Speakers
Ted E. Palen, PhD, MD, MSPH is a practicing primary care internist with the Colorado Permanente Medical Group and a Physician Investigator in the Institute for Health Research (IHR) of Kaiser Permanente Colorado (KPCO). He also serves as the Physician Manager for Clinical Reporting and a utilization management physician reviewer for the KPCO Resource Stewardship department.
Dr. Palen received his PhD in chemistry at the University of Colorado, Boulder under the direction of Nobel Laureate Dr. Thomas R. Cech. He completed medical school and a combined internal/preventive medicine residency program at the University of Colorado at Denver Medical School. He has been with the Colorado Permanente Medical Group since 1997. He currently chairs the Integrating New Technology with Benefits and Operations committee and is a member of the Emerging Technology Advisory Group. As a member of the Resources Stewardship department he participates in utilization reviews and serves as the Physician Manager for Clinical Reporting, using data analytics for evaluating the care delivery processes. His research is focused on the use of clinical informatics for analyzing care delivery models and the use of virtual care and remote care to improving care delivery processes, clinical outcomes, and quality of care.
Details
Health systems are examining how to improve patient care during transitions in care and for patients who are high utilizers of the health system. Care for patients transitioning between venues of care and for those with complex disease can be fragmented between physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other members of the healthcare team.
Patients with complex disease or conditions require collaborative care planning and optimal patient engagement to meet their care plan needs. Kaiser Permanente Colorado is using health information technologies and tools to improve coordination of care to help close care gaps and improve patient outcomes. These tools help identify and prioritize patients in need of increased healthcare management to decrease unwarranted readmissions and to improve care coordination for complex patients. We not only engage with our own patients but we also partner with the community and public health resources to spread best healthcare practices throughout Colorado.