Kaiser Rolls Out HealthConnect

Pacific Business News reports:

Kaiser Permanente said Monday that all of its 8.7 million enrollees in nine states, including Hawaii, and the District of Columbia have access to HealthConnect, an outpatient electronic health record Kaiser says is the world's largest of its kind.

Officials at Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser said all of Kaiser's 13,000 physicians nationwide now have electronic access to patients' medical records in the system's 421 medical offices and clinics.

But Kaiser still has a ways to go on the inpatient side. Officials said 13 of its 36 hospitals (34 of them in California) have installed the EHR software, giving 3.2 million enrollees the advantages of an inpatient EHR system. Some 14 hospitals are slated to do so this year, including 13 in the Golden State and one in the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area.

The remaining nine hospitals, including the Moanalua clinic on Oahu, will follow in 2009 and early 2010, said Kaiser spokeswoman Ravi Poorsina.

Four billion dollars worth of electronic health records going online. This is a major milestone on the path to reform. It is also the latest evidence of the massive steps taken by Kaiser since 2004.

"Electronic medical records are a cornerstone tool for improving quality and safety in health care. Doctors should have all of the information about all of their patients all of the time. Only a computer and an EMR can do that work," George Halvorson, chairman and CEO of the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, said in Kaiser's May 5 statement.

From eliminating unnecessary duplication of medical tests to coordination of care, this rollout of EHR capabilities is already noted by Kaiser as vastly improving care delivery. 75% of Kaiser clinicians find it a more efficient and effective communication tool, while over 85% find that it makes administering medications safer and more accurate according to statements.

SOURCE: "Kaiser finishes phase of health records project" 05/05/08
photo courtesy of takomabibelot used under its Creative Commons license

With This Ring I Do Thee Insure

As a relatively recently married man, I remember well the vast array of concerns and issues that revolved around both the decision to get hitched and the process itself. One factor that did contribute somewhat to our decision was the fact that my wife had health insurance through her work at a major university. As a freelance writer and blogger, I did not.

While for us it was a tertiary concern, a recent study shows that a small but significant percentage of the population base their decision to marry on the issue of health insurance. Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar of The Houston Chronicle shares the results of this intriguing survey:

In a poll released Tuesday, 7 percent of Americans said they or someone in their household decided to marry in the past year so they could obtain health care benefits via their spouse.

"It's a small number, but a powerful result, because it shows how paying for health care is reflected not only in family budgets, but in life decisions," said Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which commissioned the survey as part of its regular polling on health care.

Now as I said, it was one factor among many for my wife and I. Not a deal breaker or deal maker, but worthy of consideration. That said, I know two couples that did finally decide to tie the knot because of health care and insurance issues. A situation that is vexing to say the least. Maybe I am just a romantic at heart, but I do not think that health care should have to be a factor when deciding whether or not to purchase a wedding ring.

It's not just marriage that is being impacted either:

The survey found that the costs of health care outranked housing expenses, rising food prices and credit card bills as a source of concern.

Of those surveyed, 28 percent said they had experienced serious problems because of the cost of health care, nearly tied with 29 percent who had problems getting a job or a raise.

The state of health care in the United States is truly at a crisis point. What this nation needs is health care reform, and we need it now.

SOURCE: "Poll: 7% of Americans marry for health insurance" 04/29/08
photo courtesy of babasteve, used under this Creative Commons license

Kaiser Releases Summary of Candidates' Positions on Health Care

It is the third day of the New Year, and tonight the Iowa Caucasus will determine the shape of the upcoming run for President of the United States. Facts, fiction, and anecdote swirl together in a dizzying fashion as all of the hopefuls make one final push for the hearts and minds, or at least the votes, of the Iowa public.

What exactly, you may ask, is a caucus and why is it so important in the run for the White House? Mark Z. Barabak of the Los Angeles Times explains the process and its history in an article this morning.

No matter what part of the political spectrum you embrace one thing is sure: this year's Presidential race is going to be a doozy! This is good news in at least one respect because it means a lot more public debate about our broken health care system, which is consistently listed as one of the most important issues to American voters.

Whether you are in Iowa debating who will receive your vote tonight, New Hampshire where the next fight in this running political battle will be, or anywhere else in the U.S. you will need facts and details in order to properly formulate your decision.

On the subject of health care reform, at least, you have a wonderful resource available in the Kaiser Family Foundation's breakdown on what the candidates and the media are saying about health care. Released on January 2nd, the Kaiser Health Policy Report gathers together in one place the pertinent media coverage, recent developments, polls, broadcast coverage, and opinion pieces concerning the U.S. Presidential candidates' positions on health care reform. The data is summarized, documented, and linked for ease of use.

SOURCE: " Election 2008 | Presidential Candidates Debate Health Care Proposals in Preparation for Iowa Caucuses " 01/02/08
SOURCE: "Why Iowa? And what's a caucus, anyway?" 01/03/08
photo courtesy of John Edwards 2008, used and remixed under this Creative Commons license