Dick Daniels, CIO of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, is charged with growing the health system's digital operations, but that growth is happening almost naturally, he told The Wall Street Journal.
Kaiser saw 131 million virtual interactions — such as online prescription refills, scheduling, laboratory result tools and video consultations — from patients enrolled in its health insurance plan last year, up from 113 million one year prior. That means 59 percent of Kaiser's total interactions were virtual, compared with 56 percent in 2015.
Here are five highlights from Mr. Daniels' interview with WSJ.
1. On the technology changes over the past few years: "Over five years ago, we were primarily interacting with businesses or commercial customers. With the Affordable Care Act, we began to have more individual consumers coming directly to us. … We began to notice more and more of our members coming to our website from mobile devices, and frankly, it wasn't a good experience initially. That led us to create an actual mobile application. What we have seen this last year is over 65 [percent] of the access to KP.org [a website for Kaiser health plan members to interact virtually with physicians] is from mobile devices or people using our mobile app."
2. On what's to come: "One example is our next-generation medical office building, where members can actually check in online for their appointment before they physically show up. They can even make their copay online before they show up. Or if there are forms or questionnaires that need to be completed, they can get those done online before they show up. After their appointment, assuming that their physician prescribes a medication, we can text them when their prescription is ready and they can go and pick it up."
3. On reimbursement: "We don't charge fees at this time for online interactions with patients. There is no cost for a call into our clinical call centers, to email your physician, nor for a video appointment at this time. We want to encourage our members to engage with us to promote their health — that leads to better outcomes for all, including the health of our members and the associated costs to our organization."
4. On patient adoption and use: "It varies by region. In Northern California, we're seeing a very serious uptake. There are some questions that we're answering as we go through this. What is appropriate for video versus what's not? … With the cameras that are on these mobile devices, the patient can show the dermatologist what they need to see and the dermatologist can have a very good experience. The other place I've seen good usage is in follow-up visits … [but] the area where I think we're still sorting it out a bit is in the area of behavioral health, psychiatry or psychology. In some cases, it works OK. In some of those instances, the doctor may want the patient to actually come in."
5. On using technology to enhance care delivery: "We're equipping our nurses and our physicians with mobile devices, so that as they are mobile throughout the hospital, they have the ability to access the information they need from their mobile device or their tablets. This really equips them so they are not always looking for a computer to sit down and access information. They can access the electronic medical record. They have access to alerts. They can receive their secure text messages that way. In some cases, they can actually do video and have a video appointment or video with another caregiver through the device as well. This is really providing them a lot more flexibility and mobility throughout the facility."
Click here to read Mr. Daniels' full WSJ interview.
More articles on telehealth:
In 3 years, telehealth saved Spectrum Health $4M
American Academy of Pediatrics selects SnapMD as telehealth technology provider
Doctor On Demand reaches 1M virtual visits milestone