Press Releases: National
October 21, 2008
Kaiser Permanente Has Most Hospitals in Nation with Inpatient Electronic Health Record
All Southern California members covered by end-to-end EHRs
OAKLAND, Calif. – Kaiser Permanente announced today another milestone achievement in health information technology; bringing the convenient and potentially life-saving technology of electronic health records to 22 hospitals serving 4.8 million members, the most hospitals using electronic medical records of any civilian hospital system in the nation. The latest count results from full inpatient implementation of Kaiser Permanente's electronic health record, KP HealthConnect™, in 12 Southern California hospitals. All of the region's 3.3 million members are covered by an end-to-end electronic health record.
"This milestone reinforces Kaiser Permanente's position as the industry leader in leveraging health information technology to improve patient care and service," said Dr. John Mattison, chief medical information officer, assistant medical director, and director of the KP HealthConnect™ program for Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. "The deployment of KP HealthConnect™ has proven to be an integral part of improving patient safety, coordinating care and decision-making, enhancing documentation, adhering to evidence-based clinical guidelines and improving provider and operational efficiency. Having KP HealthConnect™ in Kaiser Permanente's Southern California hospitals will help us continue to provide our patients with high-quality, compassionate care in both the inpatient and outpatient settings."
"KP HealthConnect™ has been a huge benefit to me, and to my patients," said Donald Jong, MD, chief of the Emergency Department at Kaiser Permanente's Woodland Hills Medical Center. "When I am in the ER, I cannot count on my patients being able to provide me with their medical history and status. With KP HealthConnect™, I can immediately access my patients' medical records to ensure that I am giving them the most appropriate care and avoid medical errors."
As the nation seeks new solutions for reforming health care and reducing costs, Kaiser Permanente is leading the way in making technology a core tool for patients and providers. KP HealthConnect™ is the world's largest civilian electronic health record, and this milestone puts the organization well ahead of other hospital-based organizations. Further, all of Kaiser Permanente's 14,000-plus physicians now have electronic access to their patients' medical records in every one of Kaiser Permanente's 430 medical offices and clinics.
"Kaiser Permanente's electronic health record improves quality, service and patient safety, demonstrating how health information technology reshapes and augments the entire health care delivery process," said Andrew M. Wiesenthal, MD, SM, associate executive director of The Permanente Federation. "KP HealthConnect™ has helped facilitate better communication between our physicians and their patients, and makes managing their care more convenient for our members. Most importantly, it has also helped us improve the quality of care and service to our members."
With KP HealthConnect™, virtually all Kaiser Permanente members are routinely treated with an electronic chart in the outpatient setting. Kaiser Permanente's 8.7 million members have access to My Health Manager– Kaiser Permanente's personal health record – where they can manage their health online. Patients are empowered, with My Health Manager providing critical time-saving features, including online appointment scheduling and prescription refills. In addition, users have 24/7 online access to lab test results, eligibility and benefits information, and even their children's immunization records.
Kaiser Permanente not only makes the tools available, but provides the outreach and education needed to encourage its members to fully use these cutting-edge services. New online tools, such as single visit activation and a revamped welcome page at kp.org have made patient access to online health tools both easy and secure. The results of these and other efforts are already evident:
- More than 2.4 million Kaiser Permanente members now have access to secure health information management features, an 11.9 percent increase from the prior year.
- Using My Health Manager, Kaiser Permanente members viewed more than 10 million test results and sent more than 3.6 million emails to their physicians in 2007 alone.
- The California Department of Insurance recently reported that Kaiser Permanente, compared to its competitors, has more than four times the percentage of members using its personal health record, My Health Manager.
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.
