Use And Characteristics Of Electronic Health Record Systems Among Office Based Physician Practices

Commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services, Key Capabilities of an Electronic Health Record System provides guidance on the most significant care delivery-related capabilities of electronic health record (EHR) systems. There is a great deal of interest in both the public and private sectors in encouraging all health care providers to migrate from paper-based health records to a system that stores health information electronically and employs computer-aided decision support systems. In part, this interest is due to a growing recognition that a stronger information technology infrastructure is integral to addressing national concerns such as the need to improve the safety and the quality of health care, rising health care costs, and matters of homeland security related to the health sector. Key Capabilities of an Electronic Health Record System provides a set of basic functionalities that an EHR system must employ to promote patient safety, including detailed patient data (e.g., diagnoses, allergies, laboratory results), as well as decision-support capabilities (e.g., the ability to alert providers to potential drug-drug interactions). The book examines care delivery functions, such as database management and the use of health care data standards to better advance the safety, quality, and efficiency of health care in the United States.

This User’s Guide is intended to support the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and quality evaluation of registries created to increase understanding of patient outcomes. For the purposes of this guide, a patient registry is an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that serves one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes. A registry database is a file (or files) derived from the registry. Although registries can serve many purposes, this guide focuses on registries created for one or more of the following purposes: to describe the natural history of disease, to determine clinical effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of health care products and services, to measure or monitor safety and harm, and/or to measure quality of care. Registries are classified according to how their populations are defined. For example, product registries include patients who have been exposed to biopharmaceutical products or medical devices. Health services registries consist of patients who have had a common procedure, clinical encounter, or hospitalization. Disease or condition registries are defined by patients having the same diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis or heart failure. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews.

Substantial empirical evidence of the contribution of social and behavioral factors to functional status and the onset and progression of disease has accumulated over the past few decades. Electronic health records (EHRs) provide crucial information to providers treating individual patients, to health systems, including public health officials, about the health of populations, and to researchers about the determinants of health and the effectiveness of treatment. Inclusion of social and behavioral health domains in EHRs is vital to all three uses. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act place new importance on the widespread adoption and meaningful use of EHRs. "Meaningful use" in a health information technology context refers to the use of EHRs and related technology within a health care organization to achieve specified objectives. Achieving meaningful use also helps determine whether an organization can receive payments from the Medicare EHR Incentive Program or the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. Capturing Social and Behavioral Domains in Electronic Health Records is the first phase of a two-phase study to identify domains and measures that capture the social determinants of health to inform the development of recommendations for meaningful use of EHRs. This report identifies specific domains to be considered by the Office of the National Coordinator, specifies criteria that should be used in deciding which domains should be included, identifies core social and behavioral domains to be included in all EHRs, and identifies any domains that should be included for specific populations or settings defined by age, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, disease, or other characteristics.

The straight scoop on choosing and implementing an electronic health records (EHR) system Doctors, nurses, and hospital and clinic administrators are interested in learning the best ways to implement and use an electronic health records system so that they can be shared across different health care settings via a network-connected information system. This helpful, plain-English guide provides need-to-know information on how to choose the right system, assure patients of the security of their records, and implement an EHR in such a way that it causes minimal disruption to the daily demands of a hospital or clinic. Offers a plain-English guide to the many electronic health records (EHR) systems from which to choose Authors are a duo of EHR experts who provide clear, easy-to-understand information on how to choose the right EHR system an implement it effectively Addresses the benefits of implementing an EHR system so that critical information (such as medication, allergies, medical history, lab results, radiology images, etc.) can be shared across different health care settings Discusses ways to talk to patients about the security of their electronic health records Electronic Health Records For Dummies walks you through all the necessary steps to successfully choose the right EHR system, keep it current, and use it effectively.