One of the long-standing issues with the American healthcare system is the high cost of duplication due to the lack of a standard and consistent medical record being available to providers for patients. Additionally, because there is no general access to a consistent medical record, providers are challenged with having to request from patients the same information at each point of access, thus slowing down the process and compromising quality.
The founders of UCA has identified that it is possible to create access to a patient's medical record for providers authorized by those patients to do so. It is simple technology but presents a fresh state-of-the-art look at how medicine will be delivered for years to come. We call it Passport and it will literally provide patients with the security and freedom to conveniently have access to care providers all over the USA (and potentially abroad) and to authorize those providers to securely access their central record to facilitate better and more timely care when they need it.
What is the UCA Passport?
Passport is a one-of-kind service unique to UCA and its affiliated centers. Passport is simple, secure and has the ability to serve as the medical access solution for any individual that travels for business or pleasure, migrates seasonally from area of the country to another or simply prefers to have the flexibility of going to any UCA location while simultaneously creating access to their medical records. Its limitations are only set by the number of UCA-affiliated urgent care centers that exist throughout the USA. As UCA grows, this technology will revolutionize healthcare delivery and drive costs down while making it more accessible for those that need it.
How Does it Work?
Patients may apply for and receive a Passport card by simply completing the electronic form that is available on this website (link to form here). Completing this form fully will facilitate the generation of a card that will be mailed to the patients identified mailing address. The cost of this is $5.00, which covers the cost of the card. That fee may be paid on-line after the form is completed. The form contains information that is relevant to and asked by providers at the time of presentation to any physician's office. Answering these questions in this form and recording them in the record will eliminate the need to ask them repeatedly at UCA centers that are visited in the future.
Once the form is completed and the card is received by the patient, it may be presented to any one of a growing number of UCA-affiliated centers. Each patient has a unique account number that is shown on the card which serves as the patient's unique identifying number for all transactions, services and inquiries going forward. Additionally, each patient will have selected a unique code that will serve as the personal identification number (PIN) for that account. This PIN will not appear anywhere on the card. It is intended to be known ONLY by the patient.
When the Passport card is presented at any UCA-affiliated center, the card it will be swiped through the card reader at the front desk. The patient will be asked to enter the PIN using the keypad supplied at the desk. This simple act serves as the authorization by the patient for personnel in that location to access account information and the patient's medical record for the purposes of treatment for the current illness. Treatment rendered at the UCA center during this encounter will be added to the record as will information relative to any future encounters. This simple process solves the age-old problem of patients and providers having to work "in the dark" without the aid or support of prior treatment information.
The record is stored in an extremely safe and secure electronic central server file that is not accessible to ANY third party without the express permission of the patients. The files are encrypted and firewalls are stronger and every bit as secure as those that guard money in the bank. Banking customers worldwide have become comfortable and confident with the use of their ATM card as an access mechanism to their money and the Passport card works in much the same manner. The storage center for the record does not reside in any single office or group of offices...it is virtual and can be built upon as treatment is sought and documentation created.
Having the results of tests, studies and examinations available for review by physicians and providers often eliminates the need to repeat them, which drives down healthcare costs. Additionally, the speed of delivery is enhanced due to the elimination of needless questions that are answered simply by accessing the already gathered information. Care is improved by having an accurate record of allergies, blood-type, medications given, chronic conditions and other past medical history readily available at the punch of a button.
The federal government has long-since embraced the concept of an electronic medical record solution for patients. UCA has discovered and put into place a way to make it a reality.
This service is powered by NextGen (http://www.nextgen.com), which operates the electronic medical record and the billing solution that makes this service possible. NextGen has one of a handful of EMR's that is CCHIT (http://www.cchit.org) certified. This certification assures users of all status that it is safe, user friendly and adaptable to multiple environments.
UCA is proud to offer the Passport service. If you would like to get a UCA Passport card, click here to register online today.