The expertise and compassion we bring to each patient is built on the wealth of experience we have gained by listening to millions of members. And the big ideas and meaningful little touches we continue to discover, test, and refine support better health. Our caregivers are connected across the physician's office, the hospital, radiology, the laboratory, the pharmacy, and the patient's home. Each interaction we have with our patients becomes part of their electronic health record. Each record becomes part of a secure collection of data that supports individualized care for the member and lets us identify evidence-based best practices that improve care overall. And we don't stop there. We also connect members to their caregivers, personal health information, and wellness resources online, empowering them to take an active role in their health when and where it is convenient for them. This connectivity leads to better communication, better care, and better health.
Since Kaiser Permanente was founded 65 years ago, clinical research has been a core component of our work. And from a 12-bed hospital, we have grown to become one of the largest, most respected non-academic health care research programs in the country.
We continue to generate important findings that help caregivers and patients better understand effective new treatments and improve outcomes. Instead of keeping this information to ourselves, we share it broadly through publications and research partnerships so its positive benefits reach beyond our own members.
In 2010, we invested $157 million in research, which was a 26 percent increase over 2009. Our researchers conducted nearly 3,800 research studies and published more than 900 articles in leading professional journals. This new body of knowledge will improve the lives of millions of people.
Our new Center for Effectiveness and Safety Research is a key highlight of 2010. In studying the safety and efficacy of new drugs, devices, and therapeutic practices, they launched four new research activities. These activities covered a wide range of topics: the risks of H1N1 flu in pregnancy, the impact of diabetes on joint replacement surgery, a national electronic monitoring system for the safety of FDA-regulated medical products, and a new approach to comparative effectiveness research.
We also continued to help shape and improve health care throughout the nation and the world through expanded programs at the Institute for Health Policy and Kaiser Permanente International. Because of these programs, an ever-growing group of international health care providers and systems and policy experts can learn from our experience as an integrated health care delivery system that delivers high-quality, evidence-based, and affordable care.
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) strongly believes in making technology a key enabler of health care. They use exact criteria to measure how completely a hospital has integrated digital capability into its operation. Their Stage 1 certification represents the least capable, and Stage 7 means a hospital is totally computerized using electronic medical records to support the delivery of care. Stage 7 hospitals are also greener, since they come as close as possible to the goal of paperless operation.
In 2010, HIMSS determined that 24 Kaiser Permanente hospitals out of 39 American hospitals earned Stage 7 status. That means more than 60 percent of America's Stage 7 hospitals are Kaiser Permanente hospitals. This marks an increase from 12 Stage 7 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in 2009 and before the end of 2011, we hope to have 100 percent of our hospitals achieve Stage 7 certification. While far less than 1 percent of American hospitals have reached this goal, hopefully many will learn from our experience, and work toward this important certification.
In March 2010, we completed our implementation of Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect® our electronic health record system, and the largest private sector electronic health record in the world. Every one of our inpatient and outpatient medical facilities are now equipped with KP HealthConnect.
KP HealthConnect coordinates patient care between the physician's office, the hospital, radiology, the laboratory and the pharmacy — and it helps to eliminate the pitfalls of incomplete, missing, or unreadable charts. The system supports the organization's commitment to preventive medicine by giving clinicians access to the latest treatments and protocols to make sure its members receive the right care at the right time.
Through KP HealthConnect, all Kaiser Permanente members can access My Health Manager, Kaiser Permanente's personal health record, to manage their personal health information online. In 2010, 3.3 million members used My Health Manager on KP.org to securely view 25.8 million laboratory results, exchange 10.7 million emails with their Kaiser Permanente caregivers, and make 2.3 million online requests for appointments.
KP HealthConnect was also the subject of the new book Connected for Health: Using Electronic Health Records to Transform Care Delivery. Featuring contributions by nearly 50 Kaiser Permanente staffers, leaders and others involved in the initiative, and edited by project leader Louise L. Liang, MD, the book is both a celebration of a seminal accomplishment in the history of American health information technology, and a how-to guide relevant to a broad audience of health care policy makers, industry leaders and engaged consumers.
Connected for Health is now available in select bookstores and from online retailers. All royalties will be contributed to community service organizations in Oakland, Calif., where Kaiser Permanente is based.
