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Tahoe Forest Health System wins regional innovation award

Special to the Sun
Receiving the Hospital Council of Northern & Central California’s 2016 Innovation Challenge Award are, from left: Judy Newland, TFHS Chief Operating Officer; Harry Weis, TFHS CEO; Brian Jenson, Hospital Council of Northern & Central California Regional VP; Jake Dorst, TFHS Chief Information and Innovation Officer; and Karen Baffone, TFHS Chief Nursing Officer/Director of Population Health.
Courtesy photo |

TRUCKEE, Calif. — At the Hospital Council of Northern & Central California’s recent 2016 Summit in Napa, Calif., Tahoe Forest Health System won the Innovation Challenge for its new Blue Life wellness program.

Jake Dorst, TFHS Chief Information and Innovation Officer, and Karen Baffone, Chief Nursing Officer, delivered an informative presentation to summit attendees.

Many individuals are now using smartphones and wearable tracking devices for personal health and wellness tracking in conjunction with their health care provider. In this process, Blue Life was created to make the process easy and accessible for local communities.



Blue Life is an umbrella wellness program for overall health management at Tahoe Forest Health System. It allows users to manage their health throughout Tahoe Forest Health System. Participants receive a Blue Life card and can use a computer or mobile app to manage their health through a secure digital portal.

The Blue Life card is a patient access card that links users directly to their Tahoe Forest or Incline Village Community Hospital electronic medical record for easier registration, a secure link to medical information and improved security and identification.



The Blue Life web and mobile app also serves as a portal to the user’s health and wellness program.

Blue Life is also used to manage health screenings for staff, mobile health tracking and engagement, health coaching, and the integration of Tahoe Forest Health System community wellness programs such as the Wellness Neighborhood and “Tahoe WoRx” Wellness at Work.

Blue Life allows TFHS to understand a real-time view of certain health indicators in the community in order to more effectively assist individuals who need and want it most.

The Blue Life program has increased health engagement among participants to daily and weekly interactions instead of yearly or sporadic interactions. Ninety percent “high-risk” status individuals who participated in the program showed an improved health status within 6 weeks.

This article was provided by Tahoe Forest Health System. Learn more about the Blue Life Program at tfhd.com/bluelife.


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