74 | www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com Being an active participant in one’s health and well-being has grown in popularity over the last decade, and the medical industry has taken notice. The days of patients sitting around on hold trying to schedule an appointment or nervously awaiting lab results are fading as medical practices turn toward cutting-edge technology to put that information quite literally at patients’ fingertips. Patient portal systems such as MyChart sprang from this desire to streamline communication in a format that enables patients to communicate with their health team, manage scheduling, view lab results, manage medications and much more at any time during the day. “We started basic access back in 2014 and have expanded from there,” Corey Infinger, information solutions manager of patient access and experience for the Medical University of South Carolina, explained. “At that time, we switched from using multiple systems and consolidated to one application called Epic. We use the MyChart functionality as our patient portal, which really helps with the integration of the Epic system to make it easy for us to keep our patients informed of their care while giving them the tools to do so much more.” Though the benefits are many, challenges crop up as well. Patient portals can be daunting for senior citizens who are worried that technology has surpassed their ability to use it. Even the most tech-savvy patients and their caregivers face challenges with portal systems as the systems evolve. Suzanne Bruce, 66, a realtor in Charleston, has experienced both benefits and challenges using patient portals at hospitals other than MUSC. Bruce relied heavily on portals while managing her mother’s care as she battled Alzheimer’s disease. The ability to communicate swiftly with her mother’s physicians was paramount to her role as caretaker. By Amy Gesell BYE BYE PATIENT PORTAL FEARS
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