Deal with your doc online

Beginning today, thousands of Group Health Centre patients will be able to communicate with their medical care teams safely and securely online.

Patients who officially register with myCARE through the Group Health Centre will be able to request appointments, view test results, request prescription renewals and even seek treatment electronically and securely online with their health team.

GHC administration and medical officials were on hand at the McNabb Street facility Tuesday to officially unveil and demonstrate myCARE, a healthcare software system now being used by 37 GHC primary care providers to care for approximately 2,000 patients.

After today, that number is expected to eventually include 90 GHC doctors (including specialists) and 60,000 registered patients.

myCARE has been a GHC pilot project since December 2014. 

"This is revolutionary," said Alex Lambert, GHC CEO, addressing an audience assembled at GHC Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Lambert said "in many cases it (myCARE) does make the service much faster."

Tuesday's announcement included a demonstration of myCARE.

In the demonstration, a "patient" goes online and, through myCARE, types in her symptoms to her physician, the GHC's Dr. Russell Tull, through Tull's nurse.

The nurse informs Tull, who in turn prescribes medication to his patient for a minor condition.

The doctor also orders blood tests, the results of which can also be seen by the patient online.

All of this, and more, can be done electronically through myCARE.

Both Lambert and Tull told reporters myCARE situations such as this, while still a bit time consuming for medical staff, saves the patient a trip to the doctor and frees up examination rooms for the doctor to tend to more serious cases.

Patients registered with myCARE will be able to access all that myCARE has to offer through a computer connected to the Internet with an up-to-date web browser, an Apple or Android device (such as a cell phone or tablet) and the "My Chart" mobile app.

Patients whose physicians are involved with myCARE can sign up for myCARE (joining is voluntary, Lambert told SooToday) when at their next appointment or by going to a myCARE kiosk, such as the one located at the GHC's McNabb Street building.

Patients are instructed to have their health card ready, go to mycare.ghc.on.ca, click "Request Online," fill in the required fields and click "Submit."

Once information is verified, the patient will receive an activation code and may then create a myCARE account.

GHC states myCARE is secure through activation codes, personal usernames and passwords.

All myCARE messaging is done while securely logged on to the myCARE website, unlike regular email.

As part of the myCARE pilot program, patients were surveyed and asked for their opinion of the myCARE service.

Out of 1,259 patients contacted, 322 completed surveys.

Of those, 99 percent agreed they would recommend myCARE to family or friends who visit GHC, 93 percent agreed it was easy to register for myCARE, and 90 percent agreed myCARE is easy to use.

GHC said myCARE is free, however there may be a service fee of approximately one dollar a month in October 2016.

(PHOTO: Group Health Centre CEO Alex Lambert and Dr. Russell Tull at a myCARE announcement, October 6, 2015. Darren Taylor/SooToday)