient selects how long access remains active.

Some institutions allow connections up to one year.
Others allow shorter durations.
The duration options are determined by the originating institution.

If the selected duration is one month or longer, SigmaMD refreshes connected data automatically every 14 days while access remains active.

When the connection expires:

No new data is pulled.
Previously imported data remains in the chart.

How Long Does Shared Portal Data Stay in the Patient Chart?

Any information shared in the patient's chart, including vaccines, will remain in the chart even after the sharing period has expired. There is no need to take additional action to retain this information.

When the sharing period expires:

No new data will sync from the connected portal.
Previously shared information will remain available in the patient's chart.

All historical records remain intact.

Disconnecting a Connected Portal

Patients manage their own portal connections from the SigmaMD patient app. From a connected portal, the patient can tap Remove to disconnect it. When they do, they choose what happens to the data that was already imported:

Remove Portal and Keep Data — the connection ends and no new data syncs, but every record imported so far stays in the patient's chart.
Remove Portal and Delete Data — the connection ends and every record imported from that portal is removed from the chart.

Disconnecting a portal is always initiated by the patient. Clinicians can't disconnect a portal or clear imported data on a patient's behalf.

What "Delete Data" Removes

Choosing Remove Portal and Delete Data removes only the information that came from that external portal, including:

Problems, allergies, and medications
Vitals, encounters, and lab results
Clinical notes and other imported records

Data your practice entered directly into the chart is never affected — only records sourced from the disconnected portal are removed.

Deletion runs in the background, so imported records may take a short time to fully clear from the chart.