The results of a new Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded (AHRQ) study shows that Massachusetts physicians taking part in a 4-year, $50 million health information technology (IT) program increased their ability to generate and use registries that provide information about laboratory test results and medication use.
The ability to use patient registries, or lists of patients with specific conditions, medications or test results, is considered an essential tool for improving health care and is in the “meaningful use” criteria developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
A total of 163 physicians from 134 practices in 3 communities participated in the health IT program between 2005 through 2009. Sponsored by the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, the program consisted of robust electronic health records and work-flow redesign and technical support at no cost to the practices. Compared with all physicians who were surveyed in 2005, all respondents in 2009 were more likely to be able to generate significantly more laboratory and medication registries. The free abstract is available on PubMed at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21734198.
Source: AHRQ News Release
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