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“I feel the need, for speed!” This is one of my favorite lines from the fun 1986 blockbuster “Top Gun.” This phrase has taken on a deeper meaning these days as our world is operating at faster speeds, and many of us want everything no slower than now. Whether it is a family demanding faster download speeds to stream their favorite TV shows or a smartphone user who is too busy for an antiquated 3G network, the mandate in today’s market is for fast, reliable service, and the healthcare industry is not immune to these stipulations.
There is a sharp shift in the paradigm of traditional medicine, riding on the coattails of slick technology and market competition. Patients now rightfully demand the options and conveniences that 9-to-5 doctor office hours and crowded waiting rooms do not provide. Trying to find the time for work/life balance has become a struggle for our patients, and we in the healthcare industry are sitting on an opportunity to help our patients achieve that balance.
As I sit here in my home office, streaming “Top Gun” online in the background, my wife is streaming her favorite TV show in the living room, and I’m able to securely reply to my patient emails. Now that’s powerful. … Thank you, Verizon FiOS!
At Kaiser Permanente, our fully integrated medical system has been leading the way, using the latest technology to meet our patients’ needs. Our entire Permanente medical group shares a robust electronic medical record system that allows for seamless communication and care between patients and their healthcare team. Our excellent group of physicians, enabled by technology, has translated into us occupying the top spot for clinical quality and service in the Mid-Atlantic. Kaiser Permanente offers patients unparalleled convenience – 24/7 – whether it is the ability to view their personal health records anytime, anywhere, send a secure email message to their physician, or benefit from our advanced telemedicine services like our new HouseCalls program, which offers same-day appointments via secure video technology. The network backbone behind our technology is fiber.
Fiber has opened up a new way of doing business for us, allowing Kaiser Permanente physicians to connect from many more locations remotely and enjoy connectivity just as if they were in the same office or building as the patient. The technology is fast, reliable, secure and provides the strong bandwidth capability that is essential to our innovative delivery system infrastructure at Kaiser Permanente. This breaks down distance barriers and allows us to devise creative solutions in order to continue to provide market-leading expedient, coordinated and high- quality patient care.
As I sit here in my home office, streaming “Top Gun” online in the background, my wife is streaming her favorite TV show in the living room, and I’m able to securely reply to my patient emails. Now that’s powerful. … Thank you, Verizon FiOS!
About the Author: Dennis Truong, MD is an Emergency Physician at Kaiser Permanente’s Tysons Corner Medical Center and Director of Telemedicine for the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group
