RANDOLPH, Vt., Sept. 19, 2023—In October, Gifford Health Care plans to launch a new electronic health record (EHR) and Gifford Patient Portal, providing patients with greater flexibility in accessing their health information and other resources.
Go-live of the new system, which will be used at Gifford Medical Center and in all Gifford clinics across the region, is slated for Oct. 9.
The single, user-friendly Gifford Patient Portal will replace the current hospital and clinic portals. The new portal will give patients the flexibility to access their health information and other resources on their time, virtually anywhere, and in between visits to Gifford. Enrolling in the new portal will enable patients to securely message with their provider, view appointments, access billing statements and submit payments, review lab results, update personal information, request prescription renewals, and see visit history and discharge information.
Gifford’s current hospital and clinic patient portals will not be accessible after Dec. 31, 2023, officials said. They explained that patients who wish to save information from the current portals in their personal files should log in and download their information before Dec. 31. How-to guides for downloading information from the current portals are published at giffordhealthcare.org and available at all Gifford clinics.
“Our new electronic health record is a great step forward for Gifford and our patients,” said President and CEO Dan Bennett. “Our team has been working hard to optimize the new system over the last several months, and we look forward to sharing our new and improved Gifford Patient Portal with our patients.”
Bennett also referred to potential challenges associated with launching a new EHR.
“Patients may experience longer wait times as our team members access the new system,” he said. “As always, providing the highest quality care to our patients is our top priority. Thank you to everyone—both our patients and our team members—for their patience and understanding as we navigate this transition together.”
For more information about the new Gifford Patient Portal, or help in downloading information from the current portals, visit giffordhealthcare.org/new-patient-portal. Patients in need of additional assistance may call the Patient Portal Helpline at 802-728-2608.
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Gifford is a community hospital in Randolph, Vt., with family health centers in Berlin, Bethel, Chelsea, Randolph, and Rochester, and specialty services throughout central Vermont. A Federally Qualified Health Center and a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country, Gifford is a full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency department and inpatient unit; many surgical services; an adult day program; 49-unit independent living facility, and a nursing home. The hospital’s mission is to improve individual and community health by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care in Gifford’s service area.
