UHS MyChart takes patient care to new level

On September 12, United Health Services (UHS) transitioned its electronic health record and billing system to a new program called Epic. 

You as a healthcare consumer can now take advantage of Epic’s free patient portal, MyChart, which offers a wide range of services and benefits.  MyChart can connect you with your healthcare team and help you make appointments, pay bills and manage details of your care, right from your home computer or mobile device.

“We’re so pleased that this enhanced patient experience has arrived,” said Christina Boyd, vice president for Community Relations at UHS. “Giving patients access to their own care and financial details makes life easier for everyone. We’ve come to expect this type of easy, broad access in other areas of our lives, such as banking and grocery shopping.  So it's natural to have it available in such a critical arena as healthcare.” 

Epic is a highly respected computerized system, widely used by the top hospitals and medical centers across the country.  Safe and confidential, MyChart offers a full range of functionality, from waiting room to home. You can complete eCheck-in before an appointment, schedule appointments and request prescription refills, view a summary of your visits and download medical records, view recent test results quickly and securely, and e-mail your provider with health questions and receive an answer in two business days or less. 

In addition, you can view a list of your current medications, update insurance information and pay bills online.  If you're a parent, you can update allergy information and view care details for your children--including immunization records and growth charts.  There are special tools for senior citizens.  And there's a feature called “Track My Health” that enables you to enter daily readings, such as glucose or blood pressure, so that both you and your provider can monitor and manage trends between visits.

Account-holders can also download their medical records and save a health summary to a USB drive to carry in case of an emergency.  Plus, if you receive care at another organization that uses Epic, your care details from that organization can be linked into your UHS MyChart account.

On the business side, you can review and update your insurance information, view outstanding balances, see claims for services covered by insurance and check on payer or plan details to learn more about your personal coverage, such as deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket expenses.

Staff and providers are enthusiastic about moving to the new system, which replaces a record-keeping program that is now about 20 years old.  With the arrival of Epic and its MyChart feature, the introduction of the new electronic system brings consistency across the organization, from outpatient to operating room, and from one hospital to another, with patients the beneficiaries. 

Learn more about UHS MyChart by visiting nyuhs.org/mychart.