1 Doctor, 100 Days, 1,000 Personal Health Records
Whole Health is providing employees in its San Diego clinic and elsewhere with a secure online service including patient to clinic email and an easy-to-use PHR that is accessible at all times and locations, across the continuum of care, including emergencies. The service, iHealth, provides employees with online and interactive patient education and wellness programs integrated into the PHR. Also integrated into the iHealth PHR is a proprietary, interactive and actionable Health Risk Assessment (HRA) and secure clinic-employee email. This allows patients to access their own records and provide them in any healthcare location where they seek care, including emergency departments. The service also allows employees to exchange secure email with Whole Health clinics 24 hours a day from home or while traveling. To promote a more comprehensive picture of patient health, Whole Health is working with key community physicians and hospitals to encourage them to recognize, offer and update the iHealth PHR for employees cared for by Whole Health.
"Online communication and interactive PHRs are touted by healthcare leaders as a key means for improving health and care efficiency. But without patient uptake, their potential is unrealized," said Jim Hummer, president and CEO of WHM. “We are extremely proud of our San Diego team in delivering such terrific uptake and we are excited about continuing the momentum. Connecting employees to their own healthcare and information is central to the Whole Health strategy.”
Whole Health uses iHealth as an integral part of their clinic workflow, directing patients to register online for appointments, prescription renewals and other patient-clinic communication. Integrating the PHR service into workflow has been the key to patient uptake.
“The patient-provider relationship has proven to be the key to actual patient engagement in online health services and PHRs,” said Edward Fotsch, MD, CEO of Medem Inc., the corporation that created iHealth Services on their secure network. “Leadership by progressive providers like Whole Health and their clients are translating the PHR’s potential into reality.”
About Whole Health Management
Whole Health Management is one of the leading operators of on-site corporate health and wellness centers in the United States. Since 1981, Whole Health has provided integrated occupational health, urgent, preventative and primary care, physical therapy, employee assistance counseling, wellness and fitness services. Whole Health clinics deliver significant savings to corporations through lower health care costs, increased productivity, reduced employee sick time and lower pharmacy costs. Whole Health currently serves more than 300,000 employees, and in many cases, spouses and dependents, at 76 sites including many large corporations and Fortune 500 companies. For more information about Whole Health, visit www.wholehealthnet.com.
About iHealth
iHealth is a suite of integrated Web-based services proven to effectively engage patients in better managing their health. Powered by Medem Inc., this comprehensive provider-patient communication resource includes the leading patient-owned and standards-based Personal Health Record (PHR), which provides a secure vehicle for communicating online with healthcare providers and is interoperable with EHRs, health plans, pharmacies and other health systems. iHealth’s online registration process also eliminates the medical clipboard, while patient-specific education, care management programs, FDA warnings and Health Risk Assessment tools improve the quality of information across the continuum of care. Founded by the American Medical Association and several national medical specialty societies, iHealth is supported by a broad constituent of industry partners, 45 medical societies, patient advocacy groups and government agencies. To learn more about iHealth, visit www.iHealthRecord.com.
Contact: 1f40
Becky Emmett
Lane PR
503.546.7874
Jason Willett
iHealthRecord/Medem
415-644-3926
Author Information
Jason Best
iHealthRecord/Medem
