Sunnybrook's MyChart(TM) Service and MedicAlert(R) Canada Partner to Help Patients Self-Manage Their Health

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 23, 2013) - A new partnership between Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Canadian MedicAlert® Foundation will enable patients to access both services through Sunnybrook's MyChart™ system.

MyChart is a way for Sunnybrook patients to set up, manage, and access their own personal health record online. MyChart's clinical health information comes directly from Sunnybrook's electronic patient record system.

"We are very excited about this partnership," says Sarina Cheng, Director Health Records Department, IS & eHealth Strategies at Sunnybrook. "It will provide peace of mind to patients and families as critical personal health information in their MyChart system will now be easily accessible in an emergency situation through MedicAlert."

"MedicAlert is body worn identification that is linked to a 24/7 emergency hotline that provides paramedics and healthcare professionals anywhere in the world with immediate access to a member's complete medical history," says Robert Ridge, president and CEO of registered charity Canadian MedicAlert Foundation. "This means that, no matter where a member is, when emergency strikes, crucial information from their MyChart file will now be immediately available to first responders."

"The partnership is part of a multi-phase initiative and will demonstrate an integration of personal health management and clinical care management where patients begin to create their own personal health networks of participants and resources," says Cheng.

The information in the MyChart record can be used by patients anywhere, anytime to monitor care while traveling, set up family records, keep a diary to monitor symptoms, manage a family member's health information and care plan, keep care providers up to date, access care in the community and set up emergency information. By joining the MedicAlert program MyChart users will know that their medical records will be communicated even if they are unable to speak for themselves.

1.1 million Canadians are protected by the MedicAlert ID and 24-hour emergency hotline service, and Sunnybrook's MyChart is available to the 1.4 million patients currently in the Hospital's electronic patient record system.

"We are not only providing patients with a more complete view of their health journey in one record, but also improved access to care providers outside the walls of the Hospital," says Sarina Cheng. "This approach to healthcare encourages patients to take an active part in their wellness, which ultimately benefits the whole continuum of care, patients and their families."

About Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is inventing the future of health care for the 1.2 million patients the hospital cares for each year through the dedication of its more than 10,000 staff and volunteers. An internationally recognized leader in research and education and a full affiliation with the University of Toronto distinguishes Sunnybrook as one of Canada's premier academic health sciences centres. Sunnybrook specializes in caring for high-risk pregnancies, critically-ill newborns and adults, offering specialized rehabilitation and treating and preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological and psychiatric disorders, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries. The Hospital also has a unique and national leading program for the care of Canada's war veterans. For more information about how Sunnybrook is inventing the future of health care please visit us online at www.sunnybrook.ca

About Canadian MedicAlert Foundation

Canadian MedicAlert Foundation is the largest membership-based registered charity in Canada and has been the provider of emergency medical information services for more than one million Canadians for over 50 years.

While there are a number of medical ID devices on the market, only MedicAlert ID is supported by a unique, 24/7 emergency hotline service staffed with medical professionals ready to provide information and recognize conflicting treatments and medications that could put your care at risk.

The Foundation's services include electronic health records, a state-of-the-art secure database, a 24-hour emergency hotline for EMS personnel and customized identification products. Learn more about MedicAlert, how it works, and how you or a loved one can become a member at MedicAlert.ca or by calling 1-800-668-1507.