"Bringing Healthcare Online" Seminar March 26 to Feature Dr. David Howes, President of Martin's Point

Dr. David Howes, president and chief medical officer of Martin's Point Health Care in Portland, will be the guest speaker at a Techport Tuesday presentation from 7:30 to 9 a.m. March 26 entitled "Bringing Healthcare Online."

Dr. Howes and his organization have been a leader in the effort to bring patient services online. At Martin's Point, the award-winning online program known as Patient's Personal Points provides a variety of resources to patients, from scheduling appointments to asking questions of their doctor.

Launched in 1999, the Internet-based, interactive program, now used by more than 5,000 patients, has won national and regional awards, including the national Healthcare Innovations in Technology Systems (HITS) Partnership in Technology award. Dr. Howes will discuss how the innovative technology was developed, the models used and the lessons learned.

Dr. Howes, who joined Martin's Point in 1984, was appointed president in 1996. He has more than 20 years in medicine and is a resident of Brunswick.

Registration is free but limited. Contact the Greater Portland Chambers of Commerce at (207) 772-1196, ext. 228, or by logging on to www.portlandregion.com, and clicking on events, calendar and the TechPort.

The event will take place at Verrill & Dana, one of the sponsors, on the 9th floor of One Portland Square. In addition to the chamber, the other sponsor is Oxford Networks.

Established in 1981, Martin's Point is Maine's largest not-for-profit primary care practice with facilities in Portland, Brunswick and Windham, Maine, and in Portsmouth, N.H. Martin's Point has a staff of more than 300 health care professionals and serves 54,000 patients - including military retirees and dependents of active military personnel -- under all major health plans.

Martin's Point serves patients in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, radiology, cardiology, and mammography, as well as other fields. For additional info on Martin's Point Health Care, visit online at www.martinspoint.org.

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