“For two years, the 41-year-old employee of an educational nonprofit in Sacramento, Calif., has been using the My Health Manager Web site provided by her health plan, Kaiser Permanente, to access her electronic medical records. When she has her cholesterol checked, or one of her two children is tested for strep throat, she goes there to click on links that explain the test results. She views a graph showing her cholesterol readings over time — “a good motivational tool” to watch her diet and exercise, she says. And she regularly emails her doctor with routine questions on managing one of her children’s asthma. After she sprained an ankle last year, her physical therapist electronically sent her all the instructions for home follow-up care.
The system, Ms. Jacobson says, has led to “a significant shift in my ability to become more of an advocate for my own health care.”
Article
The Wall Street Journal, 18 March 2009
