PDF: 7 years and 140,000 patients later

While at Cambridge Health Alliance, I gave the attached presentation about Group Health Cooperative’s work to transform care through the use of technology. One of the organization’s leaders asked if I could forward a copy of the slides, or would they just be able to download them off of this blog.

Since this is information that our organization has provided in many other forums, the blog idea sounds ideal, so here it is. These are just the slides, without any narration; however, they may give you a feeling of our journey to support our members’ care. The narrated version is available from myself or one of my Group Health colleagues, feel free to contact us.

If I were to characterize the most important points:

1. Group Health Cooperative launched the personal health record in tandem with the ambulatory EHR, with great results for patients and their care providers.
2. The focus is on the member experience and their ability to enjoy unparalleled access and transparency through the use of these services.
3. Group Health is a pioneer in Information Therapy, and includes Ix prominently in its work
4. Thanks to the electronic Health Profile, patients and physicians can now work together to achieve life goals through optimal health, before illness strikes. The future is here, and it’s bright!

These accomplishments come from a team of individuals within the organization committed to a patient-centered care for Group Health members, and every patient in every care system. This is the basis for the open sharing of this information.

Update, November 14, 2007 An excellent descriptive paper of Group Health’s work was published in JAMIA this week. Congratulations to James Ralston, MD, from the Group Health Center for Health Studies. This paper helps answer questions about “stickiness,” adoption, and overall patient satisfaction (hint: it’s high).

Ralston JD, Carrell D, Reid R, Anderson M, Moran M, Hereford J. Patient Web Services Integrated with a Shared Medical Record: Patient Use and Satisfaction. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2007:M2302.

Enjoy!