One Person, One Record: Creating a Seamless Connection for All MyMichigan Health Patients
Patients of MyMichigan’s Medical Centers in Saginaw, Standish and Tawas will soon benefit from faster communication and more streamlined care through the implementation of a new electronic medical record. The Medical Centers and their affiliated provider offices and facilities will be moving to Epic, the world’s largest electronic medical records system, beginning February 1.
The project will update equipment, improve information sharing and integrate MyMichigan’s newly acquired facilities with the rest of the health system. It will also enable each patient to have one comprehensive medical record shared across all MyMichigan Health-employed providers and facilities for more seamless and convenient care.
“Currently we are using two separate systems to care for our patients in the hospital versus outpatient settings, so this will significantly streamline the process for both our patients and our providers and staff,” stated Steven McLean, M.D., Emergency Department medical director and vice president of medical affairs, MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw. “This has also been an opportunity to think differently about how we work, to design patient- and family-friendly processes and to improve our internal productivity and satisfaction. Lastly, since Epic is used in many other facilities locally and nationally, it will help us coordinate better with those other organizations to care for our mutual patients, for example, with Covenant or the University of Michigan.”
Patients will have the opportunity to sign up for a MyChart portal account, which they will use for transactions such as self-scheduling, viewing medical records or test results, messaging their provider, requesting prescription refills, online bill pay and more. MyChart activation codes are offered to patients during key transactions such as scheduling an appointment, registration, receiving an after-visit summary or receiving a billing statement, which ensures both secure and easy enrollment.
Those who would like to learn more about the MyChart portal may visit mymichigan.org/mychart.
