What is a ‘wired’ hospital — and what does it mean for patients?

Today’s post is authored by guest blogger Samantha DuPont, with the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy.

For the second year in a row, Kaiser Permanente’s California hospitals have been named “Health Care’s Most Wired” by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. The honor recognizes our excellence in technology integration across the health care spectrum — infrastructure, procurement, human resources, security, clinical quality and safety, patient access, care continuum and health information exchange.

Kaiser Permanente has long been recognized as a leader in using technology to deliver high quality care. By 1970, we had implemented an electronic health record (EHR) for over 1 million patients. Today, our EHR, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®, connects 9.3 million members to their providers, and is one of the most advanced in the nation. By integrating comprehensive patient data, best practice research, treatment recommendations and other provider tools in one record, KP HealthConnect® ensures that patients receive the best care at every encounter.

We were also an early adopter of online health services for patients, as chronicled in an informative Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy Story. In 1996 we began offering online prescription refills and appointment scheduling. Since then, our patient portal, My Health Manager, has grown a bevy of features, allowing patients to:

• view personal health information, including lab results, immunizations, past office visits,
• prescriptions, allergies, and health conditions;
• view, schedule, or cancel appointments;
• refill prescriptions;
• securely email doctors, pharmacists, and member services staff;
• take health assessments and programs that support healthy lifestyle changes and find information about health topics; and,
• manage health benefits, including viewing drug formularies and estimating the cost of treatments.

As of 2014, more than 4.4 million members are registered for My Health Manager on kp.org, nearly double the number in 2008. To learn more about how we’ve achieved success in getting patients online – and how that has improved health outcomes – read, “Engaging Patients Online with My Health Manager.”

Source: http://centerfortotalhealth.org/what-is-a-wired-hospital-and-what-does-it-mean-for-patients/

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