Ozarks Healthcare is proud to announce its use of Traverse, a health information exchange solution powered by MEDITECH, along with expanded patient communication capabilities through the implementation of Luma Health. Together, these technologies will significantly enhance the way patient information is accessed, shared, and used to support care across our health system.
Traverse enables your care team – from your primary care provider to specialists and hospital staff – to quickly and safely access your medical history, medications, allergies, and more, whether you’re at home or traveling in the U.S. This results in better decision-making, more efficient care, and faster response during emergencies.
Benefits of Traverse include giving providers real-time access to vital health records, allowing them to spend less time on paperwork and more time focused on patients – with critical medical information available instantly when every second counts.
Presently, pertinent health information from Ozarks Healthcare is sent to other healthcare organizations connected to safe and secure health information exchange networks who request patient records in accordance to Missouri Law. Ozarks Healthcare currently only receives records for those who have previously opted in to health information exchange. Later this year, Ozarks Healthcare will begin sending and receiving information for patients unless they choose to opt out of health information exchange.
To further support patient engagement, Ozarks Healthcare has initiated implementation of Luma Health, a digital communication platform that integrates with our MEDITECH system. Luma, when fully implemented, will enable features such as online appointment scheduling and automated reminders, two-way text messaging with care teams, mobile check-in and digital registration, real-time benefits checking, bill pay, and automated outreach for follow-up care and surveys. The first phase will introduce appointment reminders with additional features rolled out over time.
Ozarks Healthcare will also be introducing a new look and enhanced features for its Patient Portal this year.
“Connecting via Traverse, implementing Luma, and updating our Patient Portal helps us not only provide safer, more connected care, but also communicate with our patients in more meaningful, convenient ways,” Dr. Priscilla Frase, Chief Medical Information Officer and Interim Director of IT at Ozarks Healthcare, said. “These innovations reflect our ongoing commitment to putting patients first – both inside and outside of our walls.”
Privacy and security remain top priorities. Under HIPAA guidelines, only authorized providers can view patient information. Data sharing through Traverse is encrypted and strictly monitored, often more secure than traditional methods like fax or paper files.
“We’re listening closely to our patients and making improvements based on their feedback,” Frase added. “From streamlining appointment reminders to making check-in and communication easier, these changes are designed to create a more seamless, supportive experience at every step of the care journey.”
More information about Ozarks Healthcare’s implementation of Traverse, Luma, and Ozarks Healthcare’s updated Patient Portal will be shared soon. For more information, visit www.ozarkshealthcare.com.
Ozarks Healthcare is a not-for-profit health system that serves more than 160,000 residents across south-central Missouri and northern Arkansas. With its main campus residing in West Plains, Missouri, the health system offers a full spectrum of healthcare for all ages through its 114-bed hospital, behavioral health, therapies, pharmacies, rehabilitation, and home care services, along with specialty and family medicine clinics. Ozarks Healthcare has rural locations across an eight-county service area and is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.
