By Beverly Collins, MS, RN

Research and Technology Manager

Clinical Decision Support

Allina Hospitals & Clinics

(Editor’s Note: Beverly Collins is a blind registered nurse and technology manager for one of Minnesota’s largest health-care providers. She is also an active member of our Metro Chapter.)

More and more hospitals and clinics are using electronic health record systems. Included in the information they keep is a list of your past and current medical problems, your past and current medications, your allergies, your immunizations, past and recommended health screening exams and their results, lab test results, other diagnostic test results, and summaries of past visits. Law, appropriate technology, and policies and procedures protect access to this information so that only those who have a need to know in order to assist you in your health care have access. You may request an access audit at any time.

Many of these electronic health record applications offer a web-based, secured access patient view. These patient views are called personal health records. You may access this application or set up a proxy allowing a person whom you delegate to have access to your record. You of course may also be a proxy for someone else.

In addition to personal health information, many of these applications offer other services. These include:

• On-line appointment scheduling.
• On-line prescription refill requests.
• E-mail communication with your health care provider.
• Tools for tracking measurements you may take at home such as blood sugars and insulin doses, or blood pressure readings. Your care provider can see this information as well to enhance your communications.
• Reminders to schedule routine exams, screening tests, or immunizations.
• Disease, medication, and testing information and education materials.
• Education materials you may have been given at a clinic visit or hospital stay that have been misplaced.

If you have multiple health care providers within one organization, all of your health information will be integrated into one personal health record. However, if you have multiple health care providers from different organizations or if you change providers from one organization to another, you will have more than one personal health record. Health care organizations are working to resolve this issue. They are investigating ways to securely exchange data while honoring your right to privacy and keeping your information secure. Exchanging data will give your health care provider a complete picture especially if you participate and monitor the information they have.

Fairview Health System, HealthPartners and Allina Hospitals & Clinics share a common electronic health records system vendor. Their records, however, are separate. With the assistance of their vendor, Epic Systems, they are working to implement an application called Care Everywhere. This application will allow them to pass a “Chart Summary” between them. At the time you present for treatment at one organization and with your permission, they will electronically retrieve a “Chart Summary” from either of the other organizations where you have an electronic health record. This summary will become part of the receiving organization’s electronic health record. You will be able to see that summary in your personal health record.

As you can see, it is important that you become an active participant in maintaining this information. MyChart is Epic’s trade name for their personal health record application. Since all three organizations use Epic, all of their personal health records go by the same name. Contact information for signing up for MyChart at each organization is given below.

Allina Hospitals & Clinics: 1-888-4ALLINA (1-888-425-5462), www.allina.com/mychart

Fairview Health System: 1-800-824-1953 www.fairview.org/mychart

HealthPartners: www.healthpartners.com/mychart

You may also request a registration packet from your clinic at your next visit.

The National Federation of the Blind has not certified MyChart as web accessible. I am encouraging Epic Systems to go through the certification program. I would like to hear about your experience using screen readers or magnifiers with the application. Please send your stories both good and bad to coll0366@gmail.com.