Thousands of patients seeking answers as Maui health center grapples with tech meltdown – Hawaii News Now

WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A medical center on Maui is experiencing major computer problems that are impacting thousands of patients.
Malama I Ke Ola Health Center shut down abruptly earlier this month, blaming IT issues.
After more than two weeks, the health center in Wailuku finally reopened Wednesday, but with limited services. Patients are clueless about what is going on and say they want answers.
Folding tables and chairs are set up outside the center off Nani Street.
Handwritten signs inform patients where to go.
“A lot of paper charting. No computers or anything,” said Machayla Culver, a patient, and a registered nurse at another facility on Maui.
“Getting that information stored in paper format like they used to do,” said Paul Terry, another patient.
According to federal data, Malama I Ke Ola Health Center serves nearly 12,000 patients.
Its website says it is a federally qualified health center that has been serving keiki to kupuna on Maui with medical, dental, and behavioral health services for 30 years.
Management at Malama I Ke Ola Health Center is not explaining what exactly is going on. However, patients got a text message on May 7th stating the center will be closed due to IT issues.
That was 16 days ago.
Since then, multiple messages have notified patients the center remains closed.
“It’s really stressful because once you get back into the system, I would imagine that they have to scan everything in and kind of backtrack the past however many weeks,” Culver said.
“It’s hard to not have any access to your patient information. So, I can imagine it’s really stressful for them as much as it is for the patients.”
Patients also got a text message stating Malama I Ke Ola will be launching a new electronic health record system starting April 20th. Many are wondering if that is the problem.
“Always worried about personal information being hacked,” Terry said.
“There was no information shared in the text messages as of recently if there was any breach in confidentiality. So, I don’t know that. But I did have that thought in my mind,” said Culver.
Hawaii News Now tried to speak with management about the issue on Wednesday but was told they would release more information on Thursday.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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