Introducing MiCare, AFMS's new online secure messaging system

  • Published
  • The 5th Medical Group
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The 5th Medical Group is excited to begin patient registrations for MiCare, the Air Force Medical Service's military online confidential secure messaging service.

This system has been shown to significantly reduce the number of phone calls between patients and providers, increase patient satisfaction, and save time for the medical office staff and the patient. The 5th MDG aims to enroll as many patients as possible into MiCare and utilize secure messaging as the primary form of communication between patients and their healthcare teams.

AFMS began secure messaging approximately two years ago and patients currently enrolled in MiCare are already talking about the ease, accessibility, and benefits of this secure internet-based service.

With MiCare, patients can request appointments with healthcare providers, get test results, request prescription refills, or ask their healthcare team medical questions via a secure electronic message that bypasses phone-trees, voicemail, and phone tag. MiCare is HIPPA compliant; therefore, this secure internet-based program now alleviates the strict regulations of communicating personal health information via email or text message.

The 5th MDG is currently enrolling patients from Family Health, Women's Health, and Pediatrics clinic. Unfortunately due to the stringent documentation requirements of PRP, active duty members that are seen in the PRP/Flight/Missile Medicine Clinic are not eligible to enroll; however, this DOES NOT exclude their dependents.

To register, patients should visit their MTF to initiate the face-to-face registration process. Patients will need show their military identification card and provide basic information such as name, social security number, birthday and email address. An email will be sent for patients to certify and complete enrollment so their confidential messages may begin.

Sponsors, or primary caregivers, may also register their pediatric dependents with MiCare and communicate with their healthcare team on their behalf. The sponsor must first be registered and have a MiCare account of their own, then the pediatric account will be added to theirs. Dependents may register for their own MiCare account at the age of 18, in accordance with North Dakota state law.

MiCare has been designed to support patients and healthcare teams and will be implemented Air Force-wide, so once registered, a patient will remain in the system no matter where the Air Force takes them.

For more information on MiCare, visit http://www.afms.af.mil/micare or visit the 5th MDG's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/5thmedicalgroup (AFMS - Minot - 5th Medical Group) where you can direct message us with any questions you may have.