FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
The days of waiting on hold to talk to a healthcare professional, or scheduling an appointment to simply ask your doctor a question are long gone.
McDonald Army Health Center is now offering a new service to enrolled beneficiaries to improve communications and allow patients to correspond with their healthcare provider team using a secure messaging service called RelayHealth.
Army Medicine's Secure Messaging System, powered by RelayHealth, brings a healthcare team to the patient, wherever they are, any time of day, allowing them to safely send a message to a doctor or nurse from the comfort and privacy of home.
Patients who sign up for RelayHealth can contact their primary care clinic to request prescription renewals, receive test and laboratory results, request appointments and referrals, and get guidance from their medical team by email. It will also allow patients to consult with their medical team regarding non-urgent health matters, avoid unnecessary office visits and telephone calls, and access valuable health information online.
The new system isn't only benefiting patients. RelayHealth makes communication more efficient for doctors and nurses.
RelayHealth provides streamlined clinical, financial and administrative communication between patients, providers, payers, pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The Army began implementing RelayHealth in its medical treatment facilities across the globe in 2011, and currently every region has at least one clinic already using the system.
RelayHealth is a completely secure portal that is compliant with the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. Encryption technology and a stringent privacy policy protect patient personal information more securely than either the telephone or regular email. Patient information is only accessible by patients and their healthcare team.
Participating clinics at McDonald include Family Health, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Troop Medical 2.
Registering for RelayHealth is relatively simple. All patients have to do is provide an email address to the MCAHC staff. Patients will receive an invitation letter to join the RelayHealth system.
Upon receiving this invite, patients can go to the RelayHealth Website to set a username and password.
To learn more about RelayHealth, individuals are encouraged to ask their healthcare provider. Additional updates regarding RelayHealth and other healthcare programs can be found on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/mcdonaldahc, or by visiting the Health Center's Website at
http://mcdonald.narmc.amedd.army.mil.