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Three Million People Now Using Kaiser Permanente's Personal Health Record

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 April 2009, 08:00 CDT

My Health Manager is Most Widely Used PHR, Offers Convenience and Health Management Tools

OAKLAND, Calif., April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente announced today that more than 3 million members are using My Health Manager, the personal health record available on www.kp.org. The growing number of active users - now more than one-third of Kaiser Permanente's 8.6 million members - demonstrates that consumers find the organization's personal health record an effective, easy and convenient way to manage their care. This announcement comes during the annual Health 2.0 - 1x(R) conference in Boston, where leaders from Kaiser Permanente and other providers are collaborating to find the best ways to empower and engage patients in their own care.

Available to Kaiser Permanente adult members, My Health Manager allows members to securely access their personal health records from home, as well as e-mail their physicians, order prescriptions, make, change and cancel appointments for themselves or for family members, and even view lab results - all on the Web, and at no extra charge. Each month, more than 600,000 secure e-mail messages are sent to Kaiser Permanente doctors and clinicians, and more than 1.6 million lab test results are viewed online, making them two of the more popular features on My Health Manager.

In its ongoing commitment to total health and management of chronic conditions, Kaiser Permanente recently introduced four new online Healthy Lifestyle programs for diabetes, depression, insomnia and back pain. These programs complement the site's online health tools on weight management, pain management, smoking cessation and more. Since launched in August 2004, Kaiser Permanente members nationwide have utilized the Healthy Lifestyle Programs 440,771 times, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

"Consumers expect easier and faster access to information, especially online, and that extends to information relating to the management of their own health," said Anna-Lisa Silvestre, vice president for online services, Kaiser Permanente. "We have long been a leader in online health services, from the launch of the first PHR features on kp.org in 2005, to this most recent milestone of 3 million active users, and our numbers continue to grow."

Members can gain access to My Health Manager through single-visit activation, which allows them to register and activate their kp.org account in one online visit. Once activated, members gain immediate access to the features and benefits of My Health Manager.

A key differentiating feature of My Health Manager is that it is directly connected to Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect(TM), one of the most robust and sophisticated electronic health records anywhere. By providing consumers with access to the same clinical record their doctors see, and with unique tools to interact with their providers and health plan, My Health Manager allows patients to become more engaged in their own health care, and it goes well beyond the standard PHRs populated solely by claims data.

"My Health Manager increases a patient's access to caregivers and health information," Silvestre said. "This level of access enhances the doctor-patient relationship and facilitates collaboration, which ultimately results in better health outcomes."

My Health Manager is a free service available to all Kaiser Permanente members. Members can visit kp.org/register to sign up to activate and access their personal health records.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is shaping the future of health care. We are America's leading health care provider and not-for-profit health plan. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services 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.

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

Source: PR Newswire

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