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Electronic Health Records (electronic + health_record)
Selected AbstractsEfficiency and Economic Benefits of a Payer-based Electronic Health Record in an Emergency DepartmentACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2010Gregory W. Daniel PhD ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:824,833 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives:, The objective was to evaluate the use of a payer-based electronic health record (P-EHR), which is a clinical summary of a patient's medical and pharmacy claims history, in an emergency department (ED) on length of stay (LOS) and plan payments. Methods:, A large urban ED partnered with the dominant health plan in the region and implemented P-EHR technology in September 2005 for widespread use for health plan members presenting to the ED. A retrospective observational study design was used to evaluate this previously implemented P-EHR. Health plan and electronic hospital data were used to identify 2,288 ED encounters. Encounters with P-EHR use (n = 779) were identified between September 1, 2005, and February 17, 2006; encounters from the same health plan (n = 1,509) between November 1, 2004, and March 31, 2005, were compared. Outcomes were ED LOS and plan payment for the ED encounter. Analyses evaluated the effect of using the P-EHR in the ED setting on study outcomes using multivariate regressions and the nonparametric bootstrap. Results:, After covariate adjustment, among visits resulting in discharge (ED-only), P-EHR visits were 19 minutes shorter (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5 to 33 minutes) than non-P-EHR visits. Among visits resulting in hospitalization, the P-EHR was associated with an average 77-minute shorter ED LOS (95% CI = 28 to 126 minutes), compared to non,P-EHR visits. The P-EHR was associated with an average of $1,560 (95% CI = $43 to $2,910) lower total plan expenditures for hospitalized visits. No significant difference in total payments was observed among discharged visits. Conclusions:, In the study ED, the P-EHR was associated with a significant reduction in ED LOS overall and was associated with lower plan payments for visits that resulted in hospitalization. [source] Using Electronic Health Records to Help Coordinate CareTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2004LYNDA C. BURTON The use of electronic health records that can securely transmit patient data among physicians will help coordinate the care of 60 million Americans with multiple chronic conditions. This article summarizes the different organizations in the United States that are developing this technology. It discusses some of the problems encountered and the current initiatives to resolve them. The article concludes with three recommendations for enhancing care coordination: (1) a common health record, such as the Continuity of Care Record, to facilitate the exchange of clinical information among health providers; (2) regional governance structures to encourage the exchange of clinical data; and (3) payment by purchasers of care, both public and private, to physicians for using electronic health records. [source] Electronic health records: Use, barriers and satisfaction among physicians who care for black and Hispanic patientsJOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 1 2009Ashish K. Jha MD MPH Abstract Objectives, Electronic health records (EHRs) are a promising tool to improve the quality of health care, although it remains unclear who will benefit from this new technology. Given that a small group of providers care for most racial/ethnic minorities, we sought to determine whether minority-serving providers adopt EHR systems at comparable rates to other providers. Methods, We used survey data from stratified random sample of all medical practices in Massachusetts in 2005. We determined rates of EHR adoption, perceived barriers to adoption, and satisfaction with EHR systems. Results, Physicians who reported patient panels of more than 40% black or Hispanic had comparable levels of EHR adoption than other physicians (27.9% and 21.8%, respectively, P = 0.46). Physicians from minority-serving practices identified financial and other barriers to implementing EHR systems at similar rates, although these physicians were less likely to be concerned with privacy and security concerns of EHRs (47.1% vs. 64.4%, P = 0.01). Finally, physicians from high-minority practices had similar perceptions about the positive impact of EHRs on quality (73.7% vs. 76.6%, P = 0.43) and costs (46.9% vs. 51.5%, P = 0.17) of care. Conclusions, In a state with a diverse minority population, we found no evidence that minority-serving providers had lower EHR adoption rates, faced different barriers to adoption or were less satisfied with EHRs. Given the importance of ensuring that minority-serving providers have equal access to EHR systems, we failed to find evidence of a new digital divide. [source] Implementation of Standardized Nomenclature in the Electronic Medical RecordINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING TERMINOLOGIES AND CLASSIFICATION, Issue 4 2009Joan Klehr RNC MPH PURPOSE., To describe a customized electronic medical record documentation system which provides an electronic health record, Epic, which was implemented in December 