HOW CAN MISSOURI HEALTH CONNECTION (MHC) HELP YOU?

THE MHC NETWORK HELPS YOUR HOSPITAL TAKE CARE OF YOU

WHAT IS THE MHC NETWORK?

It’s a secure way to share health records with your doctors and health care team electronically, instead of on paper.

WHAT DO MY HEALTH RECORDS SHOW?

Your health problems
Your medicines
Your test results
Your care in the past, like doctor visits and surgeries
Your allergies to medicines

HOW DOES MHC HELP HOSPITALS TAKE CARE OF ME?

They use your health records to make better choices about your care. This may help your doctors:
Prevent mistakes
Choose only tests and care you need
Avoid medicines that don’t work well together

MHC COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE IN AN EMERGENCY

If you go to the hospital or emergency room, your health records will tell your doctors about your health.
Having your records quickly can help doctors save your life. Your health record will tell them your:
Health problems
Allergies to medicines
Medicines
Test results

MHC CAN ALSO HELP YOUR FAMILY

If you have children, aging parents, or take care of someone, they can join MHC, too. You can have peace of mind knowing doctors can see their health records to help them in an emergency.

MHC PROTECTS YOUR HEALTH RECORDS

YOUR RECORDS ARE PRIVATE

Only authorized health care provider/organizations and professionals involved in your treatment, coordination of care, quality improvement and activities related to the management or payment of your health care. Medical record information is protected under federal and state privacy laws; access, use, and disclosure of medical records will comply with those laws.

YOUR RECORDS ARE SECURE

Doctors need a secure password to see your records. MHC keeps track of who views your records through the network. You can ask the medical records staff for a list of who has looked at them.

YOUR ELECTRONIC RECORDS ARE SAFER THAN PAPER RECORDS

Your records go through a secure network to your doctor. This means they cannot be sent to the wrong address or sit on a fax machine. Your records will be safe in a fire, flood or tornado

DOES MY HOSPITAL OR DOCTOR USE MHC?

To find out, just ask the staff. Or, you can visit the MHC website  to see a list of health care organizations that use MHC.

IT CAN HELP SAVE TIME

MHC is fast and easy. You often have to wait for paper records to be sent before you see a new doctor or schedule a test. MHC can help you:
Get care sooner
Do less paperwork
Get test results faster

WHAT IF I’M AWAY FROM HOME?

If you’re in Missouri and you need to go to a hospital, your health records can be there when you need care. MHC is the statewide health information network for Missouri.

WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?

If you want to know more, ask the hospital staff or contact MHC by phone at 573.777.4550 or email

YOU CAN CHOOSE TO JOIN MHC

DO I HAVE TO JOIN MHC?

No. You have control over your health records. You decide if you want to share your records with your doctors and hospitals through MHC.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON’T JOIN?

Your doctors will not be able to see your records through MHC, even in an emergency.

HOW DO I LET MY HOSPITAL OR DOCTOR KNOW IF I WANT TO JOIN?

Just ask. They will ask you to sign a form to agree to share your health records through MHC. You can change your mind at any time by signing an Opt Out form.

IS THERE A COST FOR ME?

No. There is no cost for you to share your health records through MHC.