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Thursday, February 21
Ireland uses patent wristbands with barcodes
by
Toby Ward
on Thu 21 Feb 2008 01:39 PM EST
IT is a significant driver for a safer and more efficient healthcare system in Ireland, funded to the tune of €17bn per year. In a move to make the system more efficient and to better track patients through the system, the system is beginning to use patient wristbands with barcodes that provide full access to the patients key information (see Taking the pulse, reported on the SiliconRepublic.com).
"In times of financial prudence, the budget for infrastructure such as IT is often cut to the quick in an attempt to rein in costs. Conversely, industry observers say now is the time to spend because IT has been proven to save money and drive efficiencies. Despite past technology projects going very publicly awry, the HSE is proceeding with smaller projects that it hopes will improve patient care and increase efficiencies.
ID technology integrator Zetes is involved in a project for patient wristbands with two-dimensional (data matrix) barcodes. The wristband contains key demographic information that includes the patient’s name, surname, date of birth, sex and hospital number. The information is now electronically transferable for use by a PDA-type device, mobile computer or any electronic interface.
“We did this for a hospital in Roscommon that wanted to improve its phlebotomy practices. It previously had to print labels and it now uses electronic wristbands,” explains Barry Long, sales manager with Zetes. “This has two advantages: electronic transfer of information and the details on the wristband is consistent and the same as on the hospital’s system.” Barcoding is a fundamental building block in the installation of wireless networks in hospitals and many hospitals throughout the country are either putting in or piloting the technology, according to Long."
Read the full article Taking the pulse.
Wednesday, August 1
U.S. Health IT Lags
by
Toby Ward
on Wed 01 Aug 2007 01:54 PM PDT
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 1 in 10 U.S. physicians in 2005 were using systems that included prescription and diagnostic test orders, test results and physician notes, which are vital to a complete health information network. That number may be in the rise, but it still lags behind demand and the pace of technology.
“As a result, the United States—which had a key role in the creation of personal computers, the rise of the consumer Internet, the mapping of the human genome and using technology to cut costs—lags Denmark, the Netherlands and some other industrialized nations when it comes to moving medical records into the digital age, according to the Commonwealth Fund, a healthcare-focused private foundation in New York,” writes Lisa Baertlein with Reuters in U.S. Health IT Lags on eWeek.com
Insurance companies, which have come under fire for cherry picking the healthiest patients or limiting payments to members, make up another sector that stands to benefit from digital information to find the most effective treatments.
The United States plans to develop a national network of health information by 2014, and the European Union has called for every member state to create a system of electronic medical records, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' recent Pharma 2020 report.
AND THE WINNER IS ... DENMARK
Denmark leads the pack among European and English-speaking countries when it comes to using digital information to deliver health care, according to the Commonwealth Fund.
The Danish government provides health care for its citizens and most of their health information is kept in a single system that can be accessed and updated by an individual's primary care doctor and other medical professionals.
Anyone who has personally—or through an acquaintance or family member—grappled with a complex or terminal medical condition knows just how difficult it can be to keep track of specialist visits, hospital stays and prescription drugs—and how valuable it is for doctors, patients and family members to have immediate access to complete records during a health crisis.
None of this of course is a surprise. In a June 2006 article, Health IT struggles echo 19th century challenges (Government Health IT), John Pulley writes, “Up to 100,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical errors, according to estimates released by the Institute of Medicine in 2000. Subsequent studies have estimated twice as many such deaths, with medical errors killing more people every year than breast cancer, AIDS or wrecks involving motor vehicles.”
“One in every five of those fatal errors results from a lack of immediate access to patient health care information, said Jodi Daniel, the director of policy and research for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.”
While the “war on terror” continues to dominate the U.S. administration’s policy, priorities such as Health IT will continue lag and fall further behind European counterparts.
Thursday, October 12
Danish GPs lead use of HiT
by
Toby Ward
on Thu 12 Oct 2006 11:46 PM EDT
A new study reveals that Danes beat out other leading nations in using information technology (IT) in delivering patient care.
Among the findings, Danish GPs regularly exchange clinical information over asecure network. In fact, over 90% of clinical communications are exchange online and only 41 GPs are not connected to the network.