2006 using standardized taxonomies for nursing documentation. DATA SOURCES., Descriptive data is provided regarding the development, implementation, and evaluation processes for the electronic medical record system. Nurses used standardized nursing nomenclature including NANDA-I diagnoses, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcomes Classification in a measurable and user-friendly format using the care plan activity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS., Key factors in the success of the project included close collaboration among staff nurses and information technology staff, ongoing support and encouragement from the vice president/chief nursing officer, the ready availability of expert resources, and nursing ownership of the project. Use of this evidence-based documentation enhanced institutional leadership in clinical documentation. [source] Development of an instrument to measure the quality of documented nursing diagnoses, interventions and outcomes: the Q-DIOJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7 2009Maria Müller-Staub Aims and objectives., This paper aims to report the development stages of an audit instrument to assess standardised nursing language. Because research-based instruments were not available, the instrument Quality of documentation of nursing Diagnoses, Interventions and Outcomes (Q-DIO) was developed. Background., Standardised nursing language such as nursing diagnoses, interventions and outcomes are being implemented worldwide and will be crucial for the electronic health record. The literature showed a lack of audit instruments to assess the quality of standardised nursing language in nursing documentation. Design., A qualitative design was used for instrument development. Methods., Criteria were first derived from a theoretical framework and literature reviews. Second, the criteria were operationalised into items and eight experts assessed face and content validity of the Q-DIO. Results., Criteria were developed and operationalised into 29 items. For each item, a three or five point scale was applied. The experts supported content validity and showed 88·25% agreement for the scores assigned to the 29 items of the Q-DIO. Conclusions., The Q-DIO provides a literature-based audit instrument for nursing documentation. The strength of Q-DIO is its ability to measure the quality of nursing diagnoses and related interventions and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes. Further testing of Q-DIO is recommended. Relevance to clinical practice., Based on the results of this study, the Q-DIO provides an audit instrument to be used in clinical practice. Its criteria can set the stage for the electronic nursing documentation in electronic health records. [source] Efficiency and Economic Benefits of a Payer-based Electronic Health Record in an Emergency DepartmentACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2010Gregory W. Daniel PhD ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:824,833 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives:, The objective was to evaluate the use of a payer-based electronic health record (P-EHR), which is a clinical summary of a patient's medical and pharmacy claims history, in an emergency department (ED) on length of stay (LOS) and plan payments. Methods:, A large urban ED partnered with the dominant health plan in the region and implemented P-EHR technology in September 2005 for widespread use for health plan members presenting to the ED. A retrospective observational study design was used to evaluate this previously implemented P-EHR. Health plan and electronic hospital data were used to identify 2,288 ED encounters. Encounters with P-EHR use (n = 779) were identified between September 1, 2005, and February 17, 2006; encounters from the same health plan (n = 1,509) between November 1, 2004, and March 31, 2005, were compared. Outcomes were ED LOS and plan payment for the ED encounter. Analyses evaluated the effect of using the P-EHR in the ED setting on study outcomes using multivariate regressions and the nonparametric bootstrap. Results:, After covariate adjustment, among visits resulting in discharge (ED-only), P-EHR visits were 19 minutes shorter (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5 to 33 minutes) than non-P-EHR visits. Among visits resulting in hospitalization, the P-EHR was associated with an average 77-minute shorter ED LOS (95% CI = 28 to 126 minutes), compared to non,P-EHR visits. The P-EHR was associated with an average of $1,560 (95% CI = $43 to $2,910) lower total plan expenditures for hospitalized visits. No significant difference in total payments was observed among discharged visits. Conclusions:, In the study ED, the P-EHR was associated with a significant reduction in ED LOS overall and was associated with lower plan payments for visits that resulted in hospitalization. [source] Risk factors for drug dependence among out-patients on opioid therapy in a large US health-care systemADDICTION, Issue 10 2010Joseph A. Boscarino ABSTRACT Aims Our study sought to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for opioid drug dependence among out-patients on long-term opioid therapy in a large health-care system. Methods Using electronic health records, we identified out-patients receiving 4+ physician orders for opioid