Air Force Medical Service turns to secure messaging Published March 16, 2012 By Gary Pomeroy, Jon Stock with contributions from Airman 1st Class Mariah Tolbert Air Force Surgeon General and 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Patients at medical treatment facilities here will soon be able to communicate securely and privately with their health care teams anywhere and anytime with the Air Force-wide expansion of secure messaging. Secure messaging will be available to patients through what is known as the MiCare portal. In order to gain access to the MiCare portal a patient must be invited by their primary car manager. "Seymour Johnson will be the ninth Air Force base to have this system," said retired Maj. Donald Rumbaugh, a MiCare trainer. 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. MiCare will streamline communication and access to information between office visits, thus reducing the frequency of office visits for some patients. It will also reduce reliance on telephone calls, providing more convenience for the patients, AFMS officials said. "MiCare will make routine health care more convenient for our patients, while reducing unnecessary visits to the MTF, thus freeing up our providers to see more acute patients. This is an important goal in Air Force Patient-Centered Medical Home," said Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Charles B. Green, Air Force Surgeon General. Benefits from MiCare's secure messaging tool include patient access anytime, anywhere to: Communicate privately with their healthcare team online without waiting in phone trees 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 at their convenience 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 MTF Medication alerts and refill information Medical test and referral results Notifications regarding flu vaccinations, school and sports physicals, MTF closure dates, etc. On top of all these benefits, the portal will allow patients access to approximately 6,000 Department of Defense approved patient education handouts. These handouts will supply patients with tips, facts and information about a specific injury or illness. "These handouts are great because it provides patients with proper information from a reputable source," Rumbaugh said. According to Air Force Medical Service officials, in the near future MiCare will offer patients secure access to their personal health record. This feature allows patients to capture medical information in a central, online location. Officials emphasized that this has not been an option for patients in the past, making it difficult for them to keep track of health information coming from different doctors, treatment locations, emergency providers and overseas stations. In order to increase patient satisfaction, patient-doctor communication and the 4th Medical Group's efficiency the Strike Eagle medics are currently working on providing everyone access to the portal. To find out more about how to access the MiCare portal, contact your PCM at 919-722-1802.