MiCare links patients, physicians

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Janiqua P. Robinson
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  In this day and age, we're used to having access to almost any information we desire with the click of a button. We can request leave, apply for new positions and even view our immunization records online.

The new free, confidential online healthcare messaging system, called MiCare, will allow patients to communicate with their healthcare team via internet and members of the 23d Medical Group say it could become an integral part of the way the military handles healthcare.

"MiCare gives patients another entrance into the medical facility," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Darren Damiani, 23d MDG family nurse practitioner. "It's a more reliable form of communication for the patient and creates a much better relationship between the provider, facility and the patient by providing them with flexible and convenient communication."

With the new system, patients will be able to send and receive secure messages to their physicians, and link multiple health service centers to their personal account. 

"MiCare provides online communication between patients and their medical team," said Rhonda Sterner, senior military health account manager. "It gives patients the ability to have coordinated communication between them and their medical team and gives them the opportunity to be more involved in their care."

Patients will also be able to use the system for non-emergent needs like scheduling appointments, accessing personal health records, request prescription refills, and request lab results without picking up the phone or visiting the clinic.

"MiCare can be used for any and everything that is not an emergency," said Maj. Mimi Byrd, 23d MDG practice manager. "If they have questions or aren't sure about something they can send a message to us and it gives them the ability to communicate with us quickly."

The online system has the potential to save healthcare providers and patient's time and frustration by working as the liaison between the two.

"I've had patients send me a picture of a mole that they're concerned about," said Damiani. "I can look at the picture and examine it and tell them whether they should be concerned about it, keep an eye on it, come in and get it checked out, or remove it.

"That saves more time because when they schedule the appointment for me remove it, that's what I'm prepared to do," Damiani added. "I've already done the pre-exam by looking at the photo so it saves [us both time] by eliminating that visit."

With the secure messaging, the clinic must respond within one business day. The physician can then provide homecare instructions or advise the patient that they need to come in so a physician can take a closer look.

Physicians say this eliminates the frustrating games of phone tag they sometimes find themselves involved in and saves time by getting patients quick and helpful responses.

Dependents under 18 will also benefit from MiCare and can be listed under the military members account while spouses can create their own account for their records. The system is ideal for military members with busy schedules and families that have multiple children.

"We see it used a lot in pediatrics and with moms who have two or three kids," said Sterner. "They send in pictures of rashes and the technicians can go ahead and get the prescription written out and send the alert when it's ready. So they don't have to pack everybody up, and go to the appointment and then wait at the pharmacy or waste a visit."

Medical information is never erased from MiCare, so all messages, prescriptions, lab results, and documents are saved and follow patients through life's transitions.
Whether members retire or separate, they only need to change their physician and connect to their new clinic to continue to keep their records in MiCare.

To sign up for MiCare, Team Moody members can visit the Medical Group.