Jamestown Family Health Clinic has signed an agreement with Providence Health & Services Community Connect to implement a shared electronic health record system known as the Providence build of Epic, clinic officials announced earlier this week.

The clinic’s implementation of the new health records system is scheduled for Aug. 16.

Jamestown Family Health Clinic is partnered with Olympic Medical Center and Providence on the project. The Epic system connects Jamestown clinic patients and physicians electronically so that whenever patients are seen at Jamestown Family Health Clinic, Olympic Medical Center, Jefferson General and many other Providence facilities in the Pacific Northwest, health care providers will be able to work from the same continuously updated electronic record, creating real-time access to information.

The ability to access patient records online will help physicians provide better coordinated care and improve the quality of health care available across the region, clinic officials said.

“Our selection of the Epic system through Providence Community Connect is a logical extension of our strategy of participating in strong partnerships and utilizing cutting edge technology for the maximum benefit to our patients,” said W. Ron Allen, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Council chairman and chief executive officer. “Jamestown Family Health Clinic is the largest community clinic that Providence has brought into its system, and in joining Olympic Medical Center in the Community Connect electronic health records system, thousands of patients in Clallam and Jefferson counties will have greater access to and participation in their own health care. We are proud of the health care staff we employ to provide quality health care in our community.”

Once the system goes live, Jamestown Family Health Clinic will connect with providers from more than 30 hospitals and 400 clinics from Alaska to Montana and as far south as Southern California. Every facility will have secure and immediate access to the same medical records.

With the new system, patients at Jamestown Family Health Clinic will be able to have online access to their health record through what’s called the MyChart patient portal. MyChart allows patients to use the Internet to help manage and receive information about their health, request appointments, view test results, communicate with their physicians and view/pay bills online.

Jamestown Family Health Clinic was established in 2002 and now is the largest ambulatory clinic in Clallam County, serving about 15,000 patients. The clinic now has 25 medical providers.

Olympic Medical Center provides health care for more than 70,000 residents of Clallam County. It has served the community since 1951 and is governed by a seven-member, publicly elected board.

Providence Health & Services is a not-for-profit Catholic health care ministry. In 2012, Providence and Swedish Health Services formed an affiliation, combining a scope of services that includes 32 hospitals, 350 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing and other health and educational services.