FAQ
More questions? Send them to myoscar.support@gmail.com by your outside email address, or message paula.best@myoscar.org through your MyOSCAR account. A. Beginning the summer of 2007, MyOSCAR is being offered for FREE for a five-month trial. Help us improve MyOSCAR by exploring the technology, commenting on new features as they are added, participating in optional surveys and reporting any problems you encounter. If you wish to continue managing your health with MyOSCAR after five months, there will be a nominal annual fee (to be determined.) Q. Can MyOSCAR substitute a visit to my doctor? Q. What is the Annotations button on the right-hand side of the screen for? A. The patient and enabled visitors can add brief comments to documents and medication entries. Note that these cannot be edited or removed-- think of them as permanent post-it notes. Q. What if I forget my password? Q. Who should I share my password with? Q. I want a family member to be able to see a portion of my medical record. Is this possible? Q. Are there levels of access that can be granted within the network? * The "Immunizations" feature is coming soon. Q. There is incorrect information within my medical records on MyOSCAR. What should I do? Q. When accessing my own file, I got an error message and my screen froze. What happened? What should I do? A. Your login may have expired-- press OK on the message, press Back or Refresh and log in again. Q. I pressed Back, and it signed me out! A. Because you are accessing all this information from within the MyOSCAR server, your usual Internet browser's Back button will not work. Use the various tabs (Home, Personal, Summary, etc.) and buttons to navigate. If you have pressed Back and are now looking at the login page, simply press Forward or sign back in! Either option will take you to the Home/ Bulletin Board page.
About MyOSCAR
Q. How much will MyOSCAR cost?
A. MyOSCAR is not a substitute for a trip to the doctor's office. MyOSCAR enables you to have better communication with your doctor even when you are not able to see him/her for an appointment. MyOSCAR can help you save a trip to your doctor's clinic if it is as simple as coming to collect lab results. You can have your results sent to you via MyOSCAR upon request.
Q. How can I be sure that my medical records will be secure?
A. MyOSCAR is set up on a secure server which goes through many steps to ensure the security rights of a patient. Firstly, an individual cannot gain access to any information on the server without authentication, i.e. a MyOSCAR user name and password to verify their identity. Secondly, that individual can only access information for which they have authorization. This is based on the individual's role (i.e. a patient can access their own file, and also any files which have been "shared"; these files' owners control to what extent the patient can view or change their record.) Moreoever, all the message transactions are happening inside the MyOSCAR server. The messages never travel through the public Internet where someone could "wiretap" and read them. This is secure messaging, not email; messages can only be sent to other MyOSCAR users.
Q. Can I use the message feature like a personal email account to contact my friends and family?
A. No, the message feature should not be used like an email. It is intended to be used for health-related purposes and on a professional level. Remember that messages cannot be deleted and can be used as part of a legal document. Also, the message features works only within the MyOSCAR server-- you cannot send messages through the Internet to outside email accounts.
Q. How long will it take for my physician to respond to my message?
A. Your physician will aim to respond to each message or request in a timely fashion. However, we cannot guarantee that your physician will read your message and respond to you within a specific time period; this will vary between clinics and physicians and may change over time. Users can find the approximate response time of their messages by sending this question via MyOSCAR directly to their physician. MyOSCAR should not be used for any time-sensitive concerns, and all medical emergencies should be reported to 911.
Q. Can I delete old messages from MyOSCAR?
A. All messages on MyOSCAR are permanent and cannot be deleted. All original messages received and sent on MyOSCAR will be maintained in order to provide an accurate messaging history. In addition, please note that all messages become a part of the medical legal record.
Q. Can allowed users add and/or change information in my file?
A. Only the users who you authorize at the "Primary Care Provider" level (meant mainly for your physician) can add or edit information. This information includes annotations, documents and updates to your medical record.
Q. Will all my medical information such as lab results, blood work and scanned documents be automatically updated on MyOSCAR?
A. No, there is no guarantee that your physician will automatically update your medical information on a regular basis (though this development is one of the visions for MyOSCAR in the future.) If you wish to obtain a copy of specific information (ex. CT scan/ MRI), directly message your physician with a request.
Q. Do MyOSCAR records replace my medical files at my doctor's office?
A. No, your doctor will continue to keep a detailed copy of your medical records (whether on paper or on EMR OSCAR) and will update your medical information on your MyOSCAR account at your request.
Q. Am I able to access the site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
A. Yes, all members can access their account at any time they wish, giving you unlimited access to your medical records and accommodating any schedule.
A. The "Change Password" button is under "Personal" on your MyOSCAR profile.
A. Call the MyOSCAR administrator (905) 525-9140 Ext 28513 or email myoscar.support@gmail.com. We will reset your password so that you can log in and change it to something you will remember.
A. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you DO NOT share your password with anyone! Keeping your password confidential is the best way to ensure your medical information will not be accessed outside of your specified consent. If you wish to grant access to a family member, other healthcare workers, schools etc., then you may do so using the "Sharing" feature. Moreover, when accessing your records from public computers within a library or an internet cafe, always make sure you log out of your account when finished. This ensures that no one else has a chance to access your account.
A. Yes, you can enable any MyOSCAR member to access certain portions of your medical records using the "Sharing" feature. The "Family Member" level of security, for example, authorizes the user to view contact information and immunization records.
A. Yes, there are currently five levels of access granted within the network:Troubleshooting
A. Click on the incorrect information, then press "Edit This Document." Enter the correct information and click "Save." Note that a record of your revision is stored under "Update History" (on the right-hand side of the screen.)
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