More than 100,000 Vancouver Island residents are now signed up for MyHealth, a secure online website where patients and families can conveniently access personal health information for care and services provided by Island Health.
“The rapid growth in MyHealth enrollments underlines the value patients and families place on quick, easy online access to their personal health information – especially given the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding increase in lab testing,” said Leah Hollins, Chair of the Island Health Board of Directors. “Island Health is pleased to see that 100,000 people have enrolled with MyHealth and can now view all kinds of test results – including COVID-19 test results – anytime and from any location.”
MyHealth launched in October 2019 and reached 100,000 enrollments on February 23, 2021. It is one of the ways that patients and families can receive COVID-19 test results, and will soon be one of the ways they can access records of their COVID-19 immunization status.
“This exciting milestone means stronger partnerships between Island Health, patients and families,” said Dr. Eric Shafonsky, Associate Chief Medical Information Officer and Physician Lead for MyHealth. “Patient engagement is central to MyHealth, and we are grateful to the many Patient Partners involved with MyHealth whose insights continue to shape this site and its features. We are also grateful to the Laboratory, Medical Imaging, Registration and Virtual Enrollment Line staff at Island Health who helped 100,000 people enroll.”
Enrolling in MyHealth is easy to do online, by phone (1-844-844-2219), in-person at Island Health Laboratory and Medical Imaging locations, or at the central admitting desk at any of Island Health’s main hospitals. Once your own MyHealth account is created, you can request access to someone else's MyHealth account if needed. To obtain proxy access in the care of a loved one please follow the instructions found at this link.
MyHealth is a convenient way to view selected scheduled appointments, Island Health medical imaging results and laboratory results (including COVID-19 test results). Patients and families can use the site to access care or services, to receive secure messages from Island Health care providers and to receive important updates about the MyHealth service. Once enrolled, those with MyHealth accounts will gain access to new features and functionality as they are implemented – including the upcoming addition of COVID-19 immunization status.
Planned enhancements to MyHealth include physician authored clinical documentation and increased access to secure messaging and online forms.
“It has been a wonderful experience working side by side with Island Health to create MyHealth,” said Bernie Lafrance, a Patient Partner member of the project team. “It feels meaningful to collaborate on such a great, genuine program that allows quicker access to essential personal health information.”
To enroll in MyHealth or to learn more, head to www.islandhealth.ca/myhealth.