I’ve been through many hard times in my life but waiting to see if abnormal cells were malignant was one of the worst. First the biopsy was taken, then the results had to be sent to the doctor. Then I had to wait for my appointment to discuss them for more than a week.
If I’d been a member of Kaiser Permanente, it might only have been hours, yes, the worst hours of my life, but certainly better than waiting in terror for eight days.
Members of Kaiser Permanente now have access to its personal health record, My Health Manager, used by four million members in 2011, who signed on for over 100 million times. And one of the pieces of information available is lab results -- 29.7 million lab results viewed online last year, to be exact.
Sixty-three percent of Kaiser Permanente's eligible membership now uses the app to manage their health, the press release reported.
"My Health Manager empowers members to take charge of their health, and our data show that they are doing just that," said George Halvorson, chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Permanente, in a statement. "In the last six months, 67 percent of registered members signed on to My Health Manager two or more times. By revisiting the website, our members are getting a complete picture of their health past, so they can make the best health choices in the future."
Members can use My Health Manager to view their medical record, e-mail their providers, check lab test results, order prescription refills and manage appointments from their computers or handheld devices. More than 12 million e-mails were sent to providers, 10 million prescriptions refilled and 2.7 million appointments scheduled, all by using My Health Manager, in 2011.
Those with chronic disease may make out the best. According to a 2011 Kaiser Permanente study, nine out of 10 patients with chronic conditions agreed the website enabled them to more effectively manage their conditions. Patients also reported that the website helped them make informed decisions about their health and more convenient for them to interact with their care teams.
Most recently, Kaiser Permanente made My Health Manager securely available on mobile devices with a mobile-optimized website and iPhone and Android apps.
Some worry that patients having access to this kind of information might not be a good thing. Some of it may be misconstrued, or misunderstood. But overall, most agree that patients having power over their own health can only be a good thing.
Edited by
Rachel Ramsey
