Patients at Physicians Regional Healthcare System can tap health records on their iPhones

Patients of Physicians Regional Healthcare System can have access to their medical records at their fingertips.

Whip out your iPhone and you can check when a follow-up appointment is scheduled after a hospitalization.

Need lab results? Piece of cake.

The hospital system in Collier County is among 100 hospitals owned by Tennessee-based Community Health Systems whose patients can use the Health app on their iPhone to link their medical records.

“I have talked to a few patients already and they absolutely love it,” said Scott Lowe, chief executive officer of Physicians Regional.

Patients’ health can improve when they have easier access to health information and their own health information, Lowe said.

One example is when patients are getting discharged from the hospital, he said. Some patients are only thinking about going home and may not be listening fully to the doctor or nurse with discharge instructions, he said.

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Once at home, the discharge instructions and follow-up appointments are readily available on the app, he said.

Lowe does not have a projection for how many patients are expected to use the app to link their medical records.

Even though the local market has many older residents, just about everyone is using a smartphone, Lowe said.

Other Southwest Florida hospitals have similar plans.

“NCH Healthcare System will soon be providing NCH patients a simple, convenient way to access their medical records through an app on their cell phone or other mobile device,” the hospital said in a statement.

“NCH patients will be able to independently access their clinical data making information available when and where they want it,” the statement said.

Active members of the military and veterans who get their medical care through the Veterans Health Administration hospitals can link their VA records to their iPhones, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced in February.

A long list of physicians and hospitals are enabling patients’ health records to be accessible through the Health app on iPhones, according to Apple.

Community Health Systems spokeswoman Tomi Galin said the company will consider taking a similar step with other smartphone brands as manufacturers find ways to share health information.

CHS is providing more convenience to patients for storing personal health data like allergies, immunizations, lab results, medications, vital statistics and past procedures, according to Dr. Lynn Simon, CHS chief medical officer.

“By giving our patients an easy way to receive and track their medical information, we believe we also are giving them one more way to be active participants in managing their health, which can lead to better outcomes,” she said in a news release.

Patients’ medical records are held in multiple locations, which requires patients to log into patient portals at each doctor’s office and other medical center.

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Now records from multiple medical entities affiliated with CHS are stored together, she said.

Tap the existing Health app on your iPhone, go to the Health Records section and look for the Physicians Regional logo.

Click on the hospital logo and log into your patient portal, using your username and password as you normally would to access your account.

For patients who don’t have an online link to Physicians Regional, they can create one by going to www.physiciansregional.com.

Once a patient is logged in through the Health app, their health records will be easily accessible going forward, according to CHS.

Data from a user’s electronic medical record is encrypted and protected with the user’s iPhone password, Touch ID or Face ID.

Apple created Health Record using an accepted standard for transferring electronic medical records known as “fast healthcare interoperability resources.”

The system was developed by a nonprofit organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute.

For more information about the Health app, go to www.apple.com/healthcare/health-records/.

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