Alberta will be the first province in Canada to provide individual access for patients to electronic health records (EHR) with MyHealthAlberta, a multi-phase, $33-million personal health portal (PHP) initiative.
Upon its completion, the site will allow patients to access information about general health topics, personal health record data and specialist wait time information. It will also allow patients to input their personal health information.
This five-year health action plan released its first phase this year. Currently, the site offers users information on nearly 9,000 health topics reviewed by a panel of physicians. This information includes preparation tips for doctors’ visits and medical tests; treatment information and home remedy information. It also gives patients advice on when to seek medical attention.
Patients are now also able to search for wait time information. The provincial wait times reporting website is improved and back online. This site is available for surgical procedures and diagnostic tests including MRI scans, cancer services and hip and knee replacement surgeries. Search fields include procedures, specialist, facility and urgency.
The site will return wait time trends over a 13-month period, along with patients’ expected wait time calculated in percentiles. This data is compiled by Alberta Health and Wellness from data submitted by the province’s hospitals, diagnostic clinics, physicians and other health-care providers.
The next phase will allow patients to access their individual medical records. They will have the ability to track their personal health data such as blood pressure readings, insulin levels, weight, and immunizations. Beginning in 2012, patients will also be able to populate their personal health information into a record. This data can then be shared with those responsible for their care.
The purpose of this initiative is to encourage patients to be proactive about their health, and facilitate greater communication between doctors and patients by making information, both personal and general, more readily available. The portal will cater to wellness promotion as well as disease prevention. It will also give patients with a chronic illness a simple method of managing their disease.
Newcomers to the health portal have access to video walk-throughs to help users navigate the site. These videos are available here, and wait time information can be accessed here.
This initiative will be complete in 2015 and will strengthen primary care, said the Alberta government in a press release.