Elevate Your Health Colorado Looking Back, Looking Forward

How was 2011 for you?

It was a big year in OB/GYN at Kaiser, Colorado.  We started delivering more deliveries at Sky Ridge Medical Center, a convenience for our patients who live down south. No more worries about rapid labors and deliveries done by nervous fathers during a frantic car ride up I-25 (didn’t really happen, but a scary thought!).

2011 saw growth in our Minimally Invasive Surgery Program and Robotic Surgery Program.  Women who need hysterectomies for both benign indications and some kinds of GYN cancer now have the opportunity to have these slick new procedures that allow them to avoid large incisions and the resultant complications, as well as go home from the hospital the next day.  Very cool.

More and more of our members are now “cost-sharing” members, which means their insurance premiums are lower, but they have to pay more when they come in to get services.  I’m not sure how I feel about this-its probably good for members/patients to have some “skin in the game” and know how much their care really costs.  On the other hand, its hard to feel like cost will influence a member’s decision on what care to receive.

So much more is done electronically now.  If you are reading this, you are probably signed up on kp.org and have emailed your doctor or refilled a prescription on line, or maybe booked an appointment.  As a Kaiser member myself, I make use of these on-line services and find them very convenient.

What stands out for you in 2011?  Did you finally get that colonoscopy that your provider has been harassing you about?  Did you start up a new exercise routine and drop that weight that's been bugging you for years??  Did you quit smoking?  What were your New Year’s Resolutions last year and how did they go?  Did you make some changes in your life to manage your stress level?

Or did 2011 bring unexpected and unwanted challenges-a new health issue?  A new family stress?  A job change?

This is a good time to look back and see what went well for you last year and why.  And what didn’t go so well and did you have any control over the situation?  What are you going to do to move forward in 2012?

Some things we can control, some things we can’t.  We can eat right and exercise more.  We can quit smoking.  We can be kind and generous with each other since we are all busy and stressed out at some time or another trying to get through life.

At Kaiser, its the same: some things we can control, some things we can’t.  We can do our best to deliver excellent quality of care and service to our valued members.  We can make sure we continue to harass all of you to maintain healthy weight, quit smoking, get health screenings like pap smears, mammograms and colonoscopies.  And if new challenges come up in your life, we can try to help you in some way to get through them as best as possible.  And as an organization, we can continue to grow and evolve in response to the changes in health care delivery in our country.

So Congrats on your 2011 achievements and we hope to see all of you 2012 and help you THRIVE!

Happy New Year Everyone!