SequelMed Patient Portal launched by Sequel Systems

Sequel Systems, Inc., a dynamic, service-oriented healthcare technology company, today announced the launch and general availability of SequelMed Patient Portal™, a new, Web-based tool that improves and speeds up communication between physicians and patients, giving patients instant access to their personal health information, and allowing physicians and other healthcare providers more time to focus on delivering the best possible care. SequelMed Patient Portal is the latest addition to Sequel Systems’ suite of healthcare solutions, which includes an electronic health record (EHR), practice and document management software, and e-prescribing technology. More than 12,000 physicians in all 50 states and representing all major specialties currently use the company’s solutions.

In light of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, healthcare organizations are scrambling to demonstrate adoption and use of a certified EHR in order to get a piece of the stimulus pie. However, while transitioning from paper-based to fully electronic environments, it is vitally important to not only create system efficiencies, reduce medical errors and improve outcomes, but also to create a communication and education platform between patients and their providers.

A 2007 study on patient portals in The British Journal of General Practice found that “Record access will result in a closer relationship between GPs [general practitioners] and their patients. Access enables patients to participate in their own care, find out relevant information, and ask about their disease and health…we see record access as significantly improving shared care and improving not only trust in and respect of clinicians by patients, but also trust in and respect of patients by clinicians.”¹ That’s where SequelMed Patient Portal comes in.

“Our goal in selecting the SequelMed Patient Portal is to provide our physicians with an additional tool to communicate quickly and efficiently with patients online, while also ensuring that patients have real-time care and access to information that helps them stay connected and actively involved in their own health,” said Dr. Peter Deane, principal, Allergy Asthma Immunology of Rochester (AAIR). “In addition, because the new tool integrates seamlessly with our existing SequelMed EHR installation, we expect to be up and running quickly and experiencing time savings that allow us to better serve the patients who depend on us faster than with other solutions.”

In today’s technologically advanced healthcare society, a patient portal provides the perfect way for providers and patients to connect and engage while ensuring that everyone has an equally important role in the care process. SequelMed Patient Portal is designed as a user-friendly, simple application that facilitates online communication between patients and their providers. Built with patient convenience in mind, SequelMed Patient Portal integrates seamlessly with SequelMed EHR and electronic medical record (EMR) solutions.

With SequelMed Patient Portal, patients can:

• Request appointments with their care providers
• Receive reminders and alerts
• Complete patient registration and necessary health forms
• Manage referrals
• View physician information developed specifically for patients
• View their personal health records
• Request and conduct eVisit consultations
• Renew and refill prescriptions
• Access lab results
• Pay their bills online

“The availability of SequelMed Patient Portal underscores our continued commitment to deliver healthcare technology solutions that not only provide value to our customers, but also improve the quality of care and the patient experience system wide,” said Irfan Iqbal, director of medical informatics at Sequel Systems. “By seamlessly connecting patients to their providers and to information about their health and their care in a secure, easy-to-use online environment, the Patient Portal serves as a perfect way to bring together the two most important people in the care cycle and ensure that both are active and equal participants in the decision-making process. AAIR’s early experience demonstrates just how beneficial this technology can be.”