Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect

Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect: "The Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect program integrates the clinical record with appointments, registration and billing to deliver improvements in care delivery and patient satisfaction across the Kaiser Permanente organization.

Key points about KP HealthConnect:

* Privacy of information is a top priority in designing and implementing KP HealthConnect. The design of the software ensures that sensitive medical information will be protected.
* Patient Safety will be enhanced by KP HealthConnect. Drug interactions and allergic reactions will be prevented by software that knows what medications the patient is taking and checks for conflicts. A patient's medical history will be available to every clinician who is involved in that patient's care--at the same time--even if the doctor is in Georgia, a nurse is in Colorado, and the specialist is in California.
* Relationships and personal care will be honored and enhanced by KP HealthConnect. One of the key goals of the project is to free up doctors' and nurses' time to spend with patients rather than on paperwork. Our own studies have already found that, for instance, having a computer in the exam room enhances communication between the doctor and patient.

KP is a beta test-site for the promises -( and problems ! ) of implementing an EMR system !