MiCare improves healthcare quality

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Hrair H. Palyan
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Patients of the 28th Medical Group can now communicate securely and privately with their healthcare providers anywhere, anytime thanks to the Air Force-wide expansion of secure messaging.

Secure messaging will be available to patients through the MiCare portal, built to facilitate secure, online communications between patients and their healthcare team.

The goal of MiCare is to improve the quality of healthcare that patients receive and provide a mechanism for patients to have better access to their own health information at whatever time is most convenient to them.

According to AF Medical Service officials, MiCare will streamline communication and access to information between office visits, reducing the frequency of office visits for some patients. It will also reduce reliance on telephone calls, providing more convenience for the patients.

Benefits from MiCare's secure messaging tool include patient access anytime, anywhere to:

· Communicate privately with their healthcare team online without waiting on the phone or playing phone tag.
· Ask their healthcare team for advice about non-urgent symptoms.
· Receive medical test and lab results.
· Request medication renewals.
· Request a copy of immunization records.
· Access physician-approved health resource links.

Lt. Col. Pagerine Jackson, 28th Medical Group deputy commander, said the system provides a variety of benefits for healthcare professionals as well. The healthcare team will be able to contact patients via MiCare to provide:

· Appointment reminders.
· Follow up on a condition without requiring a trip to the 28th MDG.
· Medication alerts/refill information.
· Medical test and referral results.
· Notifications regarding flu vaccinations, school and sports physicals and 28th MDG closure dates.

"We're very excited about the system and all it offers," Jackson said. "It's another example of our dedication to providing quality care and services to our customers."

For more information, or to sign up for MiCare, call the 28th MDG at (605) 385-6700.