MyMedWall Is ‘Medical Facebook’

By Keith Malone // April 22, 2012

Health Information Exchange

BREVARD COUNTY • WEST MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – A West Melbourne-based healthcare provider has launched an innovative and exciting new medical social-networking site called MyMedWall for patients wanting to be more pro-active and self-managing for their own medical needs, health and general well-being.

In an exclusive interview given to SpaceCoastDaily.com, Dr. Geetha Priyanka of West Melbourne has explained the many benefits that signing up to MyMedWall will bring to patients right across the whole broad spectrum of people’s health.

Providers are also being urged to join this new medical networking site. Plus there is the incentive for all new people registering to be entered into a regular draw to win brand new Ipads that Dr. Priyanka’s practice is offering – as MyMedWall is designed to be accessed with mobile devices like the Ipad, Iphone and androids.

MyMedWall is a complete medical “home” for patients and is being likened to a “medical Facebook” – allowing patients and providers to combine social networking with the exchange of vital healthcare information.

SpaceCoastDaily.com believes that Brevard won’t just become known nationwide for opening new boundaries in space. Health is our new final frontier being extended for the benefit of our nation by an expanding hub of medical experts working in our county.

“My motivation is connection and education and empowerment for the benefit of all patients – not just my own, ” says Dr. Priyanka from her offices on South Wickham Road in West Melbourne.

“Power to the Patient is my mantra. This isn’t about commercialisation. I want patients to know as much as they can about what’s out there for them.

“They’re largely existing in the dark about their conditions and problems and concerns. And MyMedWall can help open their eyes and connect to a whole new world of information available out there.”

Dr. Priyanka has been practising as a primary care physician for 14 years. She came to Florida from her native Madras in India in 1995 as an anaesthatist – before switching to general medicine.

Despite the general excellence of health care in the US – “better than anywhere else in the world,” she says – Dr. Priyanka has observed how fragmented the system is and so has set about trying to bring in improvements with MyMedWall.

Her husband Naveen Venkatachalam is a computer systems development expert who’s helped create MyMedWall.

Fully HIPAA compliant

Fully HIPAA compliant and more secure than internet banking for reasons of total patient confidentiality, Dr. Priyanka believes MyMedWall will revolutionise the way people handle their own medical records and interact with patient forums and self-help groups. The benefits will bring better health care and cost savings.

Dr. Priyanka already runs the successful Sooshu health information exchange for primary care providers that allows the digital sharing of medical records.

Her practice also has the successful Doctors Partner system her company has developed for Electronic Medical Records, making the storage of and access to her patients’ healthcare notes far more efficient – allowing her medical staff to devote more time to her patients’ needs.

Free to join and simple to navigate

During a demonstation at her offices, Dr. Priyanka stressed that MyMedWall is free to register and showed me how simple it is to navigate around the site.

Health providers are listed under the full range of health services and a key feature is for patients to be directed to physicians’ offices as a basic starting point when they connect with providers.

Patients enter their complete medical history from basic problems and conditions to their immunisation records.

The key to MyMedWall – what will make it work at its best – is patient volume. The more people join, the greater the exchange of information and the greater the interaction for the common good of all the users.

Clinical Continuity Document

The Clinical Continuity Document (CCD) will be produced with MyMedWall as a uniform portable source of information – so patients can pass this on to providers where ever they are: whether moving home, travelling on business or on vacation or whether switching to new physicians.

The CCD will will help the interface between patients and providers – and can be printed off as a document and carried around on flash drives.

“The e-sharing of documents and fast-tracking of health information is a fundamental principle of MyMedWall,” says Dr. Priyanka.

“Patients will grant physicians permission to access their records and will invite other patients to share their experiences, problems and concerns. This will make the whole health world revolve in a far more efficient way – to the total benefit of patients.”

“There are around 50 to 60 personal health record systems currently available. For example, Microsoft has Health World. But what makes MyMedWall outstanding is the high level of social interaction that is available through my system. There will be better choice for patients through better connection and education.”

Forums and groups within MyMedWall

A great feature of MyMedWall is the ability for patients to join support groups and forums which can register. This is very useful for the sharing of information, experiences and ideas – and getting answers to questions.

One group stands out: patients with alzheimers or related condtions. MyMedWall will give them an instant reminder of any information they’ve recently inserted or require, removing the worry they may forget it through memory loss.

