Care via the Web now available from Allina Medical Clinic – Northfield
NORTHFIELD, Minn. 08/16/2010--It's a common dilemma. You want to talk to a health care professional about a minor condition, but you wonder if it's worth the hassle. Should you reshuffle your day or just wait to see if the condition gets worse?
Allina clinics that offer e-visits and medical messaging include:
Allina Medical Clinic – Northfield now offers another alternative via the Internet. E-visits and medical messaging are new ways to interact with your doctor. Instead of taking time out of your busy to go to the clinic, you spend just a few minutes on the computer.
"I'm very excited about this new service," said Clinic Manager Barb Barlau. "It will provide an opportunity for the patient and provider to interact like they never have before and it will be a convenience for the patient that they've never had available before."
E-visits and medical messaging are Northfield's latest expansion of online services. The first step is to register for MyChart®. To register for MyChart, go to allina.com/mychart or inquire about it at your next clinic visit.
E-visits
An e-visit works like this:
- Log on to MyChart®, Allina Medical Clinic – Northfield's secure online portal to appointment scheduling, medical information and your medical history.
- Click on the "e-visit" button and choose what type of e-visit you need.
- Answer a series of questions about your condition.
- A health care professional at your clinic reads your submission and will send you a message in MyChart within one business day. If necessary, a prescription will be sent to your pharmacy.
With an e-visit, then, you get the personal health information you need without having to rearrange your schedule. The cost of an e-visit is $35 and we will submit this as a claim to your insurance company.
An e-visit can address the following conditions: diarrhea, heart burn, red eye, sinus problems, urinary problems, and vaginal discharge or irritation. All other conditions require that you schedule an appointment at the clinic. E-visits should not be used for urgent conditions or questions that need an immediate answer.
Medical messaging
Medical messaging will allow you to send health-related questions and messages to your doctor about non-urgent conditions. "For example, a patient may have a question about their test results or need to report back following an office visit. Instead of calling the clinic, they can send that message electronically," Barlau said.
A medical message works like this:
- Log on to MyChart.
- Click on the "medical message" button.
- Select the provider you see.
- Write and send a message to the clinic.
- A health professional reviews your message and replies in MyChart within one business day.
"There is no charge for medical messaging," said Barlau. "This is similar to a call to the clinic, which we've had available for a long time.
"Currently, it is not uncommon for the clinic to receive 300-400 phone calls a day. This will be a nice option for patients who may have a non-urgent question, don't need a call back right away and can then check their response in MyChart at their convenience," Barlau said. "It also frees up our telephone lines for other calls and will improve service for all of our patients."
Barlau points out that this new feature is not for urgent or life-threatening symptoms, and the providers have the option to tell patients that their symptoms or question requires an office visit.
For more about MyChart visit allina.com/mychart.
About Allina Medical Clinic
Allina Medical Clinic is a not-for-profit system of 45 clinics providing care throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Allina Medical Clinic is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, which owns and operates:
- 11 hospitals
- more than 90 clinics
- medical services, including home care, hospice and palliative care, oxygen and medical equipment, pharmacies and emergency medical transportation.
Allina Hospitals & Clinics and the latest health information can be found online at allina.com.
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