KAISER PERMANENTE: Patients Soon Will Be Able to Access Medical Records Online
Anticipating a surge in membership, Kaiser Permanente announced plans to offer patients Internet access to medical information, such as lab results, doctors' visits and health records, by 2001, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports. The online service will allow members to obtain their medical information, e-mail their doctors and schedule appointments. Kaiser also hopes to offer individualized patient home pages with relevant medical information for each member. Ultimately, the Internet program will link all Kaiser institutions. Dr. Robert Pearl, chief executive of the Permanente Medical Group, said, "If you are a Kaiser member, and you have a car accident in Sacramento or a skiing accident in Colorado, your medical records would be instantly available." He added, "And when you turn 50, we'd be sending you birthday greetings along with a reminder that you need to come in for a physical. And if you don't come in for three months, we'd send you another reminder" (Rose, 5/9).
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