By Anne Snabes, asnabes@detroitnews.com
Corewell Health has launched a new tool that allows patients to register as organ, eye and tissue donors through their online patient portal, which health system officials say will simplify the process of becoming a donor.
More than 2,300 patients have signed up so far to become donors through MyChart, an online patient portal, since the tool launched in October. Corewell is in the top 10 for signups of nearly 200 health systems in the U.S. that have launched the tool, officials said.
“I think we’re really excited to offer this, and we’re very grateful that we’ve already seen so many folks register to become donors,” said Michelle Rizor, director of applications and platforms at Corewell Health. “It just shows the generosity in our communities and the commitment so many of us have to save lives where we can.”
Corewell has multiple hospitals, outpatient locations and post-acute facilities in southeast, southwest and west Michigan. Rizor said nearly 2,700 people in Michigan and more than 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ transplant.
“When we saw that this feature could become available in MyChart, where patients already spend a lot of time, we thought this was a way to simplify getting more folks signed up to be organ donors,” she said.
In the past, Michigan residents typically signed up to be donors through the Secretary of State’s office. But by signing up through MyChart, they’re added to the National Donate Life Registry. And their donor registration status will travel with them if they move out of Michigan.
While roughly 50% of U.S. adults are registered organ donors, though surveys consistently show that 90% of Americans support organ donation, Corewell Health said.
If a person is already an organ donor through the Secretary of State, registering again through the patient portal provides “an additional layer of convenience and assurance,” Corewell said. Rizor said that if “something happens” to a person while they are traveling out of the state, officials would still be able to tell that they’re an an organ donor.
Rizor said Corewell Health patients can log in to their MyChart and search for “health summary.” Near the bottom of the “health summary” page, there is a link for organ donation registration. The patients can then fill out some of their contact information and click “submit,” she said.
“Just a few clicks and you can register to save lives,” she said.
The nonprofit Donate Life America collaborated with Epic, the electronic health record company powering MyChart, on the development of the donor registration pathway. The nonprofit manages the National Donate Life Registry.
David Fleming, Donate Life America’s president and CEO, said in a press release that the organization is “excited” to work with Corewell Health and Epic to make donor registration “more accessible than ever.”
“By integrating this opportunity into MyChart, we are reaching people where they already manage their health — creating a seamless, trusted pathway for lifesaving generosity,” he stated.
