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Improved quality at Kaiser Permanente through e-mail between physicians and patients.
Yi Yvonne Zhou1, Michael H Kanter, Jian J Wang
1Information TechnologyTransformation and Analytics, Kaiser Permanente, Portland, Oregon, USA. yvonne.y.zhou@kp.org
Health Affairs (Project Hope)
|July 8, 2010
Summary
Secure patient-physician email messaging significantly improved healthcare effectiveness for over 35,000 patients with chronic conditions. This digital communication enhanced care quality and performance on key health measures.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Digital Health
- Patient Engagement
Background:
- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act promoted secure patient-physician email as part of meaningful use of electronic health records.
- Effective communication is crucial for managing chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of secure patient-physician email messaging on the quality of care for patients with diabetes and/or hypertension.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 35,423 patients with diabetes, hypertension, or both.
- Analysis of secure email usage within a two-month period.
- Measurement of care effectiveness using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures.
Main Results:
- Secure patient-physician email use was linked to statistically significant improvements in overall care effectiveness.
- Email usage correlated with a 2.0-6.5 percentage point increase in performance on HEDIS measures.
- Improvements were observed in glycemic (HbA1c), cholesterol, and blood pressure screening and control.
Conclusions:
- Secure patient-physician email messaging is an effective tool for enhancing the quality of care in chronic disease management.
- Digital communication strategies can positively impact key performance indicators in healthcare.
- Promoting secure e-messaging aligns with meaningful use objectives for electronic health records.
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