Springfield Clinic launches myHealth@SC patient portal

[July 07, 2011]  SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield Clinic has launched myHealth@SC, the area's first online patient portal. The innovative tool represents the latest advance in personal health management by allowing users to interact with their health records and doctors' offices as they never have before.

The myHealth@SC portal is a highly secure online application. It gives patients the power to manage a copy of their personal health record and makes it possible to expedite appointment check-ins by completing and submitting forms online. Patients can download and email immunizations history and other documents, as well as review their medical records, including lab and test results, office visits, physician notes, conditions, and medications.

MyHealth@SC, powered by FollowMyHealth, is the latest innovation from Springfield Clinic's technology subsidiary, Jardogs LLC.

"We truly believe this tool will improve the patient's experience at Springfield Clinic," says Robert Mulch, M.D., Springfield Clinic medical director and specialist in Family Medicine at Springfield Clinic Hillsboro. "Once patients start using these health record management tools, they'll be better prepared for their office visit and ultimately more engaged in their care. That will lead to better health and improved medical outcomes."

Additionally, myHealth@SC users have the ability to request appointments and prescription refills, as well as send and receive messages from their doctor's office.

Patients can also receive appointment reminders and prescription alerts through email and text messaging.

"We expect myHealth@SC to deliver real efficiency --- patients and our offices both benefit from that," Dr. Mulch added. "By giving patients the ability to take care of routine business like immunization records, refills and forms in advance, our doctors will have more time during the visit to focus on the patient's medical needs."

Use of myHealth@SC is free and available to all Springfield Clinic patients. Enrollment begins with a visit to any Springfield Clinic office to verify the patient's identity. An email invitation launches a series of electronic transactions that populate the patient's myHealth@SC account with data from their medical record. Once the account has been created, patients have access to all the current features and functions of the application.

"The ability to manage and update this information from the privacy of their own homes is really the greatest draw for patients," says Linda Meadows, director of Springfield Clinic's health information management department. "Health information is incredibly personal and private, and to be able to take charge of it yourself, wherever you so choose, is something our patients really appreciate."

Several enhancements are planned for future releases, including the addition of an updated online bill pay feature.

Within the next year, other local health care institutions are expected to use the FollowMyHealth technology to create their own version of a patient portal, which will enable Springfield Clinic patients to integrate their health records from multiple medical facilities into a single personal repository.

For more information, visit www.springfieldclinic.com, or www.springfieldclinic.com/myHealthAtSC.

[Text from file received from Springfield Clinic]