Peoplechart Projects

Peoplechart Implements PHR Research Projects across Nation

Peoplechart Helps Define PHRs

In 2003, Peoplechart was one of twenty working group members of the initial phase of the Markle Foundation's “Connecting For Health Initiative”, where the attributes of Personal Health Record (PHR) was defined as “an Internet-based set of tools that allows people to access and coordinate their lifelong health information and make appropriate parts of it available to those who need it.”

Compared with the history of traditional electronic medical record (EMR) systems in the health IT marketplace, PHR is relatively new though rapidly growing concept. To help prove the benefits of PHR and continue to move PHR into the mainstream, Peoplechart works with a number of communities, health providers and health research organizations to help define the role of this important technology and measure its impact on people's lives.

Peoplechart serves as the intervention of choice for a national PHR Research Project that is currently being launched to study the use of PHR and its impacts. This three-phase project aims to assess the feasibility of implementing Peoplechart PHR in a variety of care settings and to quantify the resulting benefits of its PHR on health-care quality, costs and outcomes.

The National PHR Research Project is being driven by a cadre of expert health-services researchers institutions – including the National Consumers League (NCL), National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) and National Alliance For Caregiving (NAC) – in partnership with leading medical schools – including the University of Chicago, University of Virginia, Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, University of Texas at El Paso, and University of Hawaii.

The individual members of this remarkable team each joined because of their sincere belief in the value and potential of PHR for improving the delivery of health care. Peoplechart is proud to be a part of this team, to provide a voice on consumer issues, and to keep consumer interests on the forefront of our national health information agenda.

Potential enrollees in the research projects are expected to be clients who:

• Are likely to be referred in or out for specialized care.
• Frequently visit specialists or hospitals for procedures.
• Visit multiple physicians or health care facility.
• Have family members (or friends) assisting with care.

Organization partners involved in projects with Peoplechart include:

	Transplant Institute of the Pacific, St. Francis Hospital (Hawaii) – PHR for surgeons, case managers of kidney transplant center and for organ donors/recipients to use before, during and post transplantation. (Whitney Limm, MD, Medical Director and Chief Surgeon)
	National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii – As of year end 2007, the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii launched a Chronic Kidney Disease initiative to provide Peoplechart Personal Health Records (PHR) applications and services to kidney patients, transplant recipients, and organ donors in an effort to improve coordination of medical care, prevention rates, disease management, and overall healthcare cost. (Glenn Hayashida, Executive Director)
	Benjamin Rose organization (Ohio) – PHR for case managers to coordinate care for older adult clients with mental health problems. (Linda Noelker, Senior VP)
	University of Chicago Hospital, Lung Transplant group – PHR for hospital and community clinic physicians to use for managing health of lung transplanted patients, especially for routine type of care. (David Meltzer, MD, Director of University of Chicago Hospitalist Program)
	Partners HealthCare – Partners HealthCare System (PHS) and Peoplechart entered into a Services Agreement, effective May 25, 2007. PHS will use a customized version of the Peoplechart Personal Health Record application to serve members of Partners Premiere, a membership-based personal health education and assistance program for international individuals and families. Partners HealthCare, a non-profit organization located in Boston, is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. It is one of the nation's leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners HealthCare System also includes community hospitals, specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. (Nancy Auger Buckman, MSN, MBA, Director of Partners Premiere, Partners International, Partners Healthcare System)
	American Association of People with Disabilities – Peoplechart is currently working with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation's largest cross-disability membership organization, to assist us in making our website accessible to people with disabilities.