therapy in the past 12 months for non-cancer pain within a large US health-care system. We completed diagnostic interviews with 705 of these patients to identify opioid use disorders and assess risk factors. Results Preliminary analyses suggested that current opioid dependence might be as high as 26% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 22.0,29.9] among the patients studied. Logistic regressions indicated that current dependence was associated with variables often in the medical record, including age <65 [odds ratio (OR) = 2.33, P = 0.001], opioid abuse history (OR = 3.81, P < 0.001), high dependence severity (OR = 1.85, P = 0.001), major depression (OR = 1.29, P = 0.022) and psychotropic medication use (OR = 1.73, P = 0.006). Four variables combined (age, depression, psychotropic medications and pain impairment) predicted increased risk for current dependence, compared to those without these factors (OR = 8.01, P < 0.001). Knowing that the patient also had a history of severe dependence and opioid abuse increased this risk substantially (OR = 56.36, P < 0.001). Conclusion Opioid misuse and dependence among prescription opioid patients in the United States may be higher than expected. A small number of factors, many documented in the medical record, predicted opioid dependence among the out-patients studied. These preliminary findings should be useful in future research efforts. [source] Evaluation of the Implementation of Nursing Diagnoses, Interventions, and OutcomesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING TERMINOLOGIES AND CLASSIFICATION, Issue 1 2009Maria Müller-Staub PhD PURPOSE.,This paper aims to provide insight into nursing classifications and to report the effects of nursing diagnostics implementation. This paper summarizes the results of six studies. METHODS.,Two systematic reviews, instrument development and testing, a pre,post intervention study, and a cluster-randomized trial were performed. FINDINGS.,The NANDA International classification met most of the literature-based classification criteria, and results showed the Quality of Nursing Diagnoses, Interventions and Outcomes (Q-DIO) to be a reliable instrument to measure the documented quality of nursing diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes. Implementation of standardized nursing language significantly improved the quality of documented nursing diagnoses, related interventions, and patient outcomes. As a follow-up measure, Guided Clinical Reasoning (GCR) was effective in supporting nurses' clinical reasoning skills. CONCLUSIONS.,Carefully implementing classifications led to enhanced, accurately stated nursing diagnoses, more effective nursing interventions, and better patient outcomes. IMPLICATIONS.,Rethinking implementation methods for standardized language and using GCR is recommended. Based on the results of this study, the inclusion of NANDA International diagnoses with related interventions and outcomes in electronic health records is suggested. [source] Development of an instrument to measure the quality of documented nursing diagnoses, interventions and outcomes: the Q-DIOJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7 2009Maria Müller-Staub Aims and objectives., This paper aims to report the development stages of an audit instrument to assess standardised nursing language. Because research-based instruments were not available, the instrument Quality of documentation of nursing Diagnoses, Interventions and Outcomes (Q-DIO) was developed. Background., Standardised nursing language such as nursing diagnoses, interventions and outcomes are being implemented worldwide and will be crucial for the electronic health record. The literature showed a lack of audit instruments to assess the quality of standardised nursing language in nursing documentation. Design., A qualitative design was used for instrument development. Methods., Criteria were first derived from a theoretical framework and literature reviews. Second, the criteria were operationalised into items and eight experts assessed face and content validity of the Q-DIO. Results., Criteria were developed and operationalised into 29 items. For each item, a three or five point scale was applied. The experts supported content validity and showed 88·25% agreement for the scores assigned to the 29 items of the Q-DIO. Conclusions., The Q-DIO provides a literature-based audit instrument for nursing documentation. The strength of Q-DIO is its ability to measure the quality of nursing diagnoses and related interventions and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes. Further testing of Q-DIO is recommended. Relevance to clinical practice., Based on the results of this study, the Q-DIO provides an audit instrument to be used in clinical practice. Its criteria can set the stage for the electronic nursing documentation in electronic health records. [source] Telemedicine: barriers and opportunities in the 21st centuryJOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue S741 2001B. Stanberry Abstract. Stanberry B (Centre for Law Ethics and Risk in Telemedicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK). Telemedicine: barriers and opportunities in the 21st century (Internal Medicine in the 21st Century). J Intern Med 2000; 247: 615,628. This paper aims to examine how health telematics will