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Pella Regional Health Center is emphasizing improved services for patients through a program called the Patient-Centered Medical Home. Lezlie Morris, Chief of Clinic Services at Pella Regional Health Center, says just like the name suggests, the program keeps the patient at the center of their health care.

“The goal of the Patient-Centered Medical Home is to keep patients as healthy as possible. Hopefully we can be very preventative in our approach,” said Morris. “However, if you already have some chronic issue like high blood pressure or diabetes, our goal then is to maintain your most optimal health.”

Morris says a tool that the hospital is currently putting in place is known as a patient portal, which will be a web-accessible program called “My Pella Health”. Morris says the program will allow patients access to their physician and medical information anywhere they’re at, 24 hours a day.

“Patients can log on – similarly to the way they log on to online bank accounts – and access their own health information,” said Morris. “They can send a message to their physician; they can request a medication refill; they can request, revise or cancel an appointment; they can view lab results; so it’s just another way to facilitate that patient communication.”

Morris adds that the patient portal would not replace existing lines of communication, such as phone calls, but says “My Pella Health” will be an additional tool meant to help patients stay in close contact with their primary physicians. The program will be on a secure network, allowing communication one way at a time between a physician and patient. “My Pella Health” also fulfills the electronic access to medical information requirements that are stipulated by recently passed health care legislation.

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