Door County Medical Center (DCMC) is excited to announce the launch of the My DCMC app. Developed internally by DCMC over the course of the past year, this innovative healthcare management application brings access to DCMC's many valuable resources directly to the patients fingertips via their smartphone or tablet.

"The My DCMC app allows patients to do everything one would expect through the patient portal," says Erick Schrier, Chief Information Officer and Compliance Officer at DCMC, "but with added features," he continues, "such as Urgent Care wait times, floral ordering for a loved one in the hospital, and provider videos.

Previously, the Door County Medical Center app was developed and supported by mHealth. The new My DCMC app replaces the mHealth app. "Because it was developed in-house," notes Schrier, "this app allows for DCMC to customize and build more functionality into the app than we previously had available to us with mHealth."

Design and layout

"When you open the My DCMC app on your smart device—your phone or tablet," explains Shannon Hartel, Web Applications Developer and Business Intelligence Analyst at DCMC, "it opens to a home screen, which is organized so that all available categories—care, patient services and locations—are all accessible as entry points on the home screen."

In mobile app development, a "card" refers to a user interface component that displays information or functionality within the app. It is typically a rectangular or square-shaped "container" that contains specific content related to a particular topic or task.

"The home screen itself," he continues, "presents cards for each type of care: Emergency Care, Urgent Care, DirectCare and Virtual Care. Tapping on each of these will in turn provide you with more detailed information like: what level of care to seek (Emergency, Urgent or Direct) depending upon your medical need, Urgent Care wait times, hours of operation, phone numbers, and directions to each care facility." 

Overview cards

Across the bottom of the My DCMC app are 4 "overview cards." From left to right, these cards are: 

• Home: The home screen, as described above, which appears when you first open the app.

• Care: This overview card provides the user with information about each of DCMC's specialties and departments, including Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Addiction Medicine, Behavioral Health, Diabetes Education, General Medicine and many more. Tapping on a specific area of care, will in turn provide you with a Care Profile—information specific to that specialty, including the specific care provided by that specialty as well as information on available providers, provider videos and ratings, years of experience and bios. 

• Patient: This overview card will take you to the Patient Portal. From here you can message your provider, request clinic appointments, pre-register for appointments, access results and reports, view notes from your visit and update personal information. Also provided is access to Patient Portal support via chat or phone call. 

• Locations: "All DCMC physical locations (Clinics, Rehab, Hospital, DirectCare, etc) appear on the smartphone's map," says Hartel. "Tapping on a location," he adds, "gives an overview of services available at that location. The app can route the user to that location with driving/walking/biking directions using the mapping app of their choice. Tapping on a specific location can also connect the user to that location by phone."

Additionally, the home screen (Home overview card) includes three buttons across the top that connect to related, external sites. From left to right, these are:

• Bill Pay: Tapping on this button will connect you to DCMC's new enhanced digital billing service, allowing you to pay anytime, 24/7, from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet. Click here to learn more about DCMC's enhanced digital billing.

• Cost Estimate: Tapping here takes you to DCMC's Cost Estimator. By entering some basic information about yourself and the services you need, DCMC generates a sample bill by combining historical data and your estimated insurance benefits, providing you with an accurate estimate of the costs you will be responsible for. 

• Send Flowers: Tapping on this button will connect you to the Maas Floral & Greenhouses website. Order flowers online and have them delivered to a friend's or family member's bedside!

Also included in the My DCMC app is Directbook scheduling for DirectCare. "With Directbook scheduling," Schrier says, "the patient will be able to schedule their own appointment, complete all their pre-intake questionnaires, including insurance information, and then self-check-in upon arrival at DirectCare." Schrier adds, "Over the course of the next year, DCMC will be adding additional self-scheduling features for all of the hospital's clinics and facilities."

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The My DCMC app provides easy, comprehensive access to all of the hospital's resources. "It really is a convenient and easy way to navigate all of the services DCMC provides," Schrier says, adding, "and it creates a very user-friendly environment that enables patients to manage their health information and make informed decisions about their care going forward." Downloading the app is easy—it is currently available at the Apple and Google Play stores.