Business & Tech

MyChart goes mobile: Free App Gives MultiCare Patients Access to Their Medical Records

The free MyChart app - which MultiCare released on Wednesday - lets you access medical records, ask your doctor questions, review test results and more from your cell phone.

Your health is now in your hands, thanks to a new mobile app for patients.

The free MyChart app - which lets you access medical records, ask your doctor questions, review test results and more - is now available for iPhone and Android mobile devices, the Tacoma-based not-for-profit health system announced Wednesday.

MyChart gives MultiCare patients secure online access to personal health information, plus easy-to-use tools that make managing health care simple and convenient. MyChart safeguards your privacy with the latest security technology. It's easy to sign up and the service is free. Register for MyChart online at www.multicare.org/mychart or stop by your MultiCare provider's office and ask for your personal access code.

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To download the app, visit the marketplace for your mobile device or visit www.multicare.org/mychart.

MultiCare is one of the few health systems in the nation to have a complete electronic health record system. All MultiCare outpatient clinics and hospitals are linked to the electronic health record called MultiCare Connect, which includes the secure patient portal called MyChart.

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MultiCare has been at the leading edge of this technology with implementation of MultiCare Connect in 1998. MultiCare Connect includes physician order entry, inpatient and outpatient area access, electronic imaging, patient access to records, bedside barcoding and other features that ensure patients get the safest and best care possible.

MultiCare has earned other distinctions recently for health information technology. In 2010, MultiCare Health System was the sole winner of the prestigious Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence for Organizational Health. Presented by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, the national award recognizes MultiCare's effective use of health information technology, specifically electronic health records, to improve the safety and quality of patient care. For the past three years, MultiCare has been honored as one of the nation's "Most Wired" health care systems by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.

Here are some links to the apps:

- For iTunes, click here

- For Android, click here

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What is the new mobile app for MyChart?

A: The free app gives you secure and convenient mobile access from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Android device. The app, called MyChart, is available from the Apple App Store on your iPhone or iTunes on your computer or from the Android Market. 

 

Q: How do I get the mobile app?

A: You can download it from the Apple App Store on your iPhone or iTunes on your computer or from the Android Market . It's free. Simply search for "MyChart" and install it. You will click on "MyChart Powered by MultiCare" as your health care provider. It's that easy.

To use the app, you must have an existing "MyChart Powered by MultiCare" username and password. The Apple app requires an Apple iOperating System version 3.1.3 or later. The Android app requires Android 2.1 and up.
A notification will pop up on your phone if you need to update your operating system.

 

Q: Is the mobile app secure?

A: Yes. To protect your personal information, the app uses the same type of security measures as mobile banking apps.

* No sensitive data is stored in the device's memory.
* To access your medical record, you must log-in each time with your unique user ID and password - just as you would from a computer to verify authorization.
* To further enhance security, you may enable a passcode for your device that will prompt you each time you turn on or wake up the device that offers protection if you become separated from your mobile device.
* You should always log-out at the end of your session to further protect your personal health information.

 

Q: Are all the MyChart features available through this mobile app?

A: Many of the same trusted services you access by computer are available through the app. This first version of this app allows you to:

* Send a secure message to your doctor about non-urgent health questions.
* Check most lab and test results.
* View appointments.
* Receive health reminders.
* Access your health summary, including medications, immunizations and allergies.

 

Q: What online services are not yet available from the mobile app?

A: The app does not currently allow you to:

* Request an appointment.
* Renew prescriptions.
* Ask a question about a bill or statement.

 

Q: Is the mobile app only for Apple and Android products?

A: The mobile app currently runs only on Apple and Android devices. We will continue to work with our electronic health record vendor (Epic) to make similar technology available from Blackberries and other mobile devices.


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