2nd essay

1. Kaitlyn Greiner
Public Health Determinants Project
2. Organizational Behavior and Governance
From my experience at MUSC, I found that MyChart is crucial to health services
at MUSC. MyChart is a free online tool that allows MUSC patients to see their medical
records and communicate with the healthcare professionals. Being able to view your own
medical record is very important because it allows you to see your test results and
appointments. The patient is even able to request refills for their prescriptions. This is
also a great medium in which to get messages to your health team and communicate with
them. The patient can manage their financial matters and let MUSC know if there has
been a change in their insurance. Patients are routinely asked at their appointments to
sign up for MyChart if they haven’t already. Most patients are very interested in this
concept and are happy to sign up. This tool grants more access to patients and helps them
better manage their own care.
Organizational functioning facilitates this tool. The nurses in the GI surgery
department are required to ask the patients if they are interested in using MyChart when
the patients are being checked in. It is also noted on the medical chart database, Epic,
whether or not the patient is using MyChart. All medical professionals access Epic
throughout the entire day. MyChart is also facilitated by organizational culture as well.
Technology is taking over all fields, especially the healthcare field. MyChart moves
along with this transition to the online world. Since all you need is Internet access to use
MyChart, almost everyone today can utilize it. In addition, it is free to sign up for the tool
so financial drawbacks do not exist. This increase in access to services is exactly what

2. patients need at my internship site. Most patients are struggling to afford surgery and an
extra cost would not be considered by most. The ability to refill prescriptions online is
very convenient for patients. It is imperative that patients have the ability to ask questions
and be fully aware of their health status when major surgery is involved. Usually family
members and the patient have many questions regarding the surgery and the patient’s pre
and post-operative results. When patients are very sick, they need to be able to make the
most informed decisions possible. This increase in access also increases the quality of the
health care. A patient can make sure that all information on their medical records is
correct and the patient is able to understand more about their own health to ask the best
questions either at appointments or through MyChart.
A change that could be made to the organizational practices of the tool is the
addition of video messaging capabilities. This would increase the quality of care even
more. By having the ability to see the patient rather than just messaging them, the health
professional would be able to make a more precise diagnosis. This change would also
provide patients with more access. Often times, patients can develop complications after
surgery and usually call on the phone to ask if they should come to MUSC to be
admitted. Usually they are told to come in to be seen by a PA or other member of the
team. With this change, the patient could speak to a professional through video and the
professional could better determine if it’s necessary for the patient to come all the way to
the hospital. This would be very convenient for patients who live far from MUSC. In
addition, complications after surgery are usually severe and it would be impossible for
patients to get to MUSC by themselves without assistance. In this case, the patients
would be forced to just go to a local emergency room. This could be dangerous for the GI

3. surgery patients who may not receive proper care because they need a team that is
knowledgeable about the complexities of the surgery. Video messaging would allow
patients who are too sick to travel to MUSC to still communicate with their team and
receive a more accurate diagnosis. Video communication between health professionals
and patients would be more effective than emails and phone calls. By viewing the
patients via online video, the health professional can get a better sense of their emotions,
demeanor, gestures, and overall health.
With regards to policy, the online tool adheres to federal and state laws pertaining
to patient privacy. In this way, policy and law facilitates the quality and use of the tool.
The patient name and email address are both kept as private as the patient’s medical
records. Federal laws protect the patients’ information on MyChart. Patients are much
more inclined to use a new piece of technology if they can be assured that their privacy is
secure. Patient privacy is very important when dealing with medical information. One
change that I would add to the laws and policies regarding MyChart is to require that all
hospitals provide the option of this tool or a similar tool for patients to see their own
medical charts. This would, not only allow MUSC to increase access and quality of
services, but all hospitals. This should be a new policy for hospitals. Many patients are
visiting from long distances and should have access to an online tool, such as MyChart, at
their local hospitals as well. If all health service providing organizations adopted
MyChart, this would allow patient access to medical records in one database from all
fields of healthcare. By having a setting for collective medical information, patients can
know even more about themselves and make informed decisions.

4. The function of MyChart is essential for receiving the best health services at
MUSC. MyChart is, not only free, but also increases the access and quality of health
services. Organizational functioning and culture facilitate MyChart. It has become a
routine part of patient appointments and is widely accepted by today’s technology driven
society. Video messaging capabilities should be a practice that is added to the online tool
for increased quality and access. It is also facilitated by current federal and state laws
with regard to privacy. An additional policy that should be implemented is that all
hospitals should require the option of an online tool, such as MyChart. This would allow
patients all over the country to receive more access to high quality health services.