Ozarks Healthcare advances Patients’ Health Data Management with CommonWell Health Alliance Services
With CommonWell Health Alliance Services now being used by health systems in all 50 U.S. states, Ozarks Healthcare is joining in providing more technological health data management services by making participation in the platform an option for patients. CommonWell allows for providers and health systems across the nation to share health data. This means doctors can better coordinate care for patients, no matter where care is provided.
“Through our partnership with CommonWell, we can have much faster – close to instant - access to patients’ health information, especially when they find themselves needing to stop for care at one of our locations when they may be traveling out of state or away from home,” Dr. Priscilla Frase, Ozarks Healthcare Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO), said. “We can ultimately give care to patients quicker with CommonWell, because we are saving time having you complete paperwork and fill out the same health history information over and over.”
Research shows the average person sees close to 20 healthcare providers in his or her lifetime. With health systems like Ozarks Healthcare using CommonWell, there is a higher focus on reducing siloes in sharing health data between doctors for providing more efficient care to patients.
In the event of an emergency, patients who have enrolled in CommonWell also have the benefit of having allergies, medications, health problems, and other critical health information being able to be pulled easily, reducing the chance of any delays of care. Your latest health information will be right at providers’ fingertips.
“In a time when we can use technology to make medical care more accessible for our patients, CommonWell can help speed up your care in the seconds that matter most to your health,” Frase said. “You never know where you may be when health emergencies happen. I encourage patients to enroll, especially during a time when summer travel and vacations are top of mind.”
To enroll in CommonWell Services, simply tell front desk staff at any of Ozarks Healthcare’s locations you would like to enroll in CommonWell, and they will have you verify other participating health facilities you have visited.
Ozarks Healthcare is a not-for-profit health system that serves more than 160,000 residents across south-central Missouri and northern Arkansas. With its main campus residing in West Plains, Missouri, the health system offers a full spectrum of healthcare for all ages through its 114-bed hospital, behavioral health, therapies, pharmacies, rehabilitation, and home care services, along with specialty and family medicine clinics. Ozarks Healthcare has rural locations across an eight-county service area and is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.
