More health systems charging for online patient portal messages – Chicago Tribune

Good morning, Chicago.

Patients who ask for their doctors’ help through online portals might soon notice something new: fees for their physicians’ online advice.

A growing number of health systems in the Chicago area and across the country are now charging for some types of messages sent through online patient portals, such as MyChart, with fees often around $35 or less. It’s a trend that’s sparking mixed reactions, with some saying it seems only fair, while others see it as a cash grab.

Health system leaders say most messages remain free, and they’re only billing for questions that require more than a few minutes of a doctor’s time and that, in the past, would likely have merited an in-person visit.

Read the full story from the Tribune’s Lisa Schencker.

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

COVID-19 tracker | Monkeypox tracker | Afternoon briefing | Compare gas prices | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy | Today’s eNewspaper edition

A former gender violence attorney, a manager at a fast-food restaurant, a police officer and other migrant men joined churchgoers around tables in a basement Wednesday night. For most of these migrants, it’s their first time having a Thanksgiving meal.

After a bilingual service, New Life Community Church in Little Village hosted a holiday dinner for the congregation and a group of about 10 migrant men — mostly asylum-seekers from Venezuela — from two different shelters in the city.

Turkeys have been seen all around the Chicago area, watchers say, including at McCormick Place and in Beverly on the South Side, Evanston, South Holland, Bull Valley and along the Fox River.

Afternoon Briefing

Daily

Chicago Tribune editors’ top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.

The bird’s comeback is a conservation success story. Wild turkeys once were plentiful in Illinois, but by the early 1900s were hunted to oblivion. State and private conservation groups reintroduced them midcentury, and they’ve grown to stable numbers, with an estimated 5 million nationwide, despite recent declines.

Quandaries will be commonplace today when the U.S. men’s national soccer team plays England in the World Cup.

It’s a sign of how deeply embedded Premier League fandom has become in the Chicago area. Many teams have official fan clubs here, and supporters pack designated bars on weekend mornings when the games begin across the Atlantic.

The Chicago Bears on Sunday will play at MetLife Stadium for the second time this season, facing the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. They lost to the New York Giants 20-12 in Week 4. The big question this week is the availability of quarterback Justin Fields — who suffered a separated left shoulder and torn ligament in Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons.

As the game approaches, our team of writers digs in to four key topics surrounding the 3-8 Bears.

“Gifting a book is personal,” writes Christopher Borrelli. “It tells me about you, and tells me what you think about me. I suppose any gift could do this. But give me a Colleen Hoover bestseller with its 40%-off sticker attached and it still speaks louder than a new sweater.”

“What follows are some very specific messages to send this holiday season, coupled with exactly the right books. There are rules to this: A proper gift book is a great read and a pleasing package. Design matters. Unless it’s a set of books with a theme — but even then, titles must complement, not replicate. That said, just remove the 40%-off sticker.”