Secure Messaging with MyHealtheVet
Man in a wheelchair types on a laptop
My HealtheVet is a personal online health record designed to enhance health care for our Veterans. In order to access all the features made available thru My HealtheVet, the Veteran needs to complete three important steps.
• First, they must create an account (Register) on the My HealtheVet website (www.myhealth.va.gov).
• The second step is called Authentication and is a security measure where the veteran’s identity is verified and the veteran “gives permission” for his medical record to be linked to the account created. This allows the Veteran to access all the features available in My HealtheVet. This can be done (In Person) at any VA hospital or clinic.
• The third step is for the Veteran to read and accept the terms for using Secure Messaging, a safe alternative to email, that allows them to communicate with their health care team.
The creation of My HealtheVet has a great number of benefits. By sending a secure message to their healthcare team, Veterans potentially can avoid a trip to the hospital to find information on prescriptions, address scheduling issues for appointments or “speak” to doctors . They can expect to receive a timely response within three business days. In the time it can take to handle one phone call, staff can deal with as many as 15 secure messages, making this a more efficient way to deliver healthcare.
Messaging can be initiated by the Veteran or by staff. Veterans are likely to use this to address questions involving their appointments, medications or medically based questions. Staff can use this for pre-planning upcoming appointments, providing education, and providing support to patients between visits . The process is a win-win situation. Veterans can decrease frustration often felt with dealing with the VA phone system and reduce the number of trips to the hospital or clinic. Staff can deliver care more efficiently, saving both time and money and gain more satisfaction by being able to better support our Veterans.
My HealtheVet has been in development since 2003 and Boston has been actively involved testing new features and continues to do so. The VA BHS has truly embraced this new technology as a way to improve the quality of care to our Veterans and enhance the patient-doctor relationship.
This year, VA’s Central Office set the goal for all VAs to have 25% of the Veteran population to register (Step 1) and be authenticated (Step 2) on My HealtheVet and 15% to be opted in (Step 3) to use secure messaging. VA Boston has 61,000 unique Veterans within our system. Sixty percent of our population has registered for My HealtheVet! Boston’s number of opted in Veterans is at 17.5% and increasing rapidly while the nationwide percentage was 6%.Thank you to all of our veterans who helped us to exceed our goals!
For any further information feel free to contact Carla Azersky by calling 774-826-3440 or visit the website at www.myhealth.va.gov
