TIMES-REPUBLICAN

Patient charts at UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown have transitioned to a new, electronic medical record system the middle of September.

Epic is a system that advances patient safety and quality of care by providing a single, shared and secure electronic health record. Epic provides a patient portal called My UnityPoint where patients can create an account and view their medical records and test results, schedule appointments, send secure messages to your care team, request prescription refills, access your financial statements and pay your bill.

Doctors can use the technology to access critical patient information more quickly, including medical history, test results and prescriptions.

The Epic installation provides many benefits to patients, including:

• Elimination of duplicate tests

• Allergy and immunization history and alerts

• Sharing information with specialists collaborating on care

• Reduction in complexity and repeating of information between Iowa Health System hospitals and clinics

• Medication tracking, drug interaction alerts and automatic pharmacy medication orders

• Up-to-date diagnosis and treatment notes

“This is a sophisticated system that allows all of our caregivers to care for patients in a more advanced way,” Jenni Friedly, UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown president said. “Features like clinical physician support remind caregivers of patient allergies and other medical conditions, adding another level of safety and ensuring that our patients get the best possible care.”

To facilitate this major transition, the hospital established a command center with dozens of computer workstations, which will be staffed during the transition with Epic and UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown’s Information Technology employees. In addition, there are many Epic “super users” working the hospital floors — assisting nurses, doctors and staff with the new EMR.

To create an account and access My UnityPoint, visit the website at marshalltown.unitypoint.org/. If you need any UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown medical records prior to the Epic transition date of Sept. 16, contact the Health Information Management department at 641-754-5044.