The New York Times recently ran this piece about Kaiser Permanente, its sophisticated electronic records system, and its history of integrating individual physicians’ practices and clinics with hospitals.
As ACOs become the way medicine is practiced—with the goal that doctors will be compensated to keep people healthy, rather than paid per procedure—Kaiser’s model of connecting all aspects of healthcare has come back into favor.
George C. Halvorson, Kaiser Permanente’s chairman and chief executive, says: “All of care is going to move down this path, and it has to . . . . Medical homes are doing it; the very best A.C.O’s are going to figure out how to do it.”
For those interested in hearing more from Halvorson and his vision of transforming healthcare, he will be a keynote speaker at the 2013 Digital Health Conference this November.