Danish patients also use e-mail to contact their GPs for medical advice. GPs are paid twice the amount for e-mail consultations as they are for phone and a national online health portal provides information to patients alllows them to schedule appointments, renew prescriptions, access their own health records (with detailed information on who has read their records) and even query which facilities have the shortest or longest waiting times. The study (see Adoption of IT by GPs/FMs -- Canadian Medical Association) is a review of IT use by GPs in 10 countries, prepared for Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) by Professor Denis Protti, from the School of Health Information Science at the University of Victoria, found that general practitioners in other countries are using IT in greater numbers.
"We need to stop running a 21st century health system using 19th century paperwork," said Richard Alvarez, Infoway's President and CEO. "Recent CMA/Infoway research shows that if Canadian physicians could improve the quality and efficiency of their practices and save time, they would adopt electronic health records. Clearly the challenge is to demonstrate that these benefits can only be achieved through the widespread use of electronic records in physicians' day-to-day operations," he added.
The review showed that in these 10 British, European, and Australasian nations, more than 90% of GPs are using computers for at least some element of caring for patients. The most common usage involves management of patient drug prescriptions, followed by receiving laboratory results online. In Canada, that number is around 20%.
The study was commissioned by Infoway to identify factors that have contributed to the success of the countries studied in achieving high levels of automation in GP offices over the last decade.
Additional reading from the Canadian Medical Association:
News release
Summary of Protti study and comparison with Canada
Commentary by CMA President Dr. Ruth Collins-Nakai
Commentary by Infoway CEO Richard Alvarez
Survey of Canadian Physicians
Individual country reports
Friday, July 28
One step closer to Canadian EHRs
by
Cathy McKnight
on Fri 28 Jul 2006 01:20 PM EDT
A recent agreement between Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has given the green light to establishing a new Canada-wide coordination body. Housed by Infoway, the Infoway Standards Collaborative will manage, deliver and maintain health information standards, including those standards related to pan-Canadian electronic health records (EHR).
Currently, Canada’s health information standards are managed by several different organizations and initiatives, including CIHI. Having one body responsible for these standards being upheld ensures that the data collected about Canada’s health system meet quality criteria and can be easily compared.
The Infoway Standards Collaborative will take on several of CIHI’s initiatives already underway that support health information standards, including the Partnership for Health Information Standards, HL7 Canada and liaison activities with Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM). While CIHI will no longer be managing the same slate of standardization activities, it will continue to provide leadership in the development and maintenance of the key content standards (such as ICD-10-CA, CCI, MIS Standards) underpinning its information products and services.
Based on extensive consultations and collaboration, the Blueprint is focused on interoperability – the capability of computer systems to seamlessly communicate with one another. It provides guidance for integrating the approximately 40,000 existing health information systems in use across the country, while remaining flexible to allow for incorporating new and better information systems and capabilities.
This announcement follows on the heels of the release of a revised version of the Electronic Health Record Solution Blueprint developed by Infoway. The revised blueprint provides stakeholders developing Electronic Health Record Solutions with a technology framework for sharing health information securely and appropriately across Canada. It also takes a closer look at privacy and security issues.
For more information on Canada Health Infoway, please go to www.infoway-inforoute.ca .
Portion of this article originally published in CIHI’s Directions newsletter, June 2006 issue.
Thursday, July 27
US spends $31 billion on healthcare IT
by
Cathy McKnight
on Thu 27 Jul 2006 12:51 PM EDT
The American Hospital Association (AHA) claims that advances in technology have transformed patient care, particularly in the shift from inpatient to outpatient settings and in the development of less invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. Perhaps this explains why annual IT spending in the healthcare industry has jumped $12 billion since 2000.
According to industry analysts Sheldon I Dorenfest & Associates, $31 billion dollars was spent on picture archiving and communications systems, and computerized provider order entry systems, among other IT gadgets and software this year. And it doesn’t look that this spending splurge will end anytime soon.
This detail clearly challenges the view that healthcare organizations spend much less on IT than other industries. According to reports on spending in 2001, banking and financial services spent about 5% to 6% of revenues on IT, compared with 3% to 4% for healthcare organizations.
Data from a Modern Healthcare/PricewaterhouseCoopers annual survey of hospital executives indicate that the typical healthcare organization allocates 2.5% of the operating budget to IT. Senior hospital executives responding to the Modern Healthcare 2005 survey indicated their primary near-term IT priority to be the electronic health record (EHR).
