Managed Care - June 2008 - (Page 52)

PLAN WATCH Lang says she believes that HealthConnect will recoup the $4 billion in the long run. Studies indicate that patients are more likely to stay with, recommend to others, and reenroll in Kaiser Permanente thanks to HealthConnect, she says. There have been improvements in outcome and patient satisfaction. In Portland, Ore., a study showed that thanks to HealthConnect, the danger of prescribing high-risk drugs to elderly patients — for instance, narcotics that might lead to falls — has been greatly reduced. “When I’m about to write a drug, the computer asks: ‘Do you know that this is on the list? Are you sure you want to do this?’ It’ll be automatically triggered based on the name of the drug, whether it’s on the list, and the age of the patient.” One of the least worrisome aspects of launching HealthConnect relates to Kaiser Permanente’s status as a group-model organization. Physician buy-in was a breeze, says Lang. “Most of our Permanente physicians are in exclusive, long-term relations with us,” says Lang. “We involved a lot of our physician representatives — I call them our techie docs — in the selection of the software.” So even if doctors thought that the software was not perfect, they still felt better about the selection because at least their vote counted. Lang notes that the United Kingdom experienced severe growing pains when it tried to install a national EMR system while the doctors were feeling left out. “We had our physicians, both at the leadership level as well as closer to the front line level, involved from the very beginning,” says Lang. Lang has advice for medical and pharmacy directors seeking lessons from Kaiser Permanente’s launch of HealthConnect. “Our ability to more reliably provide the right care and avoid error is really the big take-home message. And we really are seeing evidence of that.” MC Imagine. Imagine a pharmaceutical company with a pipeline that is the envy of the industry. Imagine a company with a growth curve that offers challenging opportunities at each and every turn. Imagine a place where you can shine, and be proud to say you work for a company that develops cutting-edge products that change tomorrow for its patients. Imagine an opportunity to make a significant impact from day one and lead one of the best and brightest managed care teams in the industry. Imagine yourself at Astellas. EOE/M/F/D/V www.astellas.com/us 52 MANAGED CARE / JUNE 2008 http://www.astellas.com/us http://www.astellas.com/us

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managed Care - June 2008

Managed Care - June 2008 Editor’s Memo Contents Viewpoint Letters News and Commentary Legislation & Regulation Medication Management Compensation Monitor Plans Chart Course in Rough Waters A Conversation With Barbara Starfield, MD Smoke Signals from Payers Slow Going for Clinical Decision Support Back Pain and Physical Therapy Formulary Files PlanWatch Outlook

Managed Care - June 2008

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