Adam Smith (left) and Drew Dawson, Clinical Informatics Analysts, have been enrolling patients at hospitals throughout Interior Health.. (Contributed photo)
As Interior Health continues to catch up with the digital age, software is finally available for patients to access their personal information from the internet.
Fewer steps will be required to access personal health stats for anybody who signs up for a MyHealthPortal account.
Prior to March 13, staffers from Interior Health were at the South Okanagan General Hospital trying to get patients on the net.
“It provides patients with access to their health info, Interior Health lab results and things like that,” said David Sookaveiff from Interior Health. “It’s easy to do and it’s there as an information resource.”
Sookaveiff says MyHealthPortal will benefit all patients who sign up, especially those with chronic conditions. Sometimes, patients have to take additional doctor trips to obtain their healthcare information, whereas MyHealthPortal can virtually deliver that data anywhere.
On other occasions, doctors don’t always inform patients when there are no health concerns. ‘No news is good news’ doesn’t cut it for some patients though, and MyHealthPortal keeps them up to date on all of it.
By giving people quicker and easier access to their personal health stats, “Patients can have richer conversations with their providers and it enables them that way to better outcomes,” Sookaveiff said.
Interior Health launched the initiative in line with the province’s recommendations to improve patient engagement in healthcare.
“The portal provides supports to the patient to help them be more empowered and take more control over their individual healthcare,” he said.
The main goal is to improve system level outcomes for individual patients. Sookaveiff said there aren’t high expectations that MyHealthPortal will have a major impact on the overall healthcare system.
“Whether or not it improves the system in some way I’m not sure.”
Anybody interested can enroll Wednesday or Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We need to have patients present their proof of ID and verify them from a security perspective.”
But for those who miss the opportunity this week, there will be a remote method of signing up by mail, and a self-enrolment program is being developed.
The program works via a secure portal from the Interior Health website. Once they’re signed in, patients can view their health lab results; diagnostic imaging reports (such as X-rays, scans and ultrasound); upcoming appointments; recent hospital visit history; and the opportunity to update address and phone number information.
MyHealthPortal first launched last June in Salmon Arm. The response has been “great” so far with more than 8,000 enrolled so far.
Find out more by going to interiorhealth.ca/MyHealthPortal.
DAN WALTON
Regional Reporter
