New feature helps patients better manage their care
MyWellSpan users can now access notes their physician recorded during their office visit.
The Office Visit Notes feature includes a detailed account of the visit, including physical history, the examination, relevant lab or study findings, and the clinician’s assessment and plan of care.
WellSpan is one of only 16 healthcare organizations in the country to offer the Office Visit Notes feature.
“Making Office Visit Notes available gives patients timelier and easier access to their record, saving patients time and cost incurred by a medical records release process,” said Geoff Nicholson, MD, vice president and chief medical information officer, WellSpan.
“This is an important step for us as an organization, and a significant benefit to the patients.”
Research has shown that by reading notes, patients remember more of what was discussed during visits; feel more in control of their care; are more likely to take medications as prescribed; and can share notes with their caregivers, which helps them stay up-to-date on progress and treatment.
This aids physicians in working with patients to maintain health, improve their management of chronic conditions and promote constructive communication and engagement.
MyWellSpan
features
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View general lab results
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Receive proxy access to records for children 12 and under
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Request prescription refills at any WellSpan Pharmacy
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View immunizations, conditions and allergies
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View inpatient and emergency department discharge instructions
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Send secure messages to participating WellSpan Medical Group practices
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View pathology and microbiology reports, such as biopsies, strep cultures and PAP tests; many are available within 48 hours
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View imaging reports in real-time
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Schedule or cancel appointments with specific physicians
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View upcoming scheduled appointments
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Pre-register for an upcoming test, procedure or inpatient stay
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View notes of their physician visit
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Receive notification of new lab results
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Pat Wallace, director of e-Health, said, “Continuous improvements and new features are keys to making MyWellSpan an effective tool for patients. WellSpan is committed to making the patient record transparent, and Office Visit Notes is a major step forward.”
Other recent MyWellSpan enhancements include:
- Imaging studies in real-time. Imaging results are available to the patient as they are finalized by radiology.
- Notification of new lab results. Patients receive notification via secure message, informing them when they have a final lab result available. An email advises the patient to logon to MyWellSpan to view the information.
With Office Visit Notes, previously released labs and a subset of hospital notes, patients will have near-complete access to their record when they need it, according to Nicholson.
“MyWellSpan is truly innovating care delivery and patient engagement, which are both critical to our ability to provide care to populations made up of individuals who spend more of their time out of physical contact with us,” said Nicholson.
For more information about MyWellSpan, a list of participating WellSpan locations, or to self-enroll, go to www.mywellspan.org, or call MyWellSpan Customer Service at 1-866-638-1842.
