Kaiser Permanente Joins Rock Health to Support Digital Innovation in Health Care

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Rock Health, the first seed accelerator for digital health startups, today announced Kaiser Permanente as a new sponsor. The partnership reinforces Kaiser Permanente's longstanding commitment to innovation and technology enabled health care.

Bringing together innovators through its work with startups, thought leaders, researchers and events all over the country, Rock Health has developed a repository of resources to help entrepreneurs and experts make sense of the complicated digital health landscape. Aside from providing financial support, Kaiser Permanente will work closely with Rock Health's network of innovators and entrepreneurs to advance digital solutions in health care.

"As the largest integrated health care system in the United States and a leader in digital health with 64 percent of eligible members using My Health Manager on kp.org, Kaiser Permanente provides a unique perspective of experience, expertise and leadership in this space," said Wendy Lee, senior vice president and CIO chief of staff, Kaiser Permanente Digital Health Technology and Strategic Initiatives. "We are looking forward to partnering with Rock Health to further explore how we can bring health care into the digital age in ways that enhance the patient-clinician relationship."

The latest class at Rock Health includes companies developing consumer and enterprise tools, working in diverse spaces across health care from senior care and placement to benefits management to consumer mobile apps. The startups selected for Rock Health's fourth class are: Beam Technologies, BenefitsMe, CliniCast, Eligible, Kit Check, Mango Health, LabDoor, Moxe Health, OpenPlacement, SuperBetter, Wellframe, Wello, Wildflower Health, and Zipongo.

"We are pleased to welcome Kaiser Permanente as a partner, especially as we welcome our fourth class of participants," said Halle Tecco, CEO of Rock Health. "Kaiser's broad and deep perspectives as a leading provider of health benefits and health services will be invaluable to the startups in our ecosystem as they scale and develop global strategies."

Kaiser Permanente joins Rock Health's partners, which include the Mayo Clinic, Kleiner Perkins, Mohr Davidow, Aberdare Ventures, GE, Genentech, United Health Care, University of California, San Francisco, Harvard Medical School and Nike.

"Kaiser Permanente is a leader in digital health, and sees this as an opportunity to support and accelerate innovation in this fast-moving space. We are interested in taking great, innovative ideas and making them a reality to improve the lives of our members," said Madhu Nutakki, vice president, Kaiser Permanente Digital Health Applications and Technologies. "Kaiser Permanente and Rock Health, neighbors in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, share much more than geographic proximity — both are interested in improving health care, and that makes for a great collaboration."

My Health Manager, Kaiser Permanente's personal health record, enables members to view their medical record, email their providers, check lab test results, order prescription refills, and manage appointments from their computers or handheld devices. Members can also act on behalf of their family members. In 2011, members signed on to My Health Manager more than 74 million times and took advantage of the website features in record numbers:

• 29.7 million lab results viewed online
• 12.2 million emails sent to providers
• 10 million prescriptions refilled
• 2.7 million appointments scheduled

About Rock Health
Rock Health is a nonprofit foundation focused on the intersection of healthcare and technology. We support the next generation of health entrepreneurs through a startup accelerator, open-source research and public events. Additional information about the organization and its members is available at www.RockHealth.com.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.

Contact:
Amanda Wardell, Kaiser Permanente, 510-292-0758

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente