OREANDA-NEWS. October 02, 2014. McKesson Specialty Health’s secure online patient portal, My Care Plus, now reaches and impacts more than 100,000 oncology patients across the nation.

The ground-breaking oncology-specific portal provides a new and efficient way for physicians to securely message patients online, satisfying Stage 2 of Meaningful Use patient engagement objectives. My Care Plus empowers patients to take a more active role in their care by enabling them to securely access their health records, communicate with their care team, and easily acquire helpful information about their condition and care from reputable oncology-specific educational resources from any device, anywhere.

My Care Plus patient health information is downloaded directly from iKnowMedSM EHR or iKnowMed Generation 2 electronic health record (EHR), providing patients with access to their personal health information. iKnowMed EHR, iKnowMed Generation 2 and My Care Plus were the first oncology specific EHRs and patient portal certified for Meaningful Use earlier this year.
“My Care Plus is establishing a new standard of excellence in patient engagement technology,” said Dan Lodder, vice president of Technology Sales, Services & Portals, McKesson Specialty Health. “It was designed to support patients throughout their cancer journey and help practices communicate, educate and inform the patients they serve.  Physicians and practice staff have access to customized, user-friendly tools to enhance patient care while satisfying Stage 1 and 2 of Meaningful Use. Patients also benefit from quick and easy access to comprehensive information and resources needed to make informed care decisions, as well as the ability to securely communicate and share health information with their care team.” 

Recent functionality enhancements to My Care Plus provide an even better patient experience while fostering the physician/patient relationship and driving efficiencies for practices. The newly enhanced My Care Plus extends patient care beyond the office to drive patient engagement by delivering many patient benefits, such as:

Utilizing mobile optimization to provide availability anywhere and anytime patients need access
Patients can easily connect with My Care Plus on their computer, iPad or tablet. Further enhancements to optimize My Care Plus for smartphones are coming soon.

Providing patients convenient access to their health records
Patients can easily view and download their personal health information directly from iKnowMed EHR and iKnowMed Generation 2, allowing them to share their information with caregivers, providers or loved ones.

Enabling patients and their care teams to stay in touch between visits
Practices can broadcast important messages to groups of patients, such as flu shot reminders, office-hour changes and educational events to inspire additional patient engagement. Through the Message Center, patients have the ability to send their care team secure online messages for non-urgent matters between office visits for added support and guidance. For instance, patients can conveniently send a message regarding diagnostics preparation instructions, lab results or appointments and cancellations.

Providing patients easy access to current, credible cancer care resources
My Care Plus provides patients with oncology-specific resources from reputable sources such as the American Cancer Society, Lexicomp and CURE magazine. Patients have 24/7 access and are empowered to search for information on patient experiences and coping with treatment side effects, as well as disease content, medication and regimen details.

“McKesson Specialty Health is continually developing innovative technology to improve patient outcomes and the overall patient experience,” said Lodder. “My Care Plus is the latest example of our patient-centric focus, providing cancer patients with the oncology-specific tools and resources they need to play a more active, informed role in their care.”