Five Reasons Why You Need to Access Your Patient Information Portal

Ok, first of all, what is a patient information portal?

According to healthIT.gov, a patient portal is a secure online website that gives patients convenient 24-hour access to personal health information from anywhere with an Internet connection. Using a secure username and password, patients can view health information such as:

Recent doctor visits

Discharge summaries

Medications

Immunizations

Allergies

Lab results

Some patient portals also allow patients to:

Exchange secure e-mail with their health care teams

Request prescription refills

Schedule non-urgent appointments

Check benefits and coverage

Update contact information

Make payments

Download and complete forms

View educational materials

There are two patient portals currently offered by Grinnell Regional Medical Center. The hospital has a patient portal that contains health information for inpatient visits starting July 1, 2014. As each patient uses inpatient services, the information available will increase.

Patient portals from GRMC physician clinics, such as Grinnell Regional Family Practice, have much more data available from several years.

To set up your GRMC hospital patient information portal, go to www.grmc.us or https://grmc.intelichart.com/PatientPortal /account. You will be given instructions to create your account. You can also add your dependents who are age 17 and younger.

To access your medical record at GRMC affiliated clinics, go to https://www.followmyhealth.com/Login - or follow the links from the GRMC website, www.grmc.us.

Five reasons why you should access your patient information portal:

1) You can exchange a secure email with your healthcare provider through the clinics.

2) Prescription refills are a breeze.

3) Track your childrens’ immunizations.

4) Follow your vitals taken at each appointment – blood pressure, height, weight, and related information.

5) Hospitals and clinics have financial incentives from the federal government for making this information available through a patient portal and for their patients setting up an account to view your health information. The more patients use these portals in a meaningful way, the greater the financial incentive for the hospital and clinic.

It’s all about you and your access to your personal healthcare information. We want you to become engaged and comfortable with your healthcare team and this technology is one more way GRMC can help you do just that.

For more information, go to:

http://www.healthit.gov/patients-families