[Gnumed-devel] Using EMRs to assess indicators (maybe quality) of care - depends on codes, yes?

[Jim Busser]

This link is to a ~ 100 page PDF describing the results of a Canadian study in 
which data from EMRs and other sources were linked to perform an analysis of 
care over time.

Page 19 describes the indicators, then-defined by use of codes as listed on 
page 81.
The immunization schedule that they queried is on page 82.

It reminds me that attaching codes to patients remains an important next step 
for GNUmed.

What is the current and next steps in thinking, design, implementation? 

Here is the abstract

Katz, A., Bogdanovic, B., & Soodeen, R. (2010). “Physician Integrated Network 
Baseline Evaluation: Linking Electronic Medical Records and Administrative 
Data.” Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. Winnipeg, MB. Retrieved from 
http://mchp-appserv.cpe.umanitoba.ca/reference/PIN_full_report.pdf.

Electronic medical records (EMRs) help family doctors provide better care to 
their patients. Without these records it’s difficult to measure what kind of 
care patients receive. Manitoba Health asked researchers at MCHP to look for 
patterns among groups of patients in the Physician Integrated Network (PIN). 
The PIN initiative aims to improve patients’ access to doctors and 
interdisciplinary teams while creating a system to manage information more 
effectively so doctors can make better decisions. The study found improvements 
in the use of electronic medical records by helping to define criteria for the 
use of standard fields. This allows doctors to make better use of their own 
EMRs and helps manage chronic conditions and the overall health of their 
patients. Family doctors can use information from EMRs to graph patients’ 
health by measuring weight, blood pressure, and so on with each visit. The same 
techniques can be used to monitor chronic conditions such as diabetes and more 
importantly, measurements can be taken on how patients respond to treatment.

-- Jim