Executives at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital leaders say the new electronic personal health record they launched last month is the first of its kind deployed by a major medical institution.
Called myNYP.org, the personal health record uses Microsoft’s HealthVault and Amalga technologies to make it possible for patients to select and store personal medical information generated during their doctor and hospital visits at NewYork-Presbyterian.
By connecting HealthVault and Amalga UIS (unified intelligence system), NewYork-Presbyterian can capture and present patient data throughout the care process, and caregivers can send patients home with a more complete record.
“We’re about trying to liberate data and getting it out of data silos, said Steve Shihadeh, vice president, Microsoft Health Solutions Group.
MyNYP.org uses a “pull model” in which patients proactively opt to copy their medical data into their own personal health record and access that information using a secure user name and password with any Web-enabled device.
Based in New York City, NewYork-Presbyterian has 2,242 beds. It handles about two million inpatient and outpatient visits a year, including more than 230,000 visits to its emergency departments.
“The myNYP.org personal health record represents a significant step in the journey to create a completely connected healthcare system, from hospital to community, with the patient at the center,” says Herbert Pardes, MD, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. “When patients can easily share their medical record with their physician or hospital, it reduces the need for excess paperwork and testing, which could mean lower costs, improved outcomes, reduction in medical errors and better care.”
Steven J. Corwin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital says the technology not only gives patients access to their health information, but also puts them in the driver’s seat. Patients can opt to take their information with them, add to it, and share it with family, with other doctors and healthcare providers, he said.
“Our medical records are increasingly complex,” said Mehmet Oz, MD, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. “This is especially the case for those of us who have moved or changed jobs, and even more so for older patients and those with chronic illnesses. The need for a quick and complete picture of a patient’s health is critically important, especially when a patient presents with an emergency like a heart attack when there isn’t a moment to lose,” added Oz, who also serves as vice chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Using the myNYP.org portal, patients will be able to coordinate doctors’ appointments; develop a directory of physician contacts; manage their children’s health records; comply with school and childcare-provider health record requirements; give custodial access to primary care physicians; and search for specialists.
“myNYP.org truly brings health information technology into the 21st century,” says Aurelia Boyer, chief information officer at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. “Our goal is to connect patients and care providers, empowering everyone to make decisions and take action with more insight, intelligence and confidence.”
