Methodist Patients Can Now Access Data Via Apple Health

OMAHA - Access to personal medical information and data just got easier for Methodist patients.

Methodist is one of 39 health systems in the United States to work with Apple to offer health information data access through the Apple Health app.

Methodist is the only health system in Nebraska and Iowa with this capability.

Patients must be enrolled in the my.Bestcare.org (patient portal) to access their information through the Apple Health app.

“Methodist has always been forward-thinking and my.Bestcare.org, our patient portal, is a great example of that,” said Dr. Greg Hutteger, chief medical information officer for Methodist Health System. “Apple’s Health app, in conjunction with the patient portal, is another way to make it beneficial and help our patients realize the power of that data.”

Methodist patients can view their medical records simply by updating their iOS software on their iPhone and then follow the steps below.

• Patients can access the Health app and select Health Records.
• The nearest hospital and clinic locations will appear if the user has “location services” active on their iPhone. Patients can also search for Methodist by name or location.
• Users can then tap on any Methodist location.
• Users will then be asked for their my.Bestcare.org (patient portal) username and password.
• Once entered the specific health data will download.

The health information patients will have access to within the Apple Health app includes allergies, conditions, immunizations, lab results, medications, procedures and vitals. Users will receive notifications when their patient information is updated.

The patient data is encrypted and protected with the user’s iPhone password.

“I feel this is a big step toward patient engagement, which is something we as physicians are all striving for,” Dr. Hutteger said. “It puts the power of data in the patient’s hands – and that’s exciting.”

Patients can still utilize my.Bestcare.org for direct physician communication, refill requests, etc. Those capabilities are still only accessible through the patient portal.