You should be able to use Chrome instead, and if the doctor's office is competent, you should be able to use Firefox as well. The portal I use for my medical records is through UCLA, and I have to admit that it goes down from time to time, but very briefly. I almost always go there via Firefox, but on my phone, I go there via Chrome.

My guess is that the office doesn't know what they are talking about, and I think you should be able to use Chrome, whether your office says you can or not.

Here are some statistics on current browser usage. Since Chrome is currently by far the most popular browser, your doctor's office should make definitely sure that their portal can be reached on Chrome.

I found this online. The main reason banks and several other corporations use Internet Explorer is that it helps them control their operations over several levels. Using technologies such as ActiveX controls, Active Directory and Active Server Pages, they can customize their functionalities to intricately specialized scenarios, specify exactly how Internet Explorer is configured on each and every PC, and selectively lock down functionalities down for each individual user.
Most banks have websites operating using outdated technologies such as Web Forms. They work optimally in "IE5 and above". IE is still faster than other browsers under specific conditions, and does some things better than other browsers. Some JavaScript programs outright stack-overflows in Chrome but works fine in IE.

Internet Explorer works. If it works for you, there really is no reason to go look for alternatives. People in banks check email, Facebook and undertake a few transactions, and that's something IE does very well. There would be no reason to switch for them. They wouldn't gain anything.

ritaweeda, I'm a bit unclear about the problem but if it's that you're reluctant to use the browser, go ahead and don't give it a second thought. Why is it out of date? What happens when you try to get a newer version?

If you have Windows 7, then that's another and more significant issue and it's much more than the health portal. You need to do something about that.

I presume you have a capable and well rated security program installed and running. That and updated operating systems are all the protection you need.

This may not be helpful, but I have accessed different patient portals many times using Safari with no issues at all. I would try whatever you are using.

Safari is a browser designed and maintained for use on Apple hardware.

I've been seeing this concern for quite awhile now but without looking any further I've included the link to an article on it. Internet Explorer Anyway, yes I do have virus protection but since I'm not astute in such technical issues, it makes me double paranoid and admittedly over-cautious about such things.

And then also I've been having a couple of issues come up on the Edge browser in the last couple of weeks. An alert pops up, something about it being "unsafe" and it makes a loud annoying noise when I'm on a particular radio streaming site. I've stopped using it. I don't know if it's something coming from that particular site but it only happens on that site and that is the only thing I use the Edge browser for on this laptop. For everything else I do I use Firefox. On another computer that I only use for banking, etc. I do use Edge but have never had that problem, it's a newer laptop than this one. I also have made sure that the latest Windows updates have been completed - one being a patch for a security problem with Edge. This stuff just always worries me even though I have protection, I'm always afraid something is lurking in my computer that isn't good.

rita, what windows version do you have?

FWIW, I recently used a portal that instructed users to access through Safari or IE, but when I tried that it worked exactly the same as when I used Chrome - which is what I always use.

Some of the info on websites may not be completely up to date.

I have Windows 10 on both laptops. If they have come out with a better version of IE then maybe I should get it. But I took it off my computer a long time ago when I kept reading that it wasn't any good.

So I went on my other laptop that I only do strictly business and banking on today and I tried again to access that patient portal and I was successful, I used the Edge Browser. So I don't know if it's something that they just now recently addressed but now I know I can access it with no problems. I did mention it to the receptionist at my physician's office yesterday and she said would send them a note about my problems with it. Maybe they did something to my record to let me get on there.

But this laptop that I use all the time for surfing the web, emailing and playing games, streaming websites, etc. is the one I had the Edge problem on recently and I still don't know if it's some kind of malware that tried to access or not. This person who posted on the computer help forum is concerned with this problem, too and there has been some issues with Edge recently which they supposedly sent out a patch but it still happened after I updated on this machine. I guess I should go ahead and access that same website again and see if it happens so that I can write down exactly what it says but I hate to because it freaks me out.

I'm not sure what prior problems you had with Edge. If there are a few websites you visit that perform better with or require Edge, I wouldn't lose any sleep about using it.

Getting Edge updates doesn't take any action on your part, I believe it happens automatically with the automatic Windows updates. Sometimes Windows updates cause a hiccup or two and in such cases, sometimes an update to the update gets sent out reasonably promptly.

Restarting a computer can be helpful too if uncharacteristic behavior happens after an update. Do you shut them down/turn them of at the end of the day when your use is done?

Elmer yes of course I know that, but the point is, patient portals should be designed these days to support any browser.

When I was doing some work for a lawyer through part of 2019 the court system required that I use Explorer. Thoroughly annoying.

Not all development tools, languages and the resulting code used to power a site and the underlying software that serves up information in response to inquiries and transactions are compatible with all browsers. Some notably are not.

That a court's info system works only with Microsoft's browser doesn't surprise me. I know that when security is important, keeping things tight and tidy is easier when universal compatibility isn't a priority,

But one would think (at least I thought) they'd want to use the most up-to-date version. However, they did not. It wasn't that big a deal, really. At least I'm not an Apple user; it was more complicated for them. With that job, I was annoyed with the court system most of the time anyway. :-)

alisande, I think most governmental agencies struggle with the tradeoff between inadequate funding versus what they consider essential spending needs for mission critical operations. What they may have wanted to do and what they had the money to do were likely two different things. They are probably thrilled to have any automation, no matter how old and no matter how limited and idiosyncratic it was to use, so long as it worked.

With a court system as with anything else, in the long run having current automated electronic systems systems and internet access save a lot of time and money. However, especially with a governmental operation, spending is looked at year by year and investments for future savings aren't always seen in the same way as they are outside the public sector.

I worked in the medical field for over 20 yrs. I always used Firefox to access any patient info on Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies, hospital records. I never used Explorer as it was deemed unsafe.

I am retired now but I can access all my medical records using Firefox. It makes no sense that they require using Edge when many people have Apple products and use various browsers. I'm sure it was some glitch in their system and they probably do not have in house IT people.

I would never use Edge.

Jane

I can access my medical records using any browser. Most of the time I'm on my iPad but no problems using my android phone or Edge when I'm on my laptop.

"I never used Explorer as it was deemed unsafe."

By whom or what? When?

Added comment:

My firm does large scale, high level IT and other types of consulting, among other things, and is UBER security conscious because of very sensitive client information we have. I had occasion a few minutes ago to connect to its intranet, and the information I wanted was sitting behind QUADRUPLE verification. (Name and password, followed by 3 security questions, followed by a different name and password, followed by an access code sent by email or text to a pre-verified address/number). Most of it is only double.

I checked to find clear instructions and found that recent Microsoft and Apple Browsers are always supported, some versions of Firefox can have incompatibilities, and nothing else is supported. Any attempted log on with other browsers (like with Chrome) gets bounced.

This is unchanged, it's been this way for years. Other than, originally, Apple wasn't supported at all until about 8 years ago and FIrefox was allowed at about the same time.

That's why I questioned Jane's comment.