Who knew that Walt Disney World had a chief physician?

Well, the famed theme park does, and some HIMSS14 attendees got to meet him Tuesday afternoon. Michael Hankins, MD, looks nothing like Goofy, Pluto or any of the myriad Disney characters known the world over, but many of his patients do.

Hankins works for the Occupational Health Services division of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and his Orlando-based team treats Disney staffers – called cast members – and tourists alike.

“We have the same goals as other providers, but in a different setting,” Hankins said. He indicated that Disney works hard to support coordinated care for its employees, and that means healthcare data must be accessible to primary care and other providers offsite.

“We aren’t the primary care providers for our employees,” Hankins said. “But occupational medicine has focused for a long time on making sure all stakeholders outside the medical team gets access to information as needed.”

The four physicians at Disney World treat work-related injuries, perform medical surveillance, determine staff’s fitness to work, and offer wellness services. Supporting them is an integrated clinical EHR with health surveillance and chronic condition management capabilities.

Hankins said the EHR allows caregivers to to easily identify clinical information by incident or issue while maintaining overall patient record. Secure messaging to outside stakeholders, such as other physicians, insurers and employers, is also a core function.

“The technology needs to be interoperable with legacy systems, testing devices, corporate HR applications and insurance providers,” Hankins said. The EHR promotes employee engagement, with interactive web portals and a personal health record accessible at any time, anywhere.

Because caregivers at Disney perform occupational health duties, the most common incidents of care differ from those encountered by primary and acute care facilities. The technology aids medical surveillance programs, and creates Worker’s Compensation claims. Hankins said his team track not only medical treatment provided, but also special workplace accommodations and restrictions needed by staffers.

“The need for health primary and secondary prevention is increasing,” he said. “Healthcare is already in the workplace, and technological innovation is a great enabler.”