PROFESSIONAdding performance data to EMRs shows payoffIntegrating measures developed by the Physician Consortium into the electronic health record system was found to improve care and save money.By Andis Robeznieks, AMNews staff. Dec. 27, 2004. The costs of using electronic medical records and the paperwork burden of documenting physician adherence to performance measures are often cited as obstacles to putting either into widespread practice. Now, however, Michael O'Toole, MD, is capturing the medical community's attention by showing proof of the multiple benefits of integrating the performance measures developed by the AMA-led Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement into an electronic health record system. These benefits include improving patient care and saving money by avoiding hospitalizations. And, because the collection of data is woven into the normal practice of a typical doctor's office visit, the process does not add more paperwork. Dr. O'Toole, an internist and cardiologist, serves as the director of medical informatics for Midwest Heart Specialists, a practice with 60 cardiovascular physicians in 15 offices -- most in suburban Chicago. He has given a briefing on his work to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and also presented his findings at a meeting of the Physician Consortium last month in Chicago. Dr. O'Toole showed that, after one year of integrating the consortium's coronary artery disease measures into its practice, MHS was able to report 78 fewer deaths among its 2,368 patients, 158 fewer heart attacks, 38 fewer strokes and $3 million to $5 million saved in hospitalizations, compared with results for similar patients in published studies. This year, MHS adopted the consortium's measures for hypertension and heart failure. [...]Full text of AMNews content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2004 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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