Page 67 - Health Literacy, eHealth, and Communication: Putting the Consumer First: Workshop Summary

Health Literacy, eHealth, and Communication: Putting the Consumer First: Workshop Summary

HeALtH LiteRACY, eHeALtH, AnD CoMMUniCAtion

multiple conditions as well as for the homeless. In the case of the children,
MiVIA eases the burden of parents who are busy with multiple medical
appointments, providing an easy way to carry health information with
them at all times. In the case of the homeless, clients have a concise docu-
ment on which to store health information. Relevant personal data from
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development can be copied
and pasted into MiVIA. The MiVIA photo ID allows clients to pick up
their prescription voucher at local pharmacies.
In Fall 2007, the St. Joseph Health System conducted a telephone
member satisfaction follow-up survey. Of 613 members, 40 percent of the
people enrolled said that they log on to MiVIA on a regular basis. Eight
percent (50) members had no prior computer experience and received
basic computer training from MiVIA. Eighty-seven percent of members
enrolled did not have a computer in their home.
MiVIA also has a disease-management tool. The first disease targeted
was diabetes, and work has now begun on asthma. With the diabetes-
management tool, members can track their blood sugar and weight,
graphing this information and sharing it with their health care providers.
MiVIA is also working with several regional health information organiza-
tions (RHIOs) and EMR linkages.
MiVIA is currently working in Sonoma County, California, with
mobile medical and dental clinics, community clinics, a family practice
residency “bridge” clinic for diabetics, a homeless center, and a resource
center. MiVIA also works with two hospitals and three rural clinics in the
California Central Valley. In Hood River, Oregon, MiVIA is working with
a hospital, a mobile medical clinic, and a rural clinic. In the Finger Lakes
region of New York MiVIA is working with five clinics, three voucher
3
sites, and an integrated network and is involved in telemedicine. Hospi-
tals that join MiVIA use it as a method for health information exchange
between local physicians’ offices, their patients, and the hospital.
Several lessons have been learned since MiVIA began in 2003. First,
each community is different. Second, the value of the photo ID cannot be
overstated. Third, promotores are invaluable resources trusted by members.
Fourth, members gain computer skills through the use of MiVIA. Finally,
it is extremely valuable to partner with local libraries and community-
based organizations to provide computers and classes in English as a
second language.
One of the challenges MiVIA faces in serving limited-English-

3 A voucher is an agreement between a provider and the voucher program (usually a
migrant health grantee), to reimburse a provider, who is usually in a distant location, for
health services provided to the migrant worker. Voucher sites are local providers who are
contracted with on a per-visit basis.

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