Implementing a national EHR system would be in the realm of $276 billion to $320 billion over 10 years. Broken down this translates to an estimated initial cost of $2.7 million for a medium-sized hospital and then $250,000 per year, with an expected annual savings of $1.3 million once the system is fully operational. If accurate, that could mean a $77.8 billion annual savings nationally.
Originally reported in Canadian Healthcare Technology.
Monday, June 5
New electronic tools to benefit mental health and addiction patients
by
Toby Ward
on Mon 05 Jun 2006 11:53 AM EDT
The Vancouver Island Health Authority(VIHA) will be the first health care organization in Canada to use technology to support mental health and addictions clinicians and clients to make the most informed decisions about their care.
With the help of a $1.8 million investment from Canada Health Infoway’s Innovation and Adoption program, VIHA will implement electronic tools to match clients with mental health and addictions challenges with the most appropriate care in the community.
“Electronic health initiatives are improving and modernizing the delivery of better, faster and safer health care,” said Health Minister George Abbott. “B.C. is leveraging investment and partnership opportunities from Canada Health Infoway to lead the country in developing electronic health information systems and we may see achievements in B.C. replicated in other jurisdictions."
“We are very grateful for Canada Health Infoway’s investment in this innovative project,” Waldner said. “By leveraging VIHA’s electronic health record system and introducing new web-based decision support technology, we can provide our clinicians with comprehensive information at the point of care, allowing them to make the best possible treatment decisions based on their clients’ needs.”
As in many other Canadian jurisdictions, VIHA clinicians do not currently have a standardized method for identifying and recording clients’ needs and risks, nor do they have access to an inventory of services available in the community. With paper-based processes still being used to document clinical information and refer clients to community-based services, transfer of critical health information and treatment can be delayed.
“This is a remarkable example of electronic tools supporting the needs of patients with acute or chronic conditions,” said Richard Alvarez, Infoway’s President and CEO. “This innovative solution will help reduce wait times and lead to more appropriate care and could serve as a model for other jurisdictions across the country,” he added.
With Infoway’s investment, VIHA’s Mental Health and Addictions Services team and Information Management/Information Technology staff will work closely with two of their existing technology providers, Cerner and Strata Health Solutions, to develop standardized electronic assessments forms and decision support tools specific to mental health and addictions needs. Clinicians will document a client’s assessments in Cerner’s PowerChart tool. Using that information, Strata Health’s web-based Strata PathWays’ ™ tool will provide access to a real-time inventory of mental health and addictions services available in the community that meet the needs of the specific client. VIHA expects it will take approximately 24 months to develop, test and implement the new electronic tools and train staff to use the new technology.
Strata PathWays™ is part of the B.C. eHealth initiative to build an integrated, electronic system that improves outcomes for patients by making their specific information available in hospitals, doctor's offices – wherever and whenever they need to seek health care services.
Read more at Canada Health Infoway invests in mental health apps
Saturday, May 27
Internet Tools Can Encourage Appropriate Health Care Decisions
by
Toby Ward
on Fri 26 May 2006 09:49 PM PDT
Companies that are best at controlling health care costs are more likely than their poorer performing counterparts to offer multifaceted Internet tools that help employees model health care options, a study by Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health has found (see Internet Tools Can Encourage Appropriate Health Care Decisions).
- 58% of the 585 companies surveyed provide Internet resources that allow employees to compare health care insurance options side by side
- Companies that are best at controlling costs offer additional Web tools and are…
- 38% more likely to provide quality comparison tools and
- 36% more likely to provide tools to model the tax impact of health care decisions, such as signing up for a flexible spending account.
- While only a small number of companies offer Internet resources for provider pricing, those best at controlling costs are 108% more likely to do so.
|
Internet resources offered |
% of companies offering |
% by which best performers are more likely to offer |
|
Side-by-side comparison of insurance options |
58% |
16% |
|
Tax impact modeling |
34% |
36% |
|
Provider quality comparison |
26% |
38% |
|
Provider pricing comparison |
15% |
108% |
“The Web can be a great help in effectively delivering health care information to employees and is especially important for companies making significant plan design changes,” said Jeri Stepman, Watson Wyatt’s national leader for health and welfare administration.
