Promise patients now can access their health information online

SIOUX CENTER � Patients can have their health information right at their fingertips, wherever they go.

Promise Community Health Center officially launched its online patient portal � called MyPromiseChart � today (Tuesday, Sept. 5).

Fatima Arteaga, a community care coordinator for
Promise Community Health Center, assists a patient
with enrolling in Promise's new online patient portal,
MyPromiseChart. The portal provides patients with
convenient access to their health information.

A patient portal is a website that offers people personal access to their health information and medical records, at any time, in a secure fashion. Any Promise patient can sign up for a portal account. Parents can access to the portal for children under 12.

�We are implementing the patient portal as part of a new standard of care for our patients � to have electronic access to health records and to communicate online with their health-care team,� said Amy McAlpine, data and compliance specialist for Promise. �We are really excited to have patients see the benefits of the portal.�

In addition to reviewing their medical information from past visits, patients will be able to send secure messages directly to their Promise provider and health team, view their medication prescriptions and request refills, see past and upcoming appointment dates, request new appointments, and review and request changes to their patient registration and insurance information, among other features.

Patients no longer will have to worry about playing �phone tag� with their providers when they want to ask questions or request prescription refills. They will be able to submit their questions or messages at their own convenience directly to their provider or health team.

�The patient portal is essentially another tool for communication with our patients,� McAlpine said. �We already emphasize communication in lots of ways: We have bilingual staff, education that is easy-to-understand, and providers and staff that take the time to listen to patients. We�re glad we can add this as another resource for communication.�

In doing so, the personal, compassionate, high-quality care that patients have come to expect from Promise�s providers only will be enhanced.

�A patient portal empowers patients to be actively involved in their health care,� McAlpine said. �At Promise, we provide patient-centered care, which means the patient is an expert and active member of their health-care team. The portal is one way to make that idea really work.�

Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center is the only Federally Qualified Health Center serving the far northwest corner of Iowa. Promise provides medical, prenatal, dental, vision and behavioral health services. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org and watch this video. To read more Promise news, visit promisechcnews.blogspot.com.


HOW CAN I SIGN UP?

Promise Community Health Center will take a proactive approach to assist patients with registering for a MyPromiseChart account.

When they come in for appointments, Promise personnel will offer to assist them, step by step, through the process of registering for an account. Staff also will help patients with logging into their account for the first time and gaining an understanding of the portal features.

Otherwise, patients can call 712-722-1700 or email care@promisechc.org to request the information required to sign up on their own or to ask any questions.

TO LOG IN:

Once patients have a MyPromiseChart account, they simply go to following link and click on the �Log In� button: www.promisechc.org/mypromisechart. MyPromiseChart also is a main navigation item on top of Promise�s website homepage: www.promisechc.org.