Press Releases: Georgia
May 18, 2011
Kaiser Permanente Adds iPhone App to its Suite of Mobile Offerings
Can your iPhone help you live longer? Maybe. Can it help you live healthier? Definitely.
ATLANTA — Kaiser Permanente has launched its iOS health management app, available free of charge in the Apple iTunes store.
The app offers patients access to all of the same time-saving and convenient tools they can use through My Health Manager on kp.org. Patients can email their providers, check lab test results, order prescription refills, and manage appointments — all from their Apple handheld devices.
Patients like Cecilia Castillo, 29, of Canton, Ga. are finding it easier to manage their health online with Kaiser Permanente’s mobile device apps and mobile-optimized website. A mom of three young boys, Castillo tries to make every minute count. “I’m on the go a lot, so it’s easy to just whip out my phone,” said Castillo. “I can shoot an email and have a nurse or doctor get back to me in less than 24 hours. It’s really beneficial for a busy mom.”
“We want our members to play an active role in their health care, and accessibility is key,” said Rob Schreiner, MD, executive medical director of Kaiser Permanente of Georgia. “Whether it’s making it easier to access health information via mobile devices or locating medical offices where our members live and work, we are committed to giving our members what they need to thrive.”
Earlier this year, Kaiser Permanente made the world’s largest private-sector electronic health record system accessible by smartphone with the launch of its mobile-optimized website, m.kp.org, as well as an app for Android phones. Nearly 9 million Kaiser Permanente patients now have 24/7 access to their medical information anywhere in the world from their mobile devices. The app on the Android platform has more than 95,000 downloads. There have also been more than 4.8 million visits to the mobile-optimized kp.org since its launch in late January, accounting for more than 15 percent of total visits to kp.org in the month of April.
Allowing patients access to their health information and providers is more than just convenient — it also can improve health outcomes. According to Kaiser Permanente research, secure patient-physician email messaging improves the effectiveness of care for patients with diabetes and hypertension. The study, published in Health Affairs in 2010, showed that health information technology improves quality-of-care scores. The study observed 35,423 Kaiser Permanente patients in Southern California who had diabetes, hypertension, or both. It found that use of secure patient-physician messaging in any two-month period was associated with statistically significant improvements in Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) care measurements. Results included 2 percent to 6.5 percent improvements in glycemic, cholesterol, and blood pressure screening and control.
KAISER PERMANENTE MOBILE APPS
Kaiser Permanente launched its first mobile application, KP Locator, in July 2011. The facility locator app is now integrated into the new iOS app, making the various functions easily accessible. Users can input a city name or ZIP code to find Kaiser Permanente facilities in their area. Since its launch, the facility-finder app has been used 1 million times.
These increased mobile health capabilities are a natural extension of Kaiser Permanente’s leadership in health IT. Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect® is Kaiser Permanente’s comprehensive health information system, which includes one of the largest, most advanced electronic health records available in the United States. The member tool My Health Manager securely connects 8.9 million people to their health care teams, their personal information, and the latest medical knowledge, leveraging the integrated approaches to health care available only at Kaiser Permanente. In 2011, more than 68 million lab test results were made available online and patients made more than 12 million e-visits. These numbers are expected to increase significantly as more people have access to their doctors and their health information at the touch of a button.
To learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s plans and driving factors in the mobile space, please visit: http://centerfortotalhealth.org/2012/michael-cross-talks-mobile-health-at-himss12/ and http://centerfortotalhealth.org/tag/brian-gardner/
About Kaiser Permanente of Georgia
Kaiser Permanente is Georgia’s largest not-for-profit health plan. Its mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves. Kaiser Permanente serves more than 240,000 members in a 28-county service area in metro-Atlanta with care focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists, and team of heath care providers. Expert and caring medical teams are supported by industry-leading technology and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Nationally, Kaiser Permanente is recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers, serving more than 9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.kp.org.