According to the survey, best performers are more likely to incorporate the following four factors into their health care programs:
- Quality
- data/evidence
- health improvement and productivity
- appropriate use of health care services1
Best performers are…
- 32% more likely to focus on quality of care (e.g., paying a differential to higher-quality providers)
- 24% more likely to have programs that assist employees in managing their own health than their poor-performing counterparts
- 23% more likely to use data and hard evidence
- 16% more likely to provide incentives and information to use health care services appropriately1
“Companies adopting a consumerism approach to health care are finding that employees need more than financial incentives to become better health care consumers — they need information as well. Tools that allow employees to consider many facets of their health care can make a significant difference in the health care options employees choose.”
Although many companies are providing Web resources that help employees model their health care options, most are not yet offering the information on provider quality and pricing that employees need to make more cost-effective choices.
“Providing information on the cost-effectiveness of providers is key to directing employees to lower-cost, higher-quality health care,” Stepman said. “Employers can harness the Internet to help provide this data and encourage employees to use health care providers with the best treatment outcomes.”
1 National Business Group on Health, Employer Interest in Consumer-Directed Health Plans Growing, Watson Wyatt/National Business Group on Health Survey Finds - 3/16/06
Friday, May 12
U.S. as much as 12 years behind other countries in HIT adoption
by
Toby Ward
on Fri 12 May 2006 04:49 AM EDT
(eWeek) The United States lags far behind other countries in its adoption and funding of health IT, according to a study published in the May/June issue of Health Affairs. At the same time, the United States pays much more per person for health care than other rich countries do.
While governments usually pay for health IT in other developed countries, the report says, the United States has relied on the private sector, particularly health insurers. The result, according to the report, is that "the United States lags as much as a dozen years behind other industrialized countries in HIT adoption.
See Report: U.S. Lags in Health IT
Monday, May 8
The healthcare innovation gap
by
Toby Ward
on Mon 08 May 2006 01:53 PM PDT
Wharton professor of health care systems Lawton Robert Burns has discovered a gap in healthcare academic literature. When Burns, director of the Wharton Center for Health Management and Economics, began teaching healthcare management there was plenty of reading on physicians and hospitals and insurance. However, Burns discovered little information on healthcare technology and the producers of healthcare products.
Professor Burns aims to close this gap with his new book, The Business of Healthcare Innovation. The book focuses on four sectors - medical devices, information technology, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
Some of the problems feeding this gap include the industry’s "glacial" embrace of IT systems and the integration of standardized IT systems in complex health organizations. Hospital personnel is also cited as a barrier to innovation as doctors, nurses, pharmacists in particular are known to resist change.
More on The Business of Healthcare Innovation: How New Products Come to Market
Wednesday, May 3
The business case for healthcare technology investment
by
Toby Ward
on Wed 03 May 2006 03:27 PM EDT
(Las Vegas – Forum for Healthcare Strategists) Healthcare technology is delivering wins for providers and patients.
Here are just some of the case study success highlights from the Forum for Healthcare Strategists in Las Vegas:
Consumer health & wellness
- 72% of all online adults searched for health information in 2005 (WSJ/Harris Interactive – cited by Greystone.net)3
- Approximately 57% of users indicate they have discussed online health information with their physicians (Manhattan Research – cited by Greystone.net)3
- Health website user priorities according to Harris Interactive (cited by Greystone.net)3
- Ask question that doesn’t require a visit (77%)
- Schedule/ Cancel appointments (71%)
- Refill a prescription (71%)
- Receive test/lab results (70%)
Electronic Health Record (eHR)
Sutter Health has spent millions of dollars on their her system, but the rewards have been high. “We absolutely believe that eHR has more than paid for itself,” says Cecilia Montalvo, a VP with Sutter.
- Mammogram completion rates (Sutter Health patients) more than double with those patients who use electronic health records (eHR); and more than quadruple when the patient receives an e-mail reminder (Sutter Health2)
- Older patients (Sutter Health) are more likely to use eHR with the highest enrolment and use by age skew is 60-69 years old (about 10% of patients that are 80-89, and 90+ years old are using eHR)2
- 96% of patients (Sutter Health) using online messaging with their physicians and e-visits are satisfied or very satisfied with their eHR system2
- 90% of physicians (Sutter Health) are satisfied or very satisfied with their eHR system2
Here’s a telling quote from a Sutter Health patient using their eHR system called PAMFOnline2: “I do not put off appointments or asking my doctor a question. I can ask a question and find out if I need to come in, have a lab test or that nothing is needed. I feel so secure that I can message Dr. S. – he responds so fast – and with my medical problems fear is one of the worst things I deal with. Know my doctor is an (eHR) message away comforts me. He is the best!”
