Keeping Hawai‘i Healthy
As Hawai‘i begins to loosen Covid regulations, hear from our local healthcare leaders on the key issues affecting our state in the coming year.
Chris Hause, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer and VP of Marketing Sales & Business Development
Kaiser Permanente
Q: What is Kaiser Permanente doing to make getting care easier and more convenient?
Today, consumers expect their health care experience to be convenient, personalized, and available when and where they need it. Kaiser Permanente has been a leader in telehealth for over 20 years. We’re here day and night for our members, providing access to 24/7 virtual urgent care and medical advice via phone or video. We also offer expanded urgent care hours at in-person locations on Oahu and Maui, where members can get treated for sudden illnesses and minor injuries on their time.
What truly differentiates Kaiser Permanente today is that our members get coordinated care from a team that knows their medical history. Our members move seamlessly between in-person and virtual care because everything is connected within our integrated health system.
For instance, a member experiencing a medical issue can have a video visit with their own primary care physician, or off-hours from one of our on-demand urgent care doctors. These urgent care physicians have full access to the member’s medical record and can schedule follow-up treatment with the member’s own primary care physician or other Kaiser Permanente specialists.
Is there anything else members can expect from Kaiser Permanente to improve their care experience?
This year, we are rolling out new member tools that will improve the overall care experience. Members will enjoy additional E-visit options and a streamlined phone and digital experience with more options to book primary, behavioral health, and specialty care visits.
Members can already use the Kaiser Permanente app to manage their health care anywhere and anytime. Our app makes it easy to schedule appointments, complete an e-visit, review lab results, pay bills, email doctors, fill or refill prescriptions, and more. All of this is part of our commitment to effectively deliver care and empower our members to take an active role in their health.
Kaiser Permanente
711 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96813
kp.org/choosebetter
Dr. Diane S.L. Paloma, President & CEO
Hawaii Dental Service
Q: What is Hawaii Dental Service (HDS) doing to boost their members’ wellness and overall health this year?
HDS has always kept its members’ overall health top of mind, especially in recent years. As an essential business, HDS has expanded its focus on increasing access to dental care by assuring members it is still safe to see a dentist for routine preventive care twice a year, integrating more wellness features (via our HDS SMILEWell program) into their memberships, and increasing access to dental care for those who are uninsured or underinsured. HDS was able to expand its services to more Medicaid beneficiaries and partner with local organizations and nonprofits on oral health initiatives for keiki and kupuna.
This year also marks HDS’s 60th anniversary, which allows us to reflect on our local roots, why our organization was created and how far we’ve come as we serve more than a million island residents today. HDS was started by 15 pioneering dentists who wanted to fill a need in the community by creating one of the first prepaid dental coverage plans for Hawaii’s keiki, giving them access to quality dental care. This year, HDS and the HDS Foundation are working behind the scenes to create sustainable programs that will address gaps in dental care, as well as expand oral health education beyond the dental office and home. It’s through these efforts that we continue to strive for more positive health outcomes.
How can local businesses motivate their employees to see their dentists twice a year?
Businesses ask us this question all the time. We always say it starts at the top. A company’s leadership team says a lot about the people that support them. When you have leaders who prioritize their health as well as the bottom line, you will start to see the effects trickle down. It also helps to have preventive care and oral health wellness features built into your group dental plans. Our HDS SMILEWell program works with employers through a guided process to set oral health goals and develop incentivized educational initiatives that motivate your employees to take care of their smiles and utilize their benefits. By staying healthy, employees can limit costly emergency dental visits that take away time and productivity. Preventive care is critical, especially in a time when the overall health of employees is still the top concern for Hawaii’s businesses. Good oral hygiene, visiting their dentist regularly, and maintaining a healthy diet are essential steps all employees can take to Live Well, Smile More.
Hawaii Dental Service
900 Fort Street Mall, Suite 1900
Honolulu, HI 96813-3705
(808) 529-9248 | HawaiiDentalService.com
Whitney Limm, MD, Executive Vice President of Clinical Integration and Chief Physician Executive
Queen’s Health Systems
Q: How is The Queen’s Health Systems helping to keep our communities healthy?
Our more than 8,000 dedicated caregivers are deeply rooted in our mission to fulfill the intent of our founders, Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV, to provide in perpetuity quality health care services to improve the well-being of Native Hawaiians and all the people of Hawai‘i. We are building our regional network of care to meet the needs of our communities with the goal of becoming lifetime partners in health with the people we serve.
What are some of the health concerns facing patients today?
Hawai‘i’s most pressing health care issues include a growing geriatric population, substandard health outcomes among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations, poverty in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and inefficiencies affecting care access and delivery. True to our mission, The Queen’s Health Systems proudly cares for all the people of Hawai‘i, regardless of circumstance, and continues to be innovative to ensure patients have access to high-quality, affordable care.
Give us an example of one of Queen’s innovative strategies.
Queen’s Clinically Integrated Physician Network (QCIPN), which represents more than 1,200 providers across the state, addresses health care issues across four domains – access, quality, efficiency and equity. It improves access to quality, patient-centric care with a strong focus on primary care, addresses social determinants of health, reduces care fragmentation through effective care coordination and navigation, prevents unwanted and unnecessary care for its population, promotes equity through culturally-sensitive care, and alleviates administrative burden on its providers. Some of its efforts include: providing home-based primary care for frail and elderly patients; improving access to virtual care by ensuring that providers and patients are equipped with the tools and training to engage in telehealth; connecting high-risk patients who frequently visit the emergency room to community health navigators who address their social and health needs; and reducing unnecessary readmissions by ensuring that those who are discharged from the hospital have safe and smooth transitions to the home. QCIPN facilitates patients receiving the right care in the right place at the right time.
The Queen’s Health Systems
1301 Punchbowl St.
Honolulu, HI 96813
Queens.org
Eric Sakamoto, Nurse
Accredo Infusion
Q: How is Accredo helping to keep Hawai‘i healthy?
Accredo helps keep Hawai‘i healthy by providing specialty pharmacy and nursing services for patients with chronic and complex conditions that require a specialty medication. I am an infusion nurse for Accredo, so for the past three years I have been providing care alongside a team of highly-skilled pharmacists, nurses and pharmacy technicians. We are able to provide the patients with their specialty medications in the privacy and comfort of their own homes or in our onsite infusion suite.
How do patients benefit from home infusion or your onsite infusion suite?
In a typical outpatient setting, patients may receive hours of treatment in hospital rooms overloaded with other patients. Benefits of home infusion or onsite infusion may include lower cost of care and better health outcomes. Through Accredo’s home infusion and onsite infusion suite, I am able to safely and effectively treat our patients in a private setting, which is a much more comfortable treatment experience. Patients are always immensely grateful when receiving home infusions or infusions in our onsite suite.
What do you like about working for Accredo?
Joining Accredo Nursing services has been one of the greatest experiences of my professional career. The team at Accredo provides all our patients with the personalized care to help them manage their conditions. One of my fondest memories is being invited to dinner at a patient’s home. As I was giving my patient a medication infusion, his family waited with him and said to me, “You are not just a nurse, you are a member of our family now. You are taking care of the family and we will take care of you as a family.” With Accredo, you are not just our patients or our co-worker, you are ‘ohana.
Acredo
677 Ala Moana Blvd. Suite 404
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 650-6488 Fax Referral: (808) 650-6487 | Acredo.com/hi
