Published on February 08, 2010
10 Reasons Why Patients Love MyChart... and Why You Will Too
Situation A: During a hiking vacation, you suddenly find yourself with a strange rash. Before heading off to urgent care, you use a computer at your hotel to log on to MyChart, print a list of your medications, and bring it with you to help the medical staff identify possible drug interactions.
Situation B: Your 87-year-old mother just got her lab results back. As her medical proxy, you're able to access her MyChart account and compare numbers over time. You can even view the results as a chart.
Situation C: Your child's school registration is this afternoon, and you need to bring his immunization records. A quick visit to MyChart allows you to print out all his immunization information.
In each example above, MyChart made life a little safer, easier or better. That's why more than 40,000 Dean MyChart users are falling in love with the real-life benefits of this program.
Dean family physician David Gronski, MD, says, "As I talk to patients, they really like MyChart. It's a patient satisfier without a doubt."
Sixty-year-old Linda Conlon is a Dean patient and MyChart user. While MyChart is a great tool for anyone, Linda finds it especially helpful due to moderate-to-severe hearing loss in both ears. She is quick to share the details of how MyChart helps her.
"I use MyChart for almost everything imaginable," Linda says. "For medical info, to review instructions, to get questions answered... even for encouragement and support."
What is MyChart?
MyChart is a free service for Dean patients that allows them to access information in their personal health records via the Internet. They can also communicate with doctors and healthcare teams between appointments. MyChart is 100% secure and encrypted.
For security, no information is actually stored on MyChart. When you log into your account and click on Lab Results, for example, the website "grabs" info from your medical record to display.
If you're already a Dean patient, visit MyChart to set up an account.
We provide live support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if you need assistance.
How Do I Love Thee?
We recently surveyed our MyChart users to learn what they thought of the service.
- 95% of users feel MyChart is easy to use.
- 95% were satisfied with the timeliness of responses from physicians and clinic staff.
- 61% of the messages sent through MyChart replaced an office visit to a clinic.
So why do patients love MyChart so much? Here are 10 reasons we hear regularly:
1. Privacy. No more phone calls at work regarding lab results or overheard conversations about your physical or mental health.
2. Portability. Access your medical information from anywhere (great for travelers and snowbirds).
3. Timing. Can't get to a phone during business hours? Send your question or request an appointment whenever you have time and review the answer at your convenience.
4. Good Answers. "Taking in a question from MyChart gives me flexibility to research complicated issues or call a specialist for more information," explains Dr. Gronski.
5. Data Comparisons Over Time. Review labs and more to see improvement or decline. MyChart even has a chart function.
6. Information Review and Retention. "Research shows that patients aren't always able to retain as much information as they would like," says Dr. Gronski. MyChart allows patients to review instructions for clarity. Linda Conlon couldn't agree more. "When you have a medical problem, you are emotionally involved and sometimes miss things," she says. "The thing I like about MyChart more than anything is it gives me a paper copy to look back at. I don't have to second-guess myself."
7. Complete Records. Since Dean is an integrated health system, patients can review information from medical appointments, ER and hospital visits, and even Dean Pharmacy.
8. Proxy Access. Access your children's accounts or an elderly parent's account for whom you serve as proxy for medical care.
9. Acessibility for Those with Disabilities. MyChart is very useful for people with communication challenges.
10. Time and Money Savings. Potentially eliminate an office visit and co-pay. "While nothing can substitute for that quizzical look during a face-to-face visit, MyChart is a great way to answer simple questions that don't really require an appointment," explains Dr. Gronski.
"I'm a big believer that the more information patients have, the better off they'll be," confirms Dr. Gronski. MyChart is a great way to stay informed and involved in your healthcare.
Visit MyChart now for more information or to sign up.
This article originally appeared in Caring For You, Dean Clinic's monthly full-page insert in the Wisconsin State Journal and Janesville Gazette that provides features on public health topics.
