97th MDG to implement secure messaging system Published Jan. 23, 2013 By Senior Airman Kenneth W. Norman 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 97th Medical Group is scheduled to begin enrolling patients for MiCare, a new online confidential secure messaging service, Jan. 24, 2013. "What we really want to see is the patient registering for it with their technician in the office," said Capt. Aimee Safford, 97th MDG group practice manager. "The doctor will log in, put in the person's email, set up a temporary password and then send them an invitation to MiCare. Once the patient accepts it they will be completely enrolled." MiCare is an online application that allows patients to securely communicate with their medical staff. Only the patient and his or her healthcare team have access to MiCare messages and access to messages can be limited to designated care team members. "All eligible enrollees to the 97th MDG are encouraged to sign up and start using MiCare as soon as possible," Safford said. With MiCare, patients can request appointments with healthcare providers, get lab test results, request prescription refills, or ask their healthcare team medical questions via secure electronic messages that bypass phone-trees, voicemail, and phone tag. MiCare is currently set for secure messaging and will be adapted to include Personal Health Records at a later date. It's great for the patient and great for the clinic, Safford said. Instead of waiting on the phone or waiting to talk to a nurse or a doctor patients will have direct communication with their provider via e-mail. MiCare has been designed to support patients and healthcare teams, and is scheduled to be implemented Air Force-wide. Once registered, a patient will remain in the system no matter where the Air Force takes them. For more information about the program, call 580-481-6062.