When it comes to accessing healthcare records, scheduling appointments and keeping track of medication lists, gone are the days of physical paper files. Patient portals, or secure websites linked to electronic medical records, have emerged as the primary tool to allow patients and providers to access health information in a timely and efficient manner. Arnot Health and Cayuga Health, Members of Centralus Health, use Epic’s MyChart.
“By registering for it, you can see a lot of your information that’s available. You can check in on your lab results and your imaging results as well as see appointments you have coming up and schedule appointments,” says Dr. James Bohan, Chair of Emergency Medicine at Arnot Health, a Member of Centralus Health.
Patients who come to the emergency room may not be able to speak. To provide informed care and, when necessary, contact a healthcare proxy, Dr. Bohan says patients should keep their emergency contact information up to date.
“I want to emphasize the importance of having the appropriate emergency contacts, medication list and past history there. Having accurate data is extremely important in the emergency department so we have someone to contact and can get additional information as needed.”
In an emergency situation, when the time from admission to care is critical, medical staff can easily access a patient’s current list of medications, allergies, immunizations, and past diagnoses. This information is crucial for quick decision making.
“You can check that your medication list is accurate on your MyChart, which is very helpful for knowing about interactions with the medications you’re taking. We can also see past medical history. That speeds up the process when you’re here, and we don’t need to dig into all the medical history since it’s available,” says Dr. Bohan.
At the end of a visit, patients receive discharge information like home-care instructions, when to follow up with a primary care specialist or provider, prescriptions, and when to return if symptoms worsen.
“This information is now sent to MyChart as well, so you’re not carrying extra paper. It’s all available down the road for you to look at.”
Health emergencies can be overwhelming. Patients talk to doctors about what they need to do next but may not remember all the details when they go home. MyChart allows people to easily keep track of all the steps necessary to improve their health.
“With MyChart you’ll see if we set you up for a follow-up with a specialist, where to go and what to do to prepare for that visit,” says Dr. Bohan.
Not every ailment that brings people to the emergency room is life-threatening. The registration stage of visits that don’t require fast intervention can start at home. MyChart’s On-My-Way feature allows patients to check in and provide important information about their ailments before they arrive.
“There is a feature on MyChart to let us know you’re going to come to the emergency department. It’s found where you schedule visits. This lets the registration staff know you’re coming so they can put in your information before you arrive. Then, you’d go right to triage and be seen by a nurse.”
Dr. Bohan says this helps speed up the registration process by providing details online ahead of time. Using On-My-Way doesn’t guarantee that people will receive care sooner.
“There’s no guarantee you’ll be seen faster, but you’ll have all of your accurate information already in there and ready.”
People should go to the ER for life-threatening issues like chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, stroke signs, major trauma or head injury with loss of consciousness, severe allergic reactions, poisoning, or overdose; these require immediate, advanced care.
To ensure your visits are properly documented, providers recommend using MyChart. Patients can register or view their information at CentralusHealth.org/MyChart.
Arnot Health offers high-quality emergency care services 24/7 at two of its affiliated hospitals; Arnot Ogden Medical Center, 600 Roe Avenue, Elmira or Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital, 7571 NY-54, Bath.
Cayuga Health delivers expert, compassionate care for people who are experiencing medical emergencies. Cayuga Health offers 24-hour emergency care in Tompkins and Schuyler Counties, seeing more than 40,000 patients a year in its Emergency Departments. Patients in need of emergency care can go to Cayuga Medical Center, 101 Dates Drive, Ithaca or Schuyler Hospital, 220 Steuben Street, Montour Falls.
