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Kaiser Permanente to put
patient records online
 February 4, 2003  Health maintenance organization Kaiser Permanente today
announced plans to put the medical records of its 8.4 million patients online in
what may be �the most ambitious move yet toward electronic medical records,� the
Wall Street Journal reports. The $1.8 billion project will give Kaiser
Permanente members and physicians access to the online records and should be
completed in three years. Members will be able to access portions of their medical records online, including test results, immunization history and current medications. Madison, Wis.-based Epic Systems will provide the electronic records software and handle relevant information management duties; terms of the contract were undisclosed. Kaiser has spent the last 10 years internally developing an electronic records system, but following implementation problems, finally opted for a commercial system. The insurer expects to save $1 billion by using the Epic system in place of developing its own system, according to George Halvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente (Rundle, 2/4). |
