Ministry of Health and Sunnybrook’s MyChart™ partner to empower patients with same access as their clinicians
When Maureen Reilly was diagnosed with breast cancer, she found it overwhelming to keep track of all her health information. “I was seeing a specialized cancer team, as well as my family doctor, and there were so many tests with frequent lab work throughout my care.”
A new partnership is working to help patients like Maureen keep an organized record of their lab information, with lab results coming directly from the Ontario Lab Information System (OLIS) to patients’ MyChart™ network accounts. MyChart™ is a patient access and continuity of care record system where patients are empowered with greater access, and the ability to manage and control when to share their own personal health information. Aligning with the Ministry of Health’s Digital First for Health Strategy, the partnership enables a single view of patients’ entire lab services in Ontario, replicating the access of their clinicians.
“Through our Digital First for Health Strategy, Ontario is improving the patient experience and supporting frontline providers in delivering better, faster care,” says Christine Elliott, deputy premier and minister of health. “As patients move between health-care settings to receive the care they need, Sunnybrook MyChart™ will allow them to conveniently and securely access the same real-time information seen by their health-care teams, supporting them in making informed choices about their care.”
For Maureen, MyChart™ helped her feel more in control of the complexities around her care, with the new feature further empowering her to access her personal health information in a single view on all her technology devices. “Access through MyChart™ to my health information is a conversation-starter; I ask questions about the results I’ve seen online of my specialists and my family doctor. And having everyone on the same page means there’s a reduced chance I’ll need to repeat a test as I move from one health-care setting to another.”
“This provides an extremely effective tool to integrate and track patient laboratory history over time, monitor progress of treatments and support chronic disease management. It’s a win-win for both patients and their health-care providers,” says Dr. Andy Smith, president and CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Developed in 2006 at Sunnybrook, MyChart™ sees thousands of active and new users monthly who stay connected to their personal health records from within Canada and also from outside of the country. With MyChart™, patients have access to medical images, lab results, clinician notes, appointments, self monitoring tools, resources, messaging and now the MyChart™ mobile app is available. Patients can easily share their health records with different organizations across Canada to provide a comprehensive overview of their health information and tests such as labs. “We are accelerating our efforts with strong partnerships like this as we continue moving in the right direction for patients, families and their care teams. This means MyChart™ users can now access their results from lab tests performed at community and hospital-based labs in Ontario through MyChart™, giving patients same access as their clinicians,” says Sarina Cheng, director MyChart™ Program, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
“I was recently sent to the Emergency Department by my family doctor for a sustained and severe migraine. This could have been a sign that my cancer had spread. Several tests were completed and it was reassuring to know I had easy access to all of my personal health information including recent lab results,” adds Maureen. “This access and ability to share information as I transition from different care types and providers is also incredible. Following my Emergency Department visit, I checked MyChart™ to view my results, and was able to quickly share with my family doctor and discuss follow-up care.”
