Upgrades made to the MyUFHealth portal improve patient care and provide faster access to medical records.

Christopher Scuderi, DO, knows firsthand that high-quality health care requires effective, proactive communication between patients and providers. Scuderi, a primary care physician and medical director of UF Health Family Medicine and Pediatrics – New Berlin, credits the practice’s growth to positive patient interactions.

“When we opened on July 6, 2009, we started out with just four employees. We now have six providers and 25 employees,” Scuderi said. “Our great staff has been the key to the office growing to serve the North Jacksonville area.”

The New Berlin location also has the highest percentage of active patients who use MyUFHealth, a secure web portal that allows patients to access portions of their medical records.

With MyUFHealth, patients can:

• Communicate electronically and securely with their health care team

• Keep shared family health records

• Request medical appointments with specialty care providers

• Request prescription refills

• Schedule medical appointments directly with a primary care provider in real time

• View future and past scheduled appointments

• View released test results

• View their health summary from the MyUFHealth electronic health record

In addition to online access, patients can use a MyChart app for Android or iOS to view their MyUFHealth accounts on the go.

“Our patients love it. They feel like they are partners in care and are aware of their results in a timely manner. They also feel more prepared coming to their visits knowing their results,” Scuderi said.

More Information, Less Time

Members of the UF Health Enterprise Epic Cloud Apps Steering Committee added more features to the software to improve functionality. Patients can now receive the activation code required to create a MyUFHealth account by email instead of having to wait a week for it to be mailed to them.

“We are working to make it as easy as possible for our patients to sign up,” said Christina Catalano, director of Electronic Health Records Compliance. “iPads are even available at all of the practices for patients to use to set up their MyUFHealth accounts while they are waiting for their appointments.”

Patients now also have the ability to read their providers’ progress notes from past appointments online. In addition, patients can send logs of their blood pressure or blood sugar readings to providers.

“This helps me see if a medication regimen is working,” Scuderi said.

Established patients who can’t make it to the doctor’s office can consult with their primary care provider online through the UF Health Virtual Visit feature on the MyUFHealth portal or the MyChart mobile app.

Coming Soon to MyUFHealth

The UF Health Enterprise Epic Cloud Apps Steering Committee is working on incorporating additional features to improve convenience for patients. They want to include a way for patients to pay for services online through the MyUFHealth portal. Appointments for upcoming surgeries will also be listed on the portal and include patient instructions specific to the procedure.

“MyUFHealth is a way for us to improve the patient experience through enhanced convenience and communication,” said Rita James, vice president of Ambulatory Care. “Giving patients access to information like test results prior to an appointment frees up more time for a provider to discuss the next step of treatment or care.”

At the beginning of the year, 48,756 UF Health patients in Jacksonville had a MyUFHealth account. Only 44 percent of employees on GatorCare are actively using the service. The goal is to increase employee use and active patient participation to at least 50 percent at all practice locations.

Encouraging more to use the MyUFHealth portal enhances the quality health care that UF Health is committed to providing to each and every patient.