MyWellSpan helps patients participate in their care

Portal is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Morrie Hooper, a retired California pharmacist and patient at Apple Hill Internal Medicine, uses MyWellSpan to access his lab results, check his medication list and make appointments.

So far 65,000 patients have enrolled in MyWellSpan, the secure online portal for scheduling appointments, viewing lab results and more.

The reaction to MyWellSpan has been typical of many online services: slow, gradual acceptance, until one day people wonder how they ever got along without it.

Morrie Hooper, a retired California pharmacist, originally shrugged at the idea of creating an account.

“I really had no particular interest in using it,” he said.

Then Hooper felt a twinge of guilt. As a volunteer in WellSpan’s Patient Partner Program, he offers feedback on the patient experience. How could he give good advice if he didn’t try all available services?

“Because I was a patient partner, I decided to go ahead and sign up,” he said. “I found it very straightforward and easy to use. It was nice knowing the information was there if you wanted it.”

Brian Pollak, MD, of Apple Hill Internal Medicine said he’s noticed a difference in his patients who are MyWellSpan users.

“In the paper era, we always talked about patients not being engaged in their health care,” Pollak said. “Now we’re giving them the tools to be engaged.”

Hooper began to appreciate the portal’s benefits.

Before transferring to Apple Hill Internal Medicine two years ago, he acquired a copy of his medical records. He assumed the thick stack of notes from various providers would be accurate.

“I just started perusing it, and was amazed at the number of mistakes. Nothing critical, just little mistakes that I didn’t feel comfortable with,” he recalled.

“Now with MyWellSpan, I can make sure my medication list is correct, and the notes from my last visit are accurate.”

Recently, he spotted a duplication error for one of his prescriptions. He sent a quick message, and soon had a reply that it was corrected.

Pollak said secure messaging is one of the portal’s best features.

“All the messages that come in to us would’ve been phone calls anyway,” he noted. “A message is easier to handle from an office workflow perspective, and now everything is documented in the patient’s own words.”

Today, Hooper logs in to make appointments and check his lab results. He likes the ability to access the portal anytime, even when he’s traveling.

“It makes you more interested in what’s going on with your own health care,” he said. “You become more of a participant rather than just an observer.”