Cone Health Patients Can Now Fast-Track Disability Applications

Electronic record-sharing runs circles around snail mail and faxes.

What’s new:
Cone Health is working with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to speed disability insurance applications. Patients can now authorize SSA to access their medical records directly through Epic, Cone Health’s electronic health record system, cutting wait times by nearly half. 

Why it matters:
Getting approved for Social Security Disability Insurance requires medical documentation, which most applicants still send by mail or fax. That slows things down and leads to errors. SSA reports average processing times of over six months, with 885,000+ claims backlogged. This tech-driven partnership helps patients get critical financial support faster. 

What they’re saying:
“When people with disabilities wait months for benefits, every week matters,” said Cathy Cochran, MSN, RN, Cone Health Chief Nursing Informatics Officer. “By securely sharing medical information with SSA through Epic, we’re helping patients get their disability benefits sooner. This will make a direct, measurable difference in patients’ lives.”

“Congrats to Cone Health for taking this step to help qualified patients receive benefits sooner,” said Sean Fry, executive advisor, Health Information Technology and Electronic Records, Office of Disability Policy. “By collaborating with medical record providers to receive patient records electronically, SSA can reduce the typical application processing time for disability benefit allowances by almost 50 percent.”

Getting a Cone Health MyChart account is as easy as going to www.mychart.conehealth.com/MyChart/Signup.