Kaiser makes personal records mobile

The world’s largest holder of electronic medical records has released its first mobile application – giving 9m patients mobile access to their medical records from anywhere in the world.

US healthcare organisation Kaiser Permanente has developed an Android application that allows patients to access to its ‘my health manager’ personal health record.

This, in turn, enables patients to see their records, refill prescriptions, make appointments and send non-urgent messages to their doctors.

Kaiser Permanente patients who do not have an Android-based phone can also perform the same tasks through its mobile-optimised web site.

It intends to release an iPhone version of the application in the coming months.

Chief executive, George Halvorson, said: “The fact that a Kaiser Permanente patient in an emergency room in Paris or Tokyo can simply pull out their mobile device and have immediate and current access to their own medical information is an evolutionary and revolutionary breakthrough for medical connectivity.

“This is the future of health care,” he added. “Health care needs to be connected to all that it can be. This new level of connectivity is happening real time, and is happening on a larger scale than anything like it in the world.”

Information made accessible through the app was subjected to the same security safeguards as the ‘my health manager’ section of the Kaiser Permanente website, including secure sign-on and automatic sign-off after a period of inactivity.

The company’s chief information officer, Philip Fasano, said the mobile development was just the beginning of potential innovation.

“The mobile-friendly site and app are also a springboard for new innovations that will inspire members to be aware of their health and take steps to improve it.”