Return on Investment
- By implementing a ‘targeted knowledge transfer’ (TKT) system, Bon Secours Health System was able to enhance revenue and reduce costs by $54 million1.
- The Internet as a physician referral marketing channel is second only to Yellow Pages in generating revenue from marketing activities (almost $1.2 million) for UK Healthcare4
--
1 The Marketing Challenge: Technology Trends & Transition, Michele van Zuiden and Stephanie McCutcheon, HealthTech
2 A Technology Milestone: Getting Patients Online, Cecilia Montalvo & Bill Black, MD, PhD, Sutter Health
3 The Broadband Media Strategy, Michael Schneider and Robin Snow, Greystone.net
4 Demonstrating Marketing and Communication Accountability, William R. Gombeski Jr., Director, Strategic Marketing, UK HealthCare
Monday, May 1
Enormous opportunity for healthcare technology
by
Toby Ward
on Mon 01 May 2006 01:57 PM PDT
(Las Vegas – Forum for Healthcare Strategists) Technology has always driven change in healthcare. However, those running and managing healthcare delivery have never been more aware and supportive of technology driven change.
Driving support and investment in healthcare technology are the CEOs. In a recent survey by HealthTech, CEOs were asked, “In the future, what role would you like technology innovation to play in the development, communication, and implementation of your organization’s strategy?”
100% of the CEOs said that technology would play a greater role than today – 67% said “significantly more” than today with each hoping to be a “technology leader” (source: HealthTech1).
Other survey findings from HealthTech found…
- Satisfaction is lagging with the technology planning process (about 60% expressed dissatisfaction or only “slight satisfaction” with their planning process
- Top five barriers to technology planning:
- Prioritization with limited resources
- Balancing impact on cost/quality
- Physician bias/enthusiasm
- Time availability
- Physician input/involvement
So while enthusiasm has never run higher, there exists an enormous opportunity for healthcare technologists to help minimize the gap between current and desired end state.
HealthTech is one of those ceasing the opportunity. HealthTech is a non-profit “pooled expert-led research center for delivery systems and health plans” with funding that is “independent” of technology vendors. One of three key organizations along with Kaiser Permanente and VHA Health Foundation, HealthTech and others are driving a an innovation learning network called A-ICU.
A-ICU has the chief objective of reducing the net cost for healthcare for most expensive chronic disease patients by 40%. The network will connect participating health provider organizations with the focus being “accelerated adoption of innovations and emerging technologies.” A-ICU is currently being designed (6 months) and is due to be implemented by October of this year.
1 The Marketing Challenge: Technology Trends & Transition, Micheele van Zuiden and Stephanie McCutcheon
Wednesday, April 26
Health information must follow patients, says outgoing Czar
by
Toby Ward
on Wed 26 Apr 2006 05:13 PM PDT
David J. Brailer, National Coordinator for Health IT, also known as the Health IT Czar, has announced his retirement after two years in the position. Dr. Brailer’s top priority was electronic health records (EHR).
"Everybody's connected but nobody is sharing," Dr. Brailer was quoted on eWeek.com (see Outgoing Health IT Czar Worries About Information Silos). "That's the natural consequence without federal intervention (one of the biggest concerns facing government).
The Secretary of Health however is not worried, but has no replacement as of yet.
“While I will miss him here at HHS, I am pleased that David has agreed to serve as Vice-Chair of the American Health Information Community (The Community), which is charged with making recommendations to the Secretary of HHS to facilitate the development and adoption of standards-based health IT,” said Mike Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“David has helped the Community identify promising breakthroughs for near-term progress while continuing to move us closer to longer-term health IT goals. David will also continue to serve as a consultant to HHS to help lead the President’s health care transparency initiative.”
In two years as Health IT Czar, Brailer has been very vocal about what government should do and not do. Brailer has said the government should not be buying IT for every doctor and not mandate standards across the country but ensure the "full portability of information.”
Brailer is regarded as one of the most powerful and widely respected eHealth champions. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Brailer was a Senior Fellow at the Health Technology Center in San Francisco, CA, a non-profit research and education organization that provides strategic information and resources to health care organizations about the future impact of technology in health care delivery. Dr. Brailer holds doctoral degrees in both medicine and economics.
