http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/mymercyall_7655.mp3
Thousands of St. John’s patients are tracking their health online. KSMU’s Michele Skalicky tells us more about this technology…
With a few clicks on the computer keyboard, patients at St. John’s Health System can have access to their medical records, check lab results, schedule appointments, renew prescriptions and e-mail their doctors.MyMercy is a free online service available in most of Mercy’s four-state region: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.Stacy Allen, a local mom of two, says the technology has made managing her and her family’s health easier…
"I book appointments online. I can check my test results. I have a child that has hydrocephalus, so he has some medical needs, and I can check his different doctors, their reports. I can order prescriptions online."
She says she’s also e-mailed her children’s physician numerous times, which she says has saved her a lot of doctor visits…
"Because she can answer it, and it's not something that they really need to come in for and waste her time, so where she can actually see other other patients."
Dr. Rick Allen is a primary care physician at St. John’s Clinic in Ozark. He uses MyMercy and says it’s a more convenient way to communicate with his patients…
"It gives me a chance to reply to their messages when it's a convenient time for me. It's a much more efficient manner for me to share test results with them and to refill prescription requests, so I see it as a way for me to do my job easier and make it more convenient for the patients as well."
Dr. Allen says the technology allows patients to become more involved in their care and to become partners with their physicians…
"I think too many people don't consider their health a priority or consider that they're an active participant, and if we can be as open as possible with our information, I hope that we can get more people actively involved."
Around 140 of Allen’s patients have signed up to use MyMercy, and more than 19,000 are using the service in the four-state region that Mercy serves.To access MyMercy: www.mymercy.net.