A new study directly links use of electronic health records to improved quality of care, at least when it comes to ordering four common screening tests.
The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found the use of EHRs improved the rate of screening for diabetes, breast cancer, chlamydia and colorectal cancer by anywhere from 3 to 13 percentage points. A composite score associated EHR use with overall higher quality of care, the researchers found.
Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital examined data for 466 general internists, pediatricians and family medicine physicians belonging to the Taconic Independent Practice Association in New York’s Hudson Valley.
The study, “Electronic Health Records and Ambulatory Quality of Care,” compared care provided by 204 physicians who had adopted EHRs and 262 using paper records. Researchers examined decisions made in caring for 74,618 patients in 2008.
“The findings confirm that the significant investment in EHRs by both the federal government and the physicians who use them will result in better care,” concluded the Hudson Valley Initiative, a regional advocate for better health care, in a news release.
John Pulley
John Pulley has written the Health IT Update blog since May 2011. Prior to becoming a regular contributor to Nextgov, he covered technology for Federal Computer Week and Government Health IT magazines. He has written about government for Federal Times and Air Force Times, as well. Pulley has worked in journalism for more than 20 years. He began his career covering local government for regional newspapers. In addition, he served as a writer and senior editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education for seven years. In 2006, he founded The Pulley Group, an editorial services agency.
Addressing the 3 Biggest BYOD Security Threats
Mobile Apps: New Ways to Connect Government with Citizens
Continuous Monitoring As a Service: A Shift in the Way Government Does Business
sponsored
3 Ways Data is Improving DoD Performance
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
By using this service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although Nextgov does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule.