Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital (HGMH) is updating to MyChart, joining eighteen other hospitals in Eastern Ontario, including the Hawkesbury District Hospital, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and Hôpital Montfort, in the Atlas Alliance.

According to the HGMH, when patients receive care at the eighteen-member Atlas Alliance organization, their health care teams can securely access information recorded in the shared MyChart system. This includes medications, allergies, previous care and test results. Having this information available helps care teams work together and make informed decisions about a patient’s care.

While receiving care at the Arnprior Regional Health, for example, a doctor or nurse can see and update your digitial file even if your family doctor is associated with HGMH. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Epic Systems Corporation (ESC) developed the MyChart software in 2000. According to the company, more than 325 million patients have an electronic record in ESC.

“This is a historic milestone for HGMH, but what matters most is what it means for our community,” said Robert Alldred-Hughes, President and CEO of HGMH. “When patients need care at different hospitals, their health information should follow them. [Epic’s MyChart software] helps connect those pieces, giving care teams the information they need to support safe, coordinated care.”

As part of the transition, MyChart has replaced Connected Care as HGMH’s patient portal. Patients of HGMH can now view available test results and appointments from participating organizations in one account. Patients who already use MyChart through hospitals that are already a part of the Atlas Alliance such as The Ottawa Hospital, the Ottawa Heart Institute, Hawkesbury, Winchester or Kemptville hospitals can continue using their existing account.

The last three years of every HGMH patient’s health record information will be transferred to MyChart. Older records will remain available by contacting HGMH’s Health Records department. The launch follows a year of preparation, HGMH staff and physicians have worked to learn new workflows while continuing to care for the community.

“I am incredibly proud of the dedication, resilience and teamwork that brought us to this moment,” said Alldred-Hughes. “Walking through the hospital on launch day, I saw colleagues supporting one another, solving problems and keeping patient care at the centre of everything they did.”

To learn more about how to access MyChart, visit www.hgmh.on.ca