Dr. Brailer also served for ten years as Chairman and CEO of CareScience, Inc., a leading provider of care management services and Internet-based solutions that help reduce medical errors and improve physician and hospital-based performance. While at CareScience, Dr. Brailer led the company in developing groundbreaking inventions with major research institutions, establishing the nation's first health care Application Service Provider (ASP) and creating a care management business process outsourcing partnership that allowed hospitals to outsource their care management functions on an at-risk basis. Dr. Brailer also designed and oversaw the development of one of the first community-based health information exchanges in Santa Barbara County, California.
Brailer has also been a strong opponent of the new anti-corruption legislation which is seen as limiting health IT progress by, for example, blocking corporations donating equipment to doctors and hospitals.
Read more about Brailer's resignation
Healthcare technology improves patient care
by
Toby Ward
on Tue 25 Apr 2006 09:35 PM PDT
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a report revealing that information technology has improved the quality of care for patients. However, the study finds most health care providers need more information about how to implement these technologies successfully. How timely for news blogs such as these!
Much of the study, however, is focused on large health care organizations with considerable resources. To close the gap between large and smaller organizations, AHRQ has provided grant funding to more 100 I.T. programs across the nation under a $166 million fund started in 2004.
Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technologyis a synthesis of four studies at four medical centers – three Dutch and one American. The report examines the quality impact of health IT as well as the costs and organizational changes needed to implement health IT systems. This report reviews scientific data about the implementation of health IT to date, as documented in studies published through 2003. It does not project future health care benefits or savings, in contrast to other reports.
HIT systems
The authors conclude that scientific reviews have shown significant improvements in the quality of health care utilizing health IT (HIT) systems. However, these successes have occurred primarily within large health care systems that created their own health IT systems and devoted substantial commitment and resources to these efforts. AHRQ's initiative is developing data needed about how to put health IT to work in more common health care settings such as physicians' offices and hospitals.
"HIT has the potential to enable a dramatic transformation in the delivery of health care, making it safer, more effective, and more efficient," the report concludes. "However, widespread implementation of HIT has been limited by a lack of generalizable knowledge about what types of HIT and implementation methods will improve care and manage costs for specific health organizations."
In particular, the studies “demonstrated improvements in provider performance when clinical information management and decision support tools were made available within an EHR system, particularly when the EHRs had the capacity to store data with high fidelity, to make those data readily accessible, and to help translate them into context specific information that can empower providers in their work.
Large leads
Large health care organizations and health plans have been leaders in health IT. The report points out that, by contrast, the smaller medical practices and hospitals that constitute the majority of the nation's health care providers have limited technological expertise and must depend on the purchase of commercial systems. Data about health IT implementation in these settings has been very limited, according to the report.
As a result, a predominant portion of health care providers in America have not had the information they need to calculate the impact of health IT implementation on their organizations.
"Health care providers need reliable information that tells them what they can expect when they implement health IT systems," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D.
Focus shifts to small
"Leading institutions in health IT have shown that these systems can produce improved quality and patient safety. But smaller practices and hospitals need to know how these improvements can be achieved in settings like theirs, using the kinds of commercial systems they are likely to employ. AHRQ's health IT initiative is designed to generate and share the kind of information providers need."
Dr. Clancy said AHRQ's health IT initiative will help deliver this kind of information. The $166 million initiative includes more than 100 projects where health IT systems are being implemented, with an emphasis on systems in community-based health care settings, using commercially available systems. The AHRQ initiative was launched in September 2004, and most projects have 3-year duration.
The AHRQ-sponsored research will yield scientifically valid information that will share the experiences of typical providers in implementing health IT systems. This includes both the impact on quality and safety of care as well as the organizational impact of implementing health IT systems.
"AHRQ's initiative is a real-world laboratory, showing how health IT can be used successfully in typical health care settings," Dr. Clancy said. "The experiences of our grantees will be shared broadly to help all health care providers more successfully adopt health IT."
Findings from the AHRQ projects are being made available through the AHRQ National Resource Center for Health Information Technology, at http://www.healthit.ahrq.gov.
In addition to this report, an interactive database providing access to the studies reviewed as part of the report will be available at http://healthit.ahrq.gov/tools/rand.
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