MyCompass to provide access to online health records
Health, Wellness & You
Friday, July 22, 2011
The field of medicine continues to become increasingly complex as clinicians push the bounds of technology, creating life-saving treatments that could not have been imagined even only a decade or so ago. And so it is with the growing field of electronic medical records.
Recently, Fort HealthCare engaged Cerner Corporation to assist in the implementation of a comprehensive electronic health record (EHR). Fort HealthCare will implement more than 40 Cerner® solutions including an electronic patient portal called MyCompass that will allow patients to use their computers to view portions of their electronic health record and engage in a broad range of activities related to their visits with a Fort HealthCare provider or service.
The MyCompass patient portal will go-live along with the other Cerner EHR features beginning August 1. With MyCompass, Fort HealthCare patients will be able to direct, manage and monitor their health, and their family’s health — easily, immediately, accurately and securely via 24/7 online access.
MyCompass will offer patients an individualized, personal login. Invitations to become participants in the patient portal will occur at visits to registration desks at Fort Medical Group physician clinics or at Fort Memorial Hospital. After registering to become a MyCompass participant, patients receive a temporary PIN. An email will be sent automatically to one’s preferred address requesting confirmation and the opportunity to create a secure login.
Once logged in, patients can exchange health-related messages in a secure setting with their providers. These features are expected to be available as the EHR goes live across Fort HealthCare’s inpatient, ambulatory care and clinic settings August 1:
· General Messaging to Providers
· Medication Refill Requests
· Review of Most Laboratory Results from Recent Clinic and Hospital Visits, including the Emergency Department
· Review of Immunization History, Allergies and Health History
· Review of Discharge Instructions
· Review of Clinical Summaries as Written by Providers
Lab results are available to MyCompass users after physicians and other clinicians have the opportunity to review the results. This may take up to 72 hours.
The convenience the MyCompass Patient Portal will offer exceptional value to Fort HealthCare patients. Patients will save time by eliminating the phone tag that seems to be prevalent in today’s healthcare. MyCompass users will be able to manage the healthcare of minor dependents or senior relatives.
Later this year, patients will be able to directly schedule a variety of routine appointments directly on-line via the MyCompass portal.
Fort HealthCare is pleased to offer MyCompass at no cost to patients. It is one more way the organization empowers patients toward greater involvement, partnership, responsibility and voice in their health — which will benefit them, their loved ones and the community overall.
As Fort HealthCare converts from one computer system to another, it is possible that some personal demographic information may not be available at a patient’s first medical visit to either the hospital or a clinic. Patients are encouraged to arrive about one half hour early, bring their current prescriptions and over-the-counter medications as well as their most current insurance information to their first appointment on or after August 1st. Clinic staff will take this time to review the patient’s medical history and make certain that the Compass system has the most accurate and up-to-date information going forward.