informed end-of-life decisions, and avoid
many disrupting phone calls for doctors
and nursing staff.
The role of
insurance companies
The effi ciencies offered by the new
medical technologies can save time
and money for patients and insurance
companies, but with the exception of
Kaiser Permanente and a few others, most
insurers are lagging behind in paying for
e-visits with doctors and/or encouraging
clients to embrace the new medical records
technologies.
Kaiser doctors, patients, medical
records and insurance are all under one
system, making it easier to coordinate.
Other doctors’ offi ces deal with multiple
insurance companies and different policies
even within the same companies.
paid for e-visits. Some 200 physicians
participated in a plan that paid doctors
$19 for each web conversation with a
patient. The patients were billed a $5 co-
pay. “E-visits can be more time-effi cient
than offi ce visits, or even than returning
patients’ phone calls. There’s no phone
tag,” according to a story in Information
Week, May 31, 2004.
Taking it slowly
The Pacifi c Women’s Center in Eugene
is just a year into electronic medical
records, and the clinic is taking its time
getting used to a paperless environment.
Web-based conversations between doctors
and patients could be years away.
“I anticipate that over the next couple
of years, as we become more familiar with
it and as our comfort zone is there, that we
will open up to more of the Internet online
of how it helps both parties. I absolutely
believe we will be using it more in the
future.”
Educating patients
“Email is wonderfully useful for general
questions,” says Huffman. “What do I think
about the supposed link between vaccines
and autism? What infant formula is best to
give my baby if my breast milk is drying
up? What books would I recommend
to help deal with sibling rivalry, or an
adolescent’s fi rst menstrual period?”
The PatientConnection program, says
Broch, lists patients’ medications, and
“each of the medications is linked to
a knowledgebase that provides further
information about that medication,
including the benefi ts, side effects and
possible alternatives.”
What happened to PeaceHealth’s
‘I think it’s a fabulous thing, but our physicians have yet to
catch the vision of how it helps both parties. I absolutely
believe we will be using it more in the future.’ — A
J
C
DMINISTRATOR ANE
Regence BlueCross BlueShield is
one of Oregon’s largest health insurance
providers. “We don’t have a policy
regarding e-visits as yet,” says Samantha
Meese, a spokesperson for Regence. “But
we are supporting several projects related
to e-health in general. Last year, for
example, we conducted a small electronic
medical records pilot program in LaGrande
that connected one hospital, one lab and
12 practices that included more than 40
physicians. Providers who fully embraced
it reported high satisfaction and improved
effi ciency in their practices.”
Regence does provide one-way web-
based communication. Patients can log on
to myRegence.com and provide comments
about their doctors’ services. And doctor
profi les are available to view.
BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts
ran a pilot program back in 2004 that
functions that electronic medical records
offers us,” says clinic administrator Betsy
Hill.
The Eugene-based Oregon Medical
Group has about 110 physicians under
its umbrella and is currently looking at
several “off-the-shelf” programs that
would facilitate secure, web-based doctor-
patient communication, and enable patients
to see lab results, pay bills and request
prescription refi lls. “It’s a signifi cant capital
investment,” says OMG Chief Operating
Offi cer Josh Kimball, “but we think it’s
going to be an advantage for us.”
Conley at Springfi eld Family Physicians
has worked at other practices that have
implemented e-visits, and she’s confi dent
the technology will catch on over time.
“It’s a new concept for doctors,” she
says. “I think it’s a fabulous thing, but our
physicians have yet to catch the vision
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free phone program, Ask a Nurse? The
hotline was discontinued in the summer
of 2005 and has been replaced with
several educational websites that have
links at www.peacehealth.org The links
offer a “Healthwise Knowledgebase”
and frequently asked questions regarding
children’s health, women’s health and
seniors’ health. A link is also provided to
the Health Information Library, staffed by
“trained medical librarians” who respond
to emailed requests for information.
Looking ahead
High on President Obama’s agenda
is getting our nation’s medical records
off the shelves and into usable electronic
databases. The reasons are many: better
patient care through improved accuracy and
accessibility, enhanced sharing of medical
Questions for
our readers
• What are your stories regarding
communication between doctors
and patients?
• What do you see coming in the
next 20 years?
• Who actually owns medical
records, and do patients and their
families have a right to see them?
• What effect would single-payer
health insurance have on the ability
to streamline and modernize our
nation’s electronic medical records
system?
• What are your experiences in
dealing online with Medicare,
Medicaid, the VA medical system
and the Bureau of Indian Affairs?
• The Coburg Veterinarian Clinic
(www.coburgvet.com) welcomes
email inquires from both pet
owners and the public, as does
Oregon Dental Care. Are there
other medical practitioners who do
the same? Chiropractors, physical
therapists, massage therapists,
acupuncturists?
Email (naturally) to editor@eugeneweekly.com
information, reduced health care costs
through new effi ciencies and hundreds of
thousands of new jobs.
As slow as local doctors’ offi ces
are in adopting and embracing the new
technologies, no one we talked to for this
story sees e-visits as just a fad. The service
will become ubiquitous. And at some point,
if not already, patients may be choosing their
doctors and even their insurance companies
based on how well their medical issues and
questions can be addressed not only face-to-
face but also from the privacy of their own
computers.
ew
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EUGENE WEEKLY MAY 14, 2009 13