Representatives from the National Health Service of England, along with British Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, paid a visit to the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health on June 2. This marks the second visit to Kaiser Permanente for the Secretary.
This time, he spent a half-day contemplating many issues in health care which we all acknowledge are global in nature. Representatives from Kaiser Permanente shared the health care organization’s deep knowledge and experience regarding topics such as management of complex patients with chronic disease, leveraging technology to augment care, and physician management. The exchange was interactive and lively.
Taking part in the discussion from Kaiser Permanente were Kim Horn, president of the Mid-Atlantic States region; Bernadette Loftus, MD, associate executive director of The Permanente Medical Group; Philip Fasano, executive vice president and chief information officer; Murray Ross, vice president and director of the Institute for Health Policy; Ted Eytan, MD, physician director for the Center for Total Health; and Walter Suarez, MD, executive director of health IT policy and strategy.
We all agreed that we work for the patients and our decisions should be guided by that core belief. For our British colleagues, the afternoon session triggered new ways of thinking about and approaching the challenges faced “back home.”
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care globally. Sessions like this one and other international learning forums are coordinated by Kaiser Permanente International (KPI).
