Introduction of Network-Based Healthcare at Kaiser Permanente

Early 2014, Kaiser Permanente decided to adopt an innovative model for network-based allied healthcare for persons with Parkinson's disease (PD), based on the principles of the Dutch ParkinsonNet.

We present the interventions that were performed to implement this method at Kaiser Permanente and we show the first outcomes based on these interventions.

In this study, 57 physical therapists, 18 speech therapists and 20 occupational therapists, as well as 13 medical centers across the state of California were included. Nine interventions were performed more or less simultaneously, including training and education of healthcare providers and patients, a train the trainer curriculum, organizing IT, streamlining referral processes and building networks.

At the start, less than 30% of the patients within the Southern California Region received specialized allied health treatment (consisting of, i.e., gait training, voice training or guidance in activities of daily life). After one year, almost 55% of patients received specialized allied health treatment. In the second year, this number increased to just under 67%, suggesting a sustained concentration of care (the second core component of networked care). This can be seen as a first indicator for successful implementation of the ParkinsonNet network at Kaiser Permanente.

The importance of these findings lies in the fact that a healthcare innovation that proved effective in one country can be transferred successfully to another country and to another healthcare system.