develop in the first 10 years of the new millennium and, in particular, to assess what operational, ethical and legal barriers may lie in the way of this development. A description of the key principles and concepts involved in telemedicine and a short historical overview of telemedicine's evolution over the past century are followed by consideration of why empirical research into ,info-ethics' and other deontological and legal issues relating to telemedicine is being necessarily catalysed by, amongst others, the European Commission. Four evolving health telematics applications are examined in some detail: electronic health records; the transmission of visual media in disciplines such as teleradiology, teledermatology, telepathology and teleophthalmology; telesurgery and robotics and the use of call centres and decision-support software. These are discussed in the light of their moral, ethical and cultural implications for clinicians, patients and society at large. The author argues that telemedicine presents unique opportunities for both patients and clinicians where it is implemented in direct response to clear clinical needs, but warns against excessive reliance upon technology to the detriment of traditional clinician,patient relationships and against complacency regarding the risks and responsibilities , many of which are as yet unknown , that distant medical intervention, consultation and diagnosis carry. [source] Telemedicine: barriers and opportunities in the 21st centuryJOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2000B. Stanberry Abstract. Stanberry B (Centre for Law Ethics and Risk in Telemedicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK). Telemedicine: barriers and opportunities in the 21st century (Internal Medicine in the 21st Century). J Intern Med 2000; 247: 615,628. This paper aims to examine how health telematics will develop in the first 10 years of the new millennium and, in particular, to assess what operational, ethical and legal barriers may lie in the way of this development. A description of the key principles and concepts involved in telemedicine and a short historical overview of telemedicine's evolution over the past century are followed by consideration of why empirical research into ,info-ethics' and other deontological and legal issues relating to telemedicine is being necessarily catalysed by, amongst others, the European Commission. Four evolving health telematics applications are examined in some detail: electronic health records; the transmission of visual media in disciplines such as teleradiology, teledermatology, telepathology and teleophthalmology; telesurgery and robotics and the use of call centres and decision-support software. These are discussed in the light of their moral, ethical and cultural implications for clinicians, patients and society at large. The author argues that telemedicine presents unique opportunities for both patients and clinicians where it is implemented in direct response to clear clinical needs, but warns against excessive reliance upon technology to the detriment of traditional clinician,patient relationships and against complacency regarding the risks and responsibilities , many of which are as yet unknown , that distant medical intervention, consultation and diagnosis carry. [source] The Hippocratic Bargain and Health Information TechnologyTHE JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS, Issue 1 2010Mark A. Rothstein The shift to longitudinal, comprehensive electronic health records (EHRs) means that any health care provider (e.g., dentist, pharmacist, physical therapist) or third-party user of the EHR (e.g., employer, life insurer) will be able to access much health information of questionable clinical utility and possibly of great sensitivity. Genetic test results, reproductive health, mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence are examples of sensitive information that many patients would not want routinely available. The likely policy response is to give patients the ability to segment information in their EHRs and to sequester certain types of sensitive information, thereby limiting routine access to the totality of a patient's health record. This article explores the likely effect on the physician-patient relationship of patient-directed sequestration of sensitive health information, including the ethical and legal consequences. [source] Using Electronic Health Records to Help Coordinate CareTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2004LYNDA C. BURTON The use of electronic health records that can securely transmit patient data among physicians will help coordinate the care of 60 million Americans with multiple chronic conditions. This article summarizes the different organizations in the United States that are developing this technology. It discusses some of the problems encountered and the current initiatives to resolve them. The article concludes with three recommendations for enhancing care coordination: (1) a common health record, such as the Continuity of Care Record, to facilitate the exchange of clinical information among health providers; (2) regional governance structures to encourage the exchange of clinical data; and (3) payment by purchasers of care, both public and private, to physicians for using electronic health records. [source] |