Internet patient portal helps Geisinger administer record level of flu shots in 2006-07
Internet patient portal helps Geisinger give record number of flu shots in 2006-07
DANVILLE, PA. - Reminder e-mails encouraging patients to schedule flu vaccinations through Geisinger Health System’s Internet patient information portal helped increase the number of vaccinations to a record high for the health system, officials announced today.
Geisinger administered about 20,000 more total flu shots this year than in prior years (up by more than 23 percent from last season), helping reduce the impact and spread of this potentially dangerous disease. The health system’s Web-based portal, MyGeisinger, played an important role in that success, said Tammy Anderer, MSN, CRNP, Geisinger’s Director of Best Practices.
About 6,000 e-mails reminding patients to get immunized against the flu were sent through MyGeisinger in November and December, Anderer said. The e-mail reminders were sent to high-risk patients first, followed by lower risk groups.
MyGeisinger also allows consumers to schedule appointments online and more than 900 patients scheduled their flu shots in 2006-07 via the site. It’s easy for patients to forget to get flu shots, and the online reminders and scheduling removed major hurdles for immunization.
The number of reported flu cases was below average both locally and nationally during the 2006-07 season, which started in September and is just concluding, according to Geisinger and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This was the first time MyGeisinger was used for flu season, and the program will expand for the coming flu season.
Patients can also renew prescriptions, view health reminders and e-mail their Geisinger physicians about non-urgent medical problems through the site. Through MyGeisinger, patients can fill in basic financial and insurance information on the protected site before their visit, which saves wait time in the clinic.
Starting today, patients can start receiving e-mail reminders about their appointments in Geisinger out-patient sites.
MyGeisinger currently has about 80,000 users, with another 2,000 new users registering each month.
“Our success with flu shots further demonstrates the proven viability of MyGeisinger and its related applications,” said Dr. Ronald Paulus, Geisinger’s Chief Innovation and Technology Officer. “Over the last decade we’ve built a highly integrated and sophisticated health information technology infrastructure and it’s helping to improve the lives of our patients and clinicians every day.”
The expansion of MyGeisinger and the system’s experiences with flu shots shows the benefits of providing key health services online, Anderer said.
“MyGeisinger allows one person at a computer to contact 10,000 patients in one pass,” Anderer said. “This is easy for Geisinger Health System and for the patient.”