In Brief: Online Engagement Patients Leads To Better Preventative Care; Dignity Health Enters Into Urgent Care Deal

Online Engagement Of Patients Leads To Better Preventative Care

Patients who have access to their medical records online and receive regular electronic messages about potential gaps in the care they receive are more likely to receive preventative care such as tests and screenings, according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente.

Kaiser examined the records of more than 838,000 of its enrollees. About 40% of them were enrolled in Kaiser’s online “Patient Action Plan,” which includes emails reminding them about preventative care.

The data concluded that those enrolled in the Patient Action Plan were 9% more likely to receive a mammogram and be screened for colorectal cancer than those who were not enrolled. They were also 12% more likely to be regularly screened for diabetes and 6% more likely to undergo a pap smear.

Such screenings make it more likely that a major health problem will be spotted earlier, leading to interventions that are less costly and take less of a physical toll on the patient.

"Making sure patients receive appropriate tests and screenings is a critical part of providing high-quality health care, but it can be challenging and time-consuming to get patients to follow through due to a variety of reasons," said the study's lead author Shayna L. Henry of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. "Our study demonstrates that by creating a customized and personalized communication to patients about their care needs, healthcare providers can directly engage patients and close important gaps in care, particularly for preventive screenings for cancer."

The study’s findings were published in the most recent edition of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

Dignity Health Enters Into Urgent Care Deal

Dignity Health, the San Francisco-based hospital system, has entered into an agreement with GoHealth Urgent Care to open urgent care centers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Under the terms of the agreement, Dignity and GoHealth will jointly open 12 urgent care centers in the region over the next 12 to 15 months. 

The centers, which will be staffed by Dignity Health physicians and other staffers, will include a small laboratory and x-ray equipment and will be open seven days a week well into the evening. Each center will also have a direct linkage to Dignity’s electronic medical records system for its patients. All walk-in patients will be accepted.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Oregon-based GoHealth currently operates urgent care centers in New York City and Portland. The Dignity Health deal marks its entry into California.

"Our partnership with GoHealth will provide more options to Bay Area residents for fast and convenient care in a lower cost setting," said Todd Strumwasser, M.D., Dignity Health’s senior vice president of operations for the Bay Area "These urgent care centers will be staffed with Dignity Health clinicians so that we can meet consumers where they are and provide the high quality care that we are known to deliver."