Why Electronic Health Records are Better, Faster and Safer

If you’re a Bronson patient, you may be familiar with using MyChart to access your health records and manage appointments.

MyChart is the Bronson patient portal that connects to the Epic electronic health record (HER). It’s used by hundreds of hospitals and clinics around the country and results in better care that is faster and safer.

What makes it better?

Let’s start with the most obvious benefit that makes EHRs better than the older methods of record keeping. It saves paper and provides quicker access to medical information for patients and other healthcare providers.

Some other aspects that make it better are:

• Ability to complete questionnaires, forms and electronically sign documents online before an appointment.
• Access to your lab and imaging results, provider notes and after-visit summaries at any time.
• Managing your appointments online including scheduling, rescheduling, or canceling.
• Ability to easily view and pay balances online or create payment plans.

What makes it faster?

Doctors can pull up your EHR very quickly, which can be lifesaving in a medical emergency. It gives them instant access to your personal health history and critical medical records. Your information can also be easily shared with other providers at different health systems, especially those using the Epic EHR.

Some other timely benefits include:

• Seeing your lab results as soon as they are ready (usually within 24 hours).
• Access to virtual care options such as On Demand video visits and E-Visits.
• Using it to ask your doctor questions through messaging.
• Requesting prescription refills.

What makes if safer?

When it comes to quality of care, safer and faster go hand-in-hand. Because your EHR is constantly kept up to date, your provider can reliably use it to decide on the best care and treatment options for you.

Doctors will often use your patient-reported data in MyChart to find out about any allergies and medications you are taking. They can also use your EHR to trend vitals, find your weight, age, look up lab results and more. This reduces trial and error and ensures that you will receive care that is tailored to your exact needs.

These are also data security measures in place that make it safer such as:

• The Epic EHR can only be accessed by authorized users.
• Your MyChart account can only be accessed by you—you can also grant access to individuals who help coordinate your care such as a loved one or caregiver.
• Encryption is used to keep your data secure.
• All your information is backed up in case of disaster.

Overall

New tools are always being created to help us meet your healthcare needs in the best ways possible. If you haven’t accessed your Bronson MyChart account lately, log in to explore the many convenient features such as virtual care options.

If you don’t have an account, you can sign up for one now.  And don’t forget to download the MyChart app for convenient access to information at your fingertips at any time, any place.  Just search “Bronson MyChart” in the app store.