Patient Information
Between Worlds - A Story of Hope. A film by Southern Tier HealthLink
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Between Worlds COMPLETE Involves Christina Galanis. |
Why should I consent to participate?
Participating in a health information exchange (HIE) - that is, consenting to have your records accessible to health care providers in the region and across the country - offers major benefits to you and to your family.
Review Consent Form
Benefits of Participating
IMPROVED TREATMENT: When you visit your doctor, change doctors or are referred to a specialist, all of those providers would have access to the same medical information about you, including your previous treatments, illnesses, lab work, allergies, procedures, and so on. If you are travelling and need health care anywhere in the STHL region (Southern Tier and Central NY), those doctors can also access your medical history. In time, even doctors across the country will be able to access your records, which will alleviate some of the delays, complications, and uncertainty of getting sick or being in an accident when you're away from home.
PEACE OF MIND: You may remember the stacks of manila folders in a (sometimes remote) Records Room at the hospital or your doctor's office - one of those folders held your medical history, and hopefully it was complete, filed correctly, and protected from flood, fire and inaccuracies. These days, your record may be electronic - stored in a computerized data base at your hospital or doctor's office - but not necessarily in a format that can be shared with another provider. With the HIE, your medical information will be stored in one central, secure, location (backed up regularly) so your doctors and hospitals will have access to the same information. And you, the patient, won't have to rely on your memory to provide the details of your medical history.
ACCESSING YOUR OWN RECORDS: Being able to review and print your healthcare records is more than just a convenience. With escalating medical costs, our busier lifestyles, and the importance of assembling all pertinent information in one place (especially in case of an emergency), the personal healthcare record (PHR) is a critical tool for people who want to manage health-related information for themselves and their family.
Click here to find out more about privacy, consent, sharing information, and more...
Review sign and take Consent Form to your participating provider. You can also set consent via the internet using the STHL Patient Portal.
STHL Patient Portal: Your Personal Healthcare Record
A Personal Healthcare Record (PHR) is an electronic file of your medical and general healthcare history - information that might have been scattered across the record systems of the many doctor's offices and hospitals you visit. Your PHR may include details about allergies, adverse drug reactions, medications you're taking, illnesses and hospitalizations, surgeries and other medical procedures, vaccinations, laboratory test results, family history, and so on.
In June 2011, STHL launched its Patient Portal, making your Personal Healthcare Record available at your fingertips via the internet. The STHL Patient Portal allows you to:
- Manage Your Consent & Share Data with your Doctors
- Access Your Providers & Your Health Information
- Monitor Who is Accessing Your Information
The STHL Patient Portal is easy, it’s secure, and it’s free.
Click here for more information on the STHL Patient Portal.
“...(T)he Surgeon General encourages Americans to talk about and to write down the health problems that seem to run in their family. Learning about their family's health history may help ensure a longer, healthier future together,” advises the US Department of Health and Human Services. We echo this suggestion. Families that discuss their medical history provide the key to helping current and future generations manage their own health. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Office offers a free web tool (https://familyhistory.hhs.gov ) to help you build a family tree that tracks relationships and medical information. Create your family history file and download it to a personal computer to update the tree as your relatives share more information over time.