Patients can keep online health diaries – and photos they can upload may include new medical equipment they’ve seen that they want to share with others. YouTube and Vimeo links can also be shared. Newspaper and magazine articles can also be photographed or scanned and then uploaded.

Health chat online

“There’s also the ability to chat online which is a big part of MyMedWall’s social interaction – but we want the focus to be on health matters, rather than social networking,” says Dr. Priyanka. “MyMedWall is sophisticated with the emphasis totally on medical matters. That is the logic I have.”

Her vision is to build one of the leading and most innovative personal health record systems in the US. There will be advertising for health providers and equipment specialists when sufficient volume is attained – but this will not be commercialisation for the sake of it.

For example, McDonald’s and Subway may be allowed to come on board – but only to showcase health specials on their menus.

Why MyMedWall?

So let’s give you some background into the need for MyMedWall – which has come about because of the need for advances in performance expectations firmly established by the healthcare industry at the start of the 21st century.

The driving force has been the need to develop a more timely, efficient, effective and equitable system of patient-centered care. The key to successfully meeting these expectations is a strong and interactive healthcare information exchange system.

For some time, the desire has been growing for the nation’s healthcare focus to shift from filling hospital beds and patient-doctor encounters based on volume – and to move towards better accountability for patient quality and a far more satisfactory experience.

The catalyst for this has been federal stimulus, health reform laws and the government’s urgent need to cut the health budget. So all healthcare providers have been examining and planning how to send and receive vital patient information from beyond the boundaries of their own hospitals and offices.

This is because the ability to make timely and efficient medical decisions is directly related to the instant availability of accurate medical information.

Patients’ participation in the developing of health information exchanges is entirely voluntary.

However, patients who understand the many long-term benefits of these health information exchanges – and trust in specific systems that become available to them – are much more likely to participate in and reap the many rewards of a network that provides exceptional enhancement to the continuity of their healthcare.

This is where Mymedwall meets a critical need, by introducing a revolutionary approach that Dr. Priyanka’s new medical Facebook can provide for the patients and healthcare providers in our community and – because of its features, functionality and web platform – beyond Brevard communities into Florida and nationwide.

In a question and answer form, let SpaceCoastDaily.com explain to you the basics of MyMedWall and expand on its opportunities and potential.

What is MyMedWall ?

MyMedwall is like a medical Facebook. It’s an online 24/7 social networking system for our healthcare community and beyond – with unlimted potential for expansion.

Is it free to register and sign up?

Yes, totally. No costs to users – only massive benefits.

Once connected, is it easier for consumers to connect with each other?

Yes – very! You get to become part of the social healthcare directory within the whole community. You can participate in patient forums and self-help groups, you can interact to share medical experiences and provide support for one another.

You can exchange and engage information, ideas and concepts. Support groups can register and send out invitations to join.

What about compliance and security ?

MyMedWall is fully HIPAA compliant and highly secured. More secure even than internet banking and extremely well encrypted.

Will my data be sold?

No. Never. MyMedwall may use data for analysis and research purposes – but never by identifying users.

I already use email and fax. Why have yet another communication system?

Emails and faxes are great – but only up to a point. There is no great security; no instant group or forum engagement and there is no way of tracking lost or stolen information with emails and fax.

Will I be bombarded with soliciting emails?

No – never. MyMedWall will carry useful side-line advertising and other services around it in order to pay for and expand its services. MyMedwall will remain a free service.

Says Dr. Jim Palermo

Dr. Jim Palermo, Space Coast Medicine/Central Florida Medicine/ and SpaceCoastDaily Editor-in-Chief, has reviewed MyMedWall in detail and has this to say:

” MyMedWall is an innovative, interactive system now available to patients and providers that affords them the opportunity to create their own online secured, HIPAA-compliant medical home, encourages significant active participation of patients in caring for themselves, connects and gives real-time access for themselves and their authorized providers to their health charts – and enables them to connect to fellow patients with similar issues.

“Using the ever popular social networking concept, MyMedWall actively engages users to connect with and share health data with their medical service providers, participate in affinity and support groups and review educational medical information specific to their health needs.

“Unlike the traditional approach to Personal Health Records, MyMedWall encourages the patient to get engaged in the management of their personal health, as well as to utilize the system as a primary source of healthcare educational information.

“For physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers, MyMedWall serves as a community-focused online link that creates a valuable network for their patients and an excellent resource tool to market and brand themselves among other providers and healthcare consumers.”

For more information call: 321 574 5356