Starting February 1, 2021, your patients will have access to 95% of their medical lab results through MyHealth Records (MHR). Results will be posted as soon as they are available on Netcare.
While access to information can help empower patients to be more engaged in their health, and 75% of patients who first saw their results online were confident they understood the results, seeing results without interpretation from you may cause anxiety for some of your patients.
Pre-Counseling is more important than ever.
In a recent webinar hosted by the Alberta Medical Association, a panel of physicians highlighted the importance of discussing tests with patients in advance of ordering them.
You know best what is normal for your patients based on their history and presentation. Providing context for patients in advance of the test will help them interpret results without panic. Let them know why you’re ordering the test and how the results will inform care. Explain any variances you expect to see in a patient’s results to help ease any anxiety they might experience if they get a result outside of normal.
Access to information can improve patient engagement.
Patients that have questions about their results can access their Brightsquid Secure-Mail account through our integration into the MyHealth Records portal and message your clinic for clarification. Your response to the patient through Secure-Mail saves staff time and busy work, and likely qualifies for HSC 03.01S and/or the encounter may escalate into a telephone consultation or office visit.
Engaged patients have been shown to experience improved outcomes, and the most engaged patients cost healthcare 21% lessthan the least engaged. Clinics using Secure-Mail have saved staff 2 weeks worth of time every year and cut thousands from their office expenses.
Engaged patients respect your clinic.
The idea that patients with more access to information and more convenient communication channels with their clinics monopolize clinician time has been proven a myth.
In fact, the opposite has been seen. One doctor on the webinar panel noted that his clinic received, “less calls about results than prior” since his patients have had more access to results online. Research from Kaiser Permanente and many others show no patient abuse of secure messaging services.
To find out if your account is ready to connect with your patients that are signed up for MHR, contact the Brightsquid Support Team atsupport@brightsquid.com.