Information Technology Adoption to Make Care Safer:
Adopting Electronic Health Records in Primary Care Physician Offices
What are we measuring and why?
We measure the percentage of doctors at Partners HealthCare who use electronic health records. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are a vast improvement over paper records. They are one of the best ways to boost patient safety, manage chronic illnesses, and improve the efficiency of the practice. The EHR technology used at Partners HealthCare is secure. It gives our caregivers the same complete health information for a patient so that he or she receives safe and coordinated care. And, when doctors prescribe drugs through the EHR, drug allergies and drug interactions can be prevented. The tool can also suggest more cost-effective drugs, when appropriate, to save everyone money.
How are we doing and how do we compare to best practice?
Partners HealthCare is a national leader in the use of EHRs. All of our Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) and specialists have adopted full use of the EHR. This is much better than the national average.
Preliminary data from a 2010 survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics showed that 10% of physicians in the U.S. reported having a fully functional EMR/EHR system in their office-based practices.*
What are we doing to improve?
Although we have reached optimum levels of performance on this measure, our work is not done. We are looking for ways to help our EHR users optimize the use of their systems. For some, this is learning some tips and tricks that will help users maximize and master the system. For others, it is implementing more sophisticated modules that extend the value of the EHR, such as patient portals.
* “Electronic Medical Record/Electronic Health Record Systems of Office-based Physicians: United States, 2009 and Preliminary 2010 State Estimates”, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Charts for Adopting Electronic Health Records in Primary Care Physician Offices
- Current Scores
- Scores Over Time
- Current Scores
- Scores Over Time
Rate of PCPs Using the Electronic Health Record
Partners HealthCare Data Period: July – September 2010
Although we have reached optimum performance on this measure, our work is not done. We continue to monitor our progress, share best practices, and evaluate advances in the technology to maintain implementation in all our primary care practices.
Partners HealthCare Source: Partners HealthCare High Performance Medicine
Reference Point Source: Centers for Disease Control, NCHS Health E-Stat Survey, December 8, 2010
Rate of PCPs Using the Electronic Health Record
Although we have reached optimum performance on this measure, our work is not done. We continue to monitor our progress, share best practices, and evaluate advances in the technology to maintain implementation in all our primary care practices.
Partners HealthCare Source: Partners HealthCare High Performance Medicine
Reference Point Source: Centers for Disease Control, NCHS Health E-Stat Survey, December 8, 2010
Rate of PCPs Using the Electronic Health Record
Partners HealthCare Data Period: July – September 2010
Although we have reached optimum performance on this measure, our work is not done. We continue to monitor our progress, share best practices, and evaluate advances in the technology to maintain implementation in all our primary care practices.
Partners HealthCare Source: Partners HealthCare High Performance Medicine
Reference Point Source: Centers for Disease Control, NCHS Health E-Stat Survey, December 8, 2010
Rate of PCPs Using the Electronic Health Record
Although we have reached optimum performance on this measure, our work is not done. We continue to monitor our progress, share best practices, and evaluate advances in the technology to maintain implementation in all our primary care practices.
Partners HealthCare Source: Partners HealthCare High Performance Medicine
Reference Point Source: Centers for Disease Control, NCHS Health E-Stat Survey, December 8, 2010