Student Health Services is providing two online tools, HealthWeb and CheckIn, to streamline students’ experiences with the center.
HealthWeb helps students schedule appointments and communicate with providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, refill prescriptions and fill out required medical forms such as immunization records and medical histories.
Dr. Elizabeth Neel, the assistant medical director at Student Health Services, said the two online tools are helpful to students.
“Students can make appointments anytime during the day or night, and it doesn’t depend on whether the Health Center is open or not,” Neel said. “If a student decides he or she is ill and needs to be seen by a doctor, the student can make an appointment with no wait.”
Neel said students can also cancel their appointments online even if they’ve made them over the phone.
CheckIn, the other service, gives students the option to check in to the health center before
their appointments, replacing the need to stand in line and check in with Health Center staff
members. The tool is similar to those found in airport self-check ins and is user-friendly, according to Neel.
The new tools, she said, streamlines both the students and health center employees’ experiences.
Neel said the tools benefit students and employees because it gets students online and off the center phone lines, which reduces overall student wait time. By uploading electronic records and checking-in online, students can simplify their experience with the Health Center. A student can make an appointment online at night, walk in the next morning, check-in, and sit in the waiting room with a minimal wait time.
Both Student Health tools are confidential. Communications through HealthWeb and CheckIn are stored in a secure electronic medical record with Student Health Services and are HIPAA and FERPA compliant, Neel said.
“It is a secure Web site because students have to enter their Unity IDs, their passwords and their birth dates,” Neel said.
Andrew Cantrell, a graduate student in accounting, said he wasn’t aware of Student Health’s new online tools.
“I’ve never heard of the Health Center’s online capabilities,” Cantrell said. ”I wish they had it when I was a freshman because it would have made going in and getting out easier.”
Cantrell said the program is a step in the right direction.
“My schedule is way too busy to stand around and wait for an appointment,” Cantrell said. “I’m already online doing work, so it’s easy to go to the Web site and fill out what I need to.”
Laura Rogers, a senior in communication, agreed.
“It’s nice to complete the medical process on the internet,” Rogers said. “Sometimes, there’s a long wait at the Health Center, especially in the middle of flu season, and if you need an appointment, it’s helpful to do everything online.”
Although Student Health tools are completely confidential, Rogers said she believes there is always a chance for error, and she would not want to risk someone stealing her identity or losing medical information.
However, Rogers still thinks the Health Center’s new online tools are helpful.
“I also like the new tools because sometimes I’m lazy and it’s just easier for me to get on the Internet and set it up,” Rogers said.
Students can also update their past medical histories and immunization forms online from the Web site.
According to Neel, updating these forms on HealthWeb is not necessary now but will be in the future.
“Our goal is to make it mandatory by Fall 2010,” Neel said.
Neel said she encourages all students to visit the Web site and update the necessary forms for next semester.