Epic MyChart: Why COVID-19 Has Made it More Widely Used

(Originally posted on LinkedIn)

For being around for quite some time, you would be hard-pressed to find people that were familiar with Epic MyChart until just a few months ago. COVID-19 changed the game, and really put MyChart in the faces of the users. From scheduling appointments in the app, Telehealth appointments with clinicians, a COVID-19 risk calculator, and now, speedy COVID-19 test results. MyChart is always evolving and has an array of benefits!

In the age of information at our fingertips, scheduling an appointment with your primary care physician through an app is way more convenient than calling upon the facility and trying to get something on the books. Let's fast-forward to your appointment, but you're not comfortable going to the office to see your physician. You have the ability to use the same app to connect you to a video call (Telehealth) with your provider. No need to get ready, drive over to the office, or sit in the waiting room, especially under the current health of the world. When it's time for your appointment, you are simply brought right into the call and helped by a physician in a fraction of the time it would have taken before.

Now, let's throw a different curveball your way. You've seen the COVID-19 numbers in your area spiking, and want to know what your risk level is. The good news is, the Cleveland Clinic and Epic have partnered together on a calculator you can go in and check your risk level. If you happen to be at a higher risk level, the app will recommend you go get tested. After you've completed your test, as long as the lab is also partnered with Epic, the same time the lab finishes running your results, you get notified that your results are in, and can view them in the app. How great is that?

It's amazing to think of all the things we've put off due to the inconvenience of going to get checked out, or due to the pandemic. Now, everything you need is within the same app that you take with you everywhere you go. It's safe to say that MyChart is becoming much more prevalent than ever before.