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Kaiser Outpatient EHR Rollout Complete


May 5, 2008


Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has completed the implementation of an outpatient electronic health records system for its 8.7 million members.

The payer and provider organization began the HealthConnect initiative in 2004 to integrate electronic records across all of its regions. Now its 13,000 physicians have access to patient records across 421 medical offices. Kaiser used a number of applications, including clinical software from Epic Systems, Verona, Wis., to build the records.

So far, the records system has enabled the organization to increase its efficiency of outpatient care, company executives say. For example, an internal survey revealed medication administration times and doses are now 85% more legible and correct. Additionally, after the 2007 wildfires in San Diego prompted the organization to temporarily close some of its facilities, it used the system to contact patients to direct them to other facilities, which also could access their records through the application.

Kaiser has gone live with an inpatient version of the system at 13 of its 36 California hospitals; 14 more will go live by the end of 2008. Implementation is expected to continue through 2009.

Patients can use the system to access their personal health records, schedule appointments and request prescription refills. They also can use it to access lab tests, eligibility information, benefits information and pediatric immunization records.

For more information, go to kaiserpermanente.org.


 

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