U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tours Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Secretary Hears From Patients, Physicians, About Electronic Health Records

Today, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike O. Leavitt toured the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) to see first-hand how doctors are using electronic health records to improve patient care.

A leader in health IT, PAMF has been using electronic medical records since 1999, and now all patient records are maintained electronically throughout the organization. PAMF also has more than 43,000 people enrolled in its patient online tool, PAMFOnline, to help them communicate with doctors and manage their health care at home.

In April 2004, President Bush called for personal electronic health records (EHR) for most Americans within 10 years and nationwide adoption of health Information Technology (IT). Secretary Leavitt, the highest-ranking government official ever to visit PAMF, made the Foundation his first stop on a nationwide tour to promote the pivotal role health IT can play in transforming the nation's health care system.

During his visit, Secretary Leavitt spoke with doctors and patients about their experiences at PAMF. The tour included:

• a visit to a patient-physician encounter in an exam room to observe the use of PAMF's EHR;
  
• a visit to PAMF's onsite pharmacy to see how pharmacists use the EHR to identify and notify patients taking drugs that are recalled, such as Vioxx; and to learn how the EHR flags potentially dangerous drug interactions and eliminates hand-written prescriptions;
  
• a demonstration of PAMFOnline, which allows patients to view their medical record, request appointments, send messages to their physician and access lab test results, among other features.

"The visit from Secretary Leavitt validates our hard work and ongoing efforts to employ technology to help make health care safer, more accessible and more convenient for our patients," said Dr, David Druker, president and CEO of PAMF.

Dr. Paul Tang, PAMF's chief medical information officer, was one of the physicians leading the tour and is a key leader in helping to guide national policy toward EHR adoption.

"Our goal is to transform the way patients communicate with their health care team and become a more active participant in their care. We are continuously working on new ways for patients to access their health data and new tools to promote healthy behaviors," said Dr. Tang. "By providing physicians and patients with instant access to the information they need to make optimal decisions, we can raise the bar and make patient safety the new standard of care."

One of the people Secretary Leavitt met with was Keith Belcher, a PAMF patient who retired and moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Sweet Home, Oregon. Despite his move out of the area, Mr. Belcher uses PAMFOnline to stay connected to his primary care physician, Dr. Teresa Nauenberg.

"Distance, in essence, doesn't exist because of PAMFOnline. Dr. Nauenberg manages my care remotely from Palo Alto. I come in for an annual check-up when I visit my grandchildren in the Bay Area and she directs me to see local doctors in Oregon for urgent problems," said Belcher. "I often travel in a motor home, but I can always get to my medical records or send a message to Dr. Nauenberg, anywhere I can access the Internet."

Following the tour, Secretary Leavitt conducted a roundtable discussion with physicians and executives from PAMF and other local health care providers to discuss California's leading role in adopting health IT.

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in both multispecialty group practice of medicine and outpatient medicine. The foundation has three health care divisions: the Palo Alto Division, the Camino Division and the Santa Cruz Division. The Palo Alto Division, staffed by 290 physicians of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, has provided a full range of care for Peninsula residents since it was founded in 1930. It operates clinics in Fremont, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Portola Valley and Redwood Shores. PAMF is part of the Sutter Health family of not-for-profit hospitals and physician organizations that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, Sutter Health is a regional leader in cardiac care as well as care of women and children, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology. For more information, visit www.pamf.org.
Back to top