27 SOMDG to implement MiCare Published March 25, 2013 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Patients at 27th Special Operations Medical Group will soon be able to communicate securely and privately with their healthcare teams anywhere and anytime due to the Air Force-wide expansion of secure messaging. Secure messaging will be available to patients through what is known as the MiCare portal. The MiCare portal is built to facilitate secure, online communication between patients and their healthcare team. The goal of MiCare is to improve the quality of healthcare that patients receive and provide a mechanism for patients to have better access to their own health information at whatever time is most convenient for them. MiCare will streamline communication and access to information between office visits, reducing the frequency of office visits for some patients. It will also reduce reliance on telephone calls, providing more convenience for the patients, Air Force Medical Service officials said. "Cannon is about to enjoy the opportunity for all to be able to communicate securely with their Primary Care Manager," said Col. Jeffrey Gillen, 27 SOMDG commander. "MiCare is a software application that enables you to directly communicate with your PCM team to take care of routine healthcare needs." For instance, MiCare will streamline processes for prescription refills, appointments related to specific conditions, and receiving lab results. The information can be relayed to PCM teams and communicated to patients directly, cutting out the middle man, Gillen said. "Secure messaging can be accessed from your smartphone, tablet, or other computer or digital device," Gillen said. "Your healthcare is literally in your hands." Benefits from MiCare's secure messaging tool include patient access to: · Communicate privately with their healthcare team online without waiting in phone trees or playing phone tag · Ask their healthcare team for advice about non-urgent symptoms · Receive medical test and lab results · Request medication renewals · Request a copy of immunization records · Access physician-approved health resource links at their convenience The healthcare team will be able to contact patients via MiCare to provide: · Appointment reminders · Follow up on a condition without requiring a trip to the MTF · Medication alerts and refill information · Medical test and referral results · Notifications regarding Flu vaccinations, school and sports physicals, MTF closure dates, etc. In addition, according to Air Force Medical Service officials, in the near future MiCare will offer patients secure access to their Personal Health Record. The PHR feature will allow patients to capture medical information in a central, online location. Officials emphasized that this has not been an option for patients in the past, making it difficult for them to keep track of health information coming from different doctors, treatment locations, emergency providers and overseas stations. "The 27 SOMDG will begin advertising this capability and start face to face sign-up authorizations of MiCare accounts in the next few weeks," Gillen said. "Look for sign-up stations at the Base Exchange and other locations on base over the next couple of months." To find out more, please visit http://www.afms.af.mil/micare/ or ask your local MTF when it will be available.