267120 Putting electronic health record data to meaningful use

Monday, October 29, 2012

Adam Baus, MA, MPH , Office of Health Services Research, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Cecil Pollard, MA , School of Public Health, West Virginia University School of Public Health, Office of Health Services Research, Morgantown, WV
Gina Wood, RD, LD , Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Charleston, WV
Betsy Thornton, RN, BSN , Cardiovascular Health Program, West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, Charleston, WV
  
Background: Insuring electronic health record (EHR) data quality and integrity, streamlining the process of using EHR data for targeted improvements in care, and using those data to inform practice policies and procedures are prerequisites to genuine meaningful use of data. The West Virginia (WV) Bureau for Public Health and the West Virginia University Office of Health Services Research (OSHR) have built lasting quality improvement partnerships with WV safety-net clinics founded on innovative, resource-sensitive application of EHR data to care improvement. Recent developments center on using EHR data to identify patients at-risk for hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes. These efforts capitalize on transfer of disparate EHR data into a standardized, public domain registry for verification and analysis.

Objective/Purpose: By the end of the session, the participant will be able to: 1) describe how standardizing and verifying EHR data are necessary for the quality improvement process; 2) identify how EHR data can inform changes to practice policies and procedures; 3) discuss how EHR data can be used to identify at-risk patient populations for early intervention and prevention of chronic disease onset.

Methods: OHSR uses a participatory approach in building local leadership and facilitating practice improvement and EHR data use among WV safety-net clinics. Results from once-yearly Assessment of Chronic Illness Care surveys inform targeted efforts in each site.

Results: Among 16 target sites, OHSR is refining data decision trees to: identify populations of patients by diagnosis; identify patients at-risk for hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes; and identify subgroups of patients in need of care.

Discussion/Conclusions: Validated EHR data can be an agent for confidently informing changes in practice policies and procedures, driving chronic disease quality of care improvement, and identifying at-risk patient populations for early intervention and prevention of chronic disease onset.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Communication and informatics
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the session, the participant will be able to: 1) describe how standardizing and verifying EHR data are necessary for the quality improvement process; 2) identify how EHR data can inform changes to practice policies and procedures; 3) discuss how EHR data can be used to identify at-risk patient populations for early intervention and prevention of chronic disease onset.

Keywords: Quality Improvement, Information Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked in health services research for over 8 years; funded by the WV Bureau for Public Health to assist state-wide primary care centers in using clinical information systems to improve the quality of care to patients with chronic health conditions. I have a BA in Sociology, a MA in Applied Social Research, and a Masters of Public Health degree. I am currently working to complete my PhD in Public Health Sciences.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3395.0: Innovation in Technology: Data Methods and Applications Posters 1