Doctors are using Internet as health tool

For the past year, Roy Peacock has been having an e-mail relationship with his doctor.

First it was just a casual hello to get acquainted. Then, after a couple of visits to his doctor's office, Peacock, a minister at Preston Baptist Church in Preston, Wash., began receiving e-mails about his blood test results, encouragement as he waited for other results and changes to his blood pressure medication as his diet and exercise habits lowered his numbers.

"He is very quick at responding, and it's always by the end of the same business day," said Peacock about e-mailing his Group Health physician, Dr. Eric Seaver. "It would have cost me how much to go in and see him every time?"

As rising medical costs and long waits in doctor's offices continue to concern patients, medical systems are looking for new ways to make health care more affordable and more convenient. Providing e-mail access for patients is a logical step, many say.

If this is such a no-brainer, why isn't everybody doing it?

Cost and privacy concerns, for the most part, say local health-care providers, many of which are moving toward implementing e-mail access as part of a switch to electronic medical records.

Group Health has been at the front of the trend.

Since 2000, Group Health has offered its patients full online access to physicians through secure and private e-mail. The online services are available at no additional charge to members and are part of the premium paid to be a part of the health plan.

Patients such as Peacock can access their medical record test results, immunizations and summaries of doctor visits. Parents can access their children's medical records, and patients can complete a full health risk assessment to add to their medical record.

As of July, more than 32,000 secure e-mail messages were sent per month by patients using the online program and more than 63,000 prescriptions were ordered through the pharmacy per month.

Seaver, who specializes in family medicine at Group Health's Factoria Medical Center in Bellevue, Wash., said e-mail eliminates playing phone tag with patients or having to leave messages. He had 200 e-mail interactions with patients last month, accounting for nearly half of all of his patient interactions, he said. He routinely e-mails patients with a detailed explanation of lab results, treatment recommendations and follow-up plans, he said.