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MyChart: Remote Access Easy, Fast, Convenient
Healthier Living for Every Body AnMed Health expands bariatric options
Technology has impacted the way we do many things in our everyday lives. Many tasks that used to require that one be there in person can now be done remotely. We can work from home, order dinner from our smartphones and change the temperature in our homes, even if we’re not there. Now, technology can help you stay on top of your health through MyChart, an online patient portal that provides access to your medical records and facilitates communication with your AnMed Health provider. Dr. Mandy Mitchell of AnMed Health OB-GYN Associates explained how MyChart makes accessing health care easier and more convenient for patients, especially OB-GYN patients.
Q: What is MyChart? A: MyChart is a free online patient portal – accessible on your computer, tablet or smartphone – that provides AnMed Health patients access to appointment information, lab and imaging results, medications, immunization history and more. Patients may also get some prescription refills without having to schedule an office visit. Q: How do I sign up? A: To sign up for MyChart, request an activation code at your next visit, then go to AnMedHealth.org/MyChart to create an account. If you do not have a code, then click “Sign Up Online” and provide the required information. Q: How can a MyChart account facilitate communication with my provider’s office? A: MyChart allows patients and providers to communicate securely online. Patients may email questions to their provider and should expect to receive an answer within one to three business days. Some patients are better able to communicate their concerns in writing than they are over the phone or even during an office visit. Some questions are easily answered electronically by a nurse, lab manager or physician. Sometimes, it may prompt a telephone call from the physician if he or she considers the answer too complicated for an email 10 Inside ANMED HEALTH
message. In other cases, the physician’s office may recommend the patient come in for an office visit. Advantages of using MyChart’s messaging system include being able to send questions any time day or night, whether or not the office is open, elimination of having to play phone tag with the doctor or a nurse, and response times are often faster.
MyChart, patients see the results faster and follow-ups are scheduled sooner.
Q: Are all test results available through MyChart?
Q: Where can I get more information?
A: Typically, it takes one to three days for test results to appear in a patient’s MyChart account. Some tests, such as biopsies, are not released automatically to MyChart so that physicians may review the results with the patient in person. Patients can see prior test results in MyChart, allowing them to compare items such as cholesterol, blood pressure and other blood work.
A: For more information, go to AnMedHealth.org/MyChart or call the MyChart Patient Support Line at 864.512.3742.
Q: Why should a patient use MyChart? A: It’s empowering to have convenient access to your health care information. It’s convenient, and it could save you money by eliminating unnecessary office visits or trips to the emergency room.
Q: How is a MyChart account helpful for OB-GYN patients specifically? A: Pregnant women see their doctor regularly throughout their pregnancy and many tests are performed. MyChart is a repository where patients can see that information, including doctor’s notes. For gynecology patients, pap smear results are available through MyChart. Patients with abnormal pap smears receive letters telling them they require further testing. With
Mandy L. Mitchell, M.D.
AnMed Health OB-GYN Associates 864.512.4500 ANDERSON
AnMed Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital 2000 East Greenville Street, Suite 4500 CLEMSON
885 Tiger Blvd - Building A
For many people who struggle with obesity, diet and regular exercise aren’t enough to lose weight successfully. Patients who tried to lose weight through diet and exercise or medication without success and did not want to undergo or did not qualify for surgery, had no options – until now. AnMed Health has added endoscopic bariatric procedures to the broad spectrum of weight loss services it offers. “Only one or two percent of people who need to lose weight to prevent diabetes, high blood pressure or medical conditions get surgery. That leaves many people with no option,” said Dr. Suresh Khandekar of AnMed Health Gastroenterology Specialists. Dr. Khandekar said AnMed Health is the only health care system in the Upstate and western North Carolina to offer endoscopic weight loss procedures. A referral is not necessary. Dr. Khandekar offers endoscopic weight loss choices that include suturing, balloons and aspiration assistance. The suturing options includes endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, an incisionless procedure that reduces the stomach volume, and endoscopic revision, a procedure that sutures the stomach for those who have regained weight after surgery, Dr. Khandekar said. A gastric balloon is one of the most common endoscopic weight loss procedures. The doctor places a balloon in the stomach for six months to reduce the space for food. With aspiration assistance, a tube with an access port is inserted into the stomach to help reduce the number of calories absorbed, Dr. Khandekar said. “Endoscopic weight loss procedures can help people in the big gap between lifestyle changes and major surgery,” he said. While endogastric procedures provide new options, traditional surgery, such as gastric bypass and sleeve, are still the better choice for some patients. Dr. Adam Beall, medical director of AnMed Health’s weight loss surgery program and a surgeon at Piedmont
AnMed Health Dietician Christen King provides information about diet, eating and behavior modifications to help bariatric patients achieve long-term success.
Surgical Associates, said doctors work with patients to determine which treatment is right for them. “We treat patients with a very individual approach,” he said. No matter the option, long-term success depends on adopting healthy eating habits and exercising regularly. “Nothing we do is permanent. Everything also requires a commitment to lifestyle modification because no surgery we do prevents the weight from being regained if the person continues doing the activities that led them to the excess body weight in the first place,” he said. Dietician Christen King said she works with bariatric patients before and after surgery to modify eating behaviors, determine whether they are actually hungry, and finding coping mechanisms for stress or boredom. “Nutrition plays a big part in long-
term success, and we work together so the patient gets to the point where they can make desirable food choices,” she said. “It’s a process because eating behaviors are so ingrained in us.” Dr. Beall said AnMed Health’s weightloss services are non-judgmental. “Obesity is a multi-factorial issue. Some are cultural. Some are behavioral. Some are environmental,” Dr. Beall said. “What we offer is unbiased and multi-disciplinary guidance to the patient.” Before undergoing procedures or surgeries, patients must undergo psychological evaluations to ensure they understand everything about the process and are prepared to adopt new lifestyles. To learn more about pre-qualifying, call Bariatric Program Coordinator Joy Vaughn, 864.512.4476.
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