Press Releases: National
May 5, 2004
Kaiser Permanente electronic medical record program live; nationwide rollout begins in Hawaii
KP HealthConnect will give 8 million members online medical records by 2006
OAKLAND, Calif. – As President Bush and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson announce efforts to ensure that every American has an electronic medical record by 2010, Kaiser Permanente has already gone live with its far-ranging electronic medical record project.
Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect is now online in the 8-million member health plan's Hawaii region. Hawaii becomes the first KP region to go live with the clinical information system that will eventually become the largest single comprehensive electronic medical record system in the U.S., linking clinical information with scheduling, billing and registration data.
Kaiser Permanente's local and national information technology teams just launched the outpatient system at two ObGyn departments and one primary care clinic on Oahu, and will continue to go live clinic by clinic through 2004.
Doctors and nurses using KP HealthConnect will have real-time access to their patients' medical information online in the exam room. They'll know about patients' current and past medical conditions, the drugs they're taking, their allergies and be able to order procedures, prescriptions, and referrals to specialists right there in the exam room.
Nationwide, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect is an electronic medical records system that will put the program's 12,000 doctors and 8 million patients online within a single software design. Physicians and nurses will be able to see a patient's data and confer in real-time, and with the online launch of member secure internet access early 2005, members will be able to see their own information online at www.kp.org.
"This is one of the biggest projects we've ever undertaken as a health care organization," says Senior Vice President Louise Liang,MD about KP HealthConnect. Dr. Liang heads up KP's EMR and Quality divisions. "Putting together a system that all of our medical staff feel comfortable with—and that will give our members unprecedented access to their medical information online—is very exciting. We're at the threshold of a new era in medical care for both clinicians and patients."
The Hawaii launch is an important milestone to Kaiser Permanente after a year-long "collaborative build" process nationwide.
"Thanks to lots of hard work, preparation, sheer will and leadership, the implementation of KP HealthConnect in Hawaii was a monumental success," says Bruce Turkstra, VP and director of KP HealthConnect's implementation. "That tells us that our intense, collaborative process of developing the national software with input from all of our regions worked well. Hawaii is setting a terrific example for our upcoming deployments in Colorado, Mid-Atlantic, Ohio, California and the Northwest regions later this year."
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
