December 19, 2006 > E-Mail Your Child's Doctor

by Johnny Ng

Kaiser Permanente has launched "E-Mail Your Child's Doctor," a new service that uses Internet technology to make it easier for parents to communicate with their child's doctor.
Busy parents on the go may now use this web-based, secure email service to ask routine health questions; check their child's immunization history and lab test results; request and cancel appointments; and even order prescription refills. Parents of children aged 12 and under can access this service any time of day from any computer with Internet access.

"Parents of my patients who use it appreciate the convenience and they love the ability to connect directly with our pediatricians," said Dr. Arnd Herz, Kaiser Permanente Chief of Pediatrics in southern Alameda County. "What this means is even better communication and better care, resulting in more satisfied parents."

E-Mail Your Child's Doctor is highly secure and easy to use. Pediatricians reply to e-mailed questions typically within two business days, most of the time within hours during the same day. So far, the parents of more than 13,000 children in Northern California have enrolled. "The service is completely secure and all communication becomes part of the child's confidential medical record," said Dr. Robert M. Greenberg, Assistant Physician-in-Chief of Information Technology and HealthConnect for Kaiser Permanente in southern Alameda County.

To use this new feature, parents must be current Kaiser Permanente members; have a member child under the age of 12; and they must register through the Kaiser Permanente website at www.kp.org. Access to the online feature is carefully password-protected, and requires secure sign-on at every use. Parents also must renew their access privileges every two years.

E-Mail Your Child's Doctor is the latest addition to Kaiser Permanente's online services for members. It compliments Kaiser Permanente's E-Mail Your Doctor program launched last year to connect adult members with their doctors.