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WASHINGTON — Use of a comprehensive electronic health records system in the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii region reduced physician visits by 26% per member between 2004 and 2007, while scheduled “telephone visits” per member increased nearly 10-fold.
The “sit up and take notice” finding was reported at a briefing held by the journal Health Affairs.
According to Dr. Louise Liang, former senior vice president of Kaiser's quality and clinical systems support division, who continues to consult with Kaiser, in 2004 the Hawaii region implemented a health information system known as KP HealthConnect. The system includes an EHR that allows documentation in both inpatient and outpatient settings, with real-time connections to the laboratory, pharmacies, radiology clinics, and other systems; Web-based messaging between patients and providers; and electronic interprovider messaging that is automatically entered into a personal health record.
Among the roughly 225,000 Hawaii Kaiser Permanente members, total office visits, including visits with nonphysician providers, fell from an average of 5.01 per member in 2004 to 3.70 in 2007, a highly significant net change of 26% (Health Affairs 2009;28:323–33). The decrease was seen in specialist visits (down 21%) as well as primary care visits (down 25%).
During the same time frame, scheduled telephone visits increased from an average of 0.17 per member in 2004 to 1.68 per member in 2007, or nearly 10-fold.
WASHINGTON — Use of a comprehensive electronic health records system in the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii region reduced physician visits by 26% per member between 2004 and 2007, while scheduled “telephone visits” per member increased nearly 10-fold.
The “sit up and take notice” finding was reported at a briefing held by the journal Health Affairs.
According to Dr. Louise Liang, former senior vice president of Kaiser's quality and clinical systems support division, who continues to consult with Kaiser, in 2004 the Hawaii region implemented a health information system known as KP HealthConnect. The system includes an EHR that allows documentation in both inpatient and outpatient settings, with real-time connections to the laboratory, pharmacies, radiology clinics, and other systems; Web-based messaging between patients and providers; and electronic interprovider messaging that is automatically entered into a personal health record.
Among the roughly 225,000 Hawaii Kaiser Permanente members, total office visits, including visits with nonphysician providers, fell from an average of 5.01 per member in 2004 to 3.70 in 2007, a highly significant net change of 26% (Health Affairs 2009;28:323–33). The decrease was seen in specialist visits (down 21%) as well as primary care visits (down 25%).
During the same time frame, scheduled telephone visits increased from an average of 0.17 per member in 2004 to 1.68 per member in 2007, or nearly 10-fold.
WASHINGTON — Use of a comprehensive electronic health records system in the Kaiser Permanente Hawaii region reduced physician visits by 26% per member between 2004 and 2007, while scheduled “telephone visits” per member increased nearly 10-fold.
The “sit up and take notice” finding was reported at a briefing held by the journal Health Affairs.
According to Dr. Louise Liang, former senior vice president of Kaiser's quality and clinical systems support division, who continues to consult with Kaiser, in 2004 the Hawaii region implemented a health information system known as KP HealthConnect. The system includes an EHR that allows documentation in both inpatient and outpatient settings, with real-time connections to the laboratory, pharmacies, radiology clinics, and other systems; Web-based messaging between patients and providers; and electronic interprovider messaging that is automatically entered into a personal health record.
Among the roughly 225,000 Hawaii Kaiser Permanente members, total office visits, including visits with nonphysician providers, fell from an average of 5.01 per member in 2004 to 3.70 in 2007, a highly significant net change of 26% (Health Affairs 2009;28:323–33). The decrease was seen in specialist visits (down 21%) as well as primary care visits (down 25%).
During the same time frame, scheduled telephone visits increased from an average of 0.17 per member in 2004 to 1.68 per member in 2007, or nearly 10-fold.