By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Imagine seeing your lab results right away without even leaving your home. Or scheduling a doctor’s appointment without making a phone call.

Erickson’s Resident Health Portal (RHP) does that and more for anyone who has used the on-campus medical center at Seabrook. The on-line system allows people to securely view information stored in Centricity— the electronic medical records program used by Erickson physicians—from their home, a computer lab, or even their daughter’s house.

Value in functions
Using the RHP, people can also view allergies, directives, problems, vaccines, and emergency contacts.

By reviewing their own medical records, they can spot mistakes. They can also travel with their records, delegate access to a loved one or specialist, and be more aware of their medica- tions and health issues.

“The Resident Health Portal is a very valuable tool,” says Herb Gissen, who has used the RHP for almost nine months.

According to Diatta Harris, director of information and technology at Erickson communities, the most frequently used functions are lab reports, medications, and appointment calendars. Not only the most frequently used, these are also the most important to many at Seabrook.

“Lab reports are the most important feature to me,” Gissen says. “The spreadsheet display is very useful because I can compare results from period to period.”

Portable records
The RHP offers an alternative way to carry medical records when traveling: a portable flash drive.

“Instead of printing their report, a person can download it onto a flash drive. They can take it with them and plug it into a computer wherever they travel,” Harris says. “It’s in PDF format so they don’t even need the Internet.”

She says this unique function is most used during the holidays. People travel more and want to bring their information with them in case of emergency.