My HealtheVet & Secure Messaging

The My HealtheVet portal created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) enables veterans to create and maintain a web-based Personal Health Record (PHR). It also provides access to health education information and resources, comprehensive self-entry health journals, self assessment tools, and other electronic services for interacting with the VA such as online prescription refill requests, health and wellness reminders, and secure messaging.

Secure Messaging is a module within My HealtheVet (MHV) designed for use by VA patients to communicate with their VA healthcare teams. Secure Messaging is not only easy to use, it is also a way to send and receive messages related to about your health using a safe and secure government system. After registering online to use MHV, veterans who are VA patients should go to their local VA facility to complete the In-Person Authentication (IPA) process so they can gain access to secure messaging, personal health data, and secure services and information.

When you start to use Secure Messaging within My HealtheVet (MHV), you will be able to:

USE SECURE MESSAGING TO…
• Request VA prescription renewals
• Follow up on medical conditions
• Request, change, and/or cancel VA appointments
• Ask health-related questions

SECURE MESSAGING HELPS YOU…
• Partner with your VA health care team
• Get a timely response to messages – within three business days
• End phone tag and waiting time on the telephone
• Save gas and parking frustrations by decreasing unnecessary VA visits

Reminder:  Secure Messaging should only be used for non-urgent, non-critical communication!

The purpose of My HealtheVet is to promote health and wellness by engaging with veterans and helping them to be more active participants in their overall healthcare. It is now generally accepted that knowledgeable patients are better able to make informed health care choices, stay healthy, and seek services when they need them.

If you've never used My HealtheVet (MHV), veterans and service members can go online and sign up to start using the system at www.myhealth.va.gov

*  Read Open Health News (OHN) blog about Consumer Health & PHR Systems.
** See slideshow on My HealtheVet entitled "Engaging Consumers Across the Nation".