SAN FRANCISCO – Kaiser Permanente will join Health 2.0 Accelerator, a consortium focused on advancing consumer-centric healthcare.

H2A focuses on a rapidly evolving space where consumer technology tools and healthcare information technology are of increasing importance to both patients and care providers, according to officials. The consortium works with participants to encourage collaboration around specific business or technical objectives to benefit consumers in ways that companies can't tackle alone.

The consortium aims to foster collaboration among Health 2.0 companies.

"Individuals want to be better informed and better equipped to improve their health, but not without guidance from healthcare professionals," said Julie Murchinson, H2A's executive director.

"Kaiser Permanente has long been a leader when it comes to patient-centered care and patient empowerment, but continually looks for ways to achieve even higher levels of patient engagement," she said. "The joining of both large organizations with those newer to the healthcare scene creates a dynamic that truly fosters innovative thinking and collaboration."

Murchinson said Kaiser Permanente is widely recognized as a leader in healthcare information technology, a reputation further reinforced by Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect, its comprehensive electronic health record system. More recently, Kaiser has earned accolades for its attention to patient-provider connectivity through its personal health record, My Health Manager on kp.org, early adoption of telehealth technologies and use of medical devices for managing chronic conditions.

She said Kaiser Permanente's participation in and support of the Health 2.0 Conference since its inception in 2007 is reiterated by its membership in H2A, where it will work with like-minded organizations to enhance current approaches to managing and improving health through the use of Web and mobile tools.

"Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to providing unprecedented connectivity to its members, which manifests itself in a number of ways: e-mail capabilities through My Health Manager, proactive outreach and preventive measures by care providers, telehealth efforts, etc.," said Phil Fasano, Kaiser Permanente's CIO. "Our joining with H2A is a natural fit and expands possibilities for furthering our goal of helping patients manage their health inside and out of the Kaiser Permanente environment."

H2A and Kaiser Permanente have also joined forces with HealthCamp SFBay to host a pre-conference event called "HealthCamp: Accelerating Health Care Innovation," on Oct. 5 at the Kaiser Permanente Sidney R. Garfield Center for Innovation, the day before the Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco.