Southcoast to offer test results and health records through CommonHealth app

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – Southcoast Health has partnered with The Commons Project Foundation, a not-for-profit public trust dedicated to building global digital services and platforms for the common good, to allow patients to access their Southcoast Health MyChart test results via CommonHealth securely. A privacy-preserving Android app, CommonHealth enables users to safely collect, store and use their personal health information on their mobile devices and share it with those they trust. 

Developed by a team of clinicians, public health experts, technologists and scientists, the app is available for download via Google Play. CommonHealth extends health data portability to the 52% of Americans using Android phones.

“At Southcoast Health, we constantly seek improvements on how we provide our patients with easy, convenient and secure access to their health data,” said Jim Feen, Southcoast Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “No matter what the technology platform, the most important solutions are those that build trust between providers and patients and empower our patients to be a more interactive partner with their own health care. This exciting collaboration with The Commons Project and CommonHealth is one more way we are working to empower our Southcoast patients to do just that.”

CommonHealth users now have a convenient, secure option for accessing MyChart test results on their Android phones. CommonHealth is distinguished from other apps that allow sharing clinical data. It is operated as a non-profit public service with a robust privacy-protecting model for sharing data and how apps and partners are vetted and held accountable.

“Southcoast Health is committed to continuously innovating our care delivery model with the goal of exceeding patients’ expectations in our rapidly changing world. It is an exciting time in health care with new and emerging technologies enabling improved patient outcomes and experience,” said Dr. Jay Lawrence, Chief Transformation and Innovation Officer and Physician-in-Chief for Primary Care. “By partnering with CommonHealth, we are able to offer trusted and convenient access to up-to-date health information to a broader number of our patients via their preferred platform.”

CommonHealth aggregates an individual’s health information from multiple sources and allows them to share it with apps and services they trust. Individuals can determine the type of information and with whom to share it and change their permissions to remove providers or any data type at any time. Additionally, data accessed and stored with CommonHealth is not shared with any third party without a user’s explicit consent.

To learn more about the CommonHealth app, please visit www.southcoast.org/commonhealth-android.