The emergence of online electronic medical records is changing the face of health care, as it provides greater access to critical health care information and, consequently, opportunities for better patient outcomes. Although larger health institutions were first to gain access to electronic health records, they are quickly becoming a health industry standard.

Seeing the future in EHRs, Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) last year, which authorizes incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid to hospitals when they use electronic health records to achieve better health care results. In conjunction with this legislation, the federal Department of Health and Human Services is setting up a network of Regional Extension Centers to assist providers in adopting and making meaningful use of qualified electronic health records.

Kaiser Permanente physicians know the use of EHRs can be transformative by improving quality and access. We’ve connected 8.8 million people to their health care teams and seen how EHRs reduce unnecessary costs over time, and increase involvement of patients in their own health.

Kaiser Permanente’s online system allows patients to access and manage their personal health information 24/7 via kp.org, in the comfort of their home, on their own schedule. This allows them to play a more proactive role in their care. In the first six months of this year, more than 243,000 lab test results were securely accessed online by Kaiser patients; approximately 91,000 emails were sent between members and their health care team; and more than 72,000 prescriptions were refilled online.

The online medical records systems allow doctors to view a patient’s complete medical history from outpatient clinic and emergency room visits to hospitalizations, which includes visit notes, treatment plans, immunizations, prescriptions and test results. This information improves patient outcomes and patient safety. Through secure email, patients send nonurgent health concerns to their physician any time of day. This gives patients more flexibility in reaching their primary physician, their specialists, members of their health care team and ancillary providers like pharmacies.

The bottom line is that the new technology is not only changing how physicians and other health care providers across specialties, disciplines and facilities work together, but it is also changing how health care is being delivered to patients. Patients take an active role in their care with all that kp.org has to offer. Comprehensive electronic health records enable health providers to deliver better care and open up many possibilities for keeping patients healthy, raising the bar for the quality of health care in this country.

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Dr. Hyewon Jun is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics with Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. Health Scene features information and advice from Hawaii health care professionals.