Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

EHRs provide physicians with better access to patient information, decision support, reference data, and outcome and chronic care management. EHRs also improve patient-clinician communications and optimize billing and reimbursement. Widespread adoption of EHRs has the potential to produce substantial savings to overall health care costs. 

Quality Insights assists participating Pennsylvania physicians in using their EHRs to improve efficiency, quality of care and patient safety. Our RN project coordinators supply expertise to analyze practice needs, redesign systems, and assist with updating or streamlining clinical and administrative processes.

Participating practices utilize their EHRs to improve preventive care for Medicare beneficiaries. Specifically, this project focuses on increasing appropriate rates for:

Visit our online Resource Center to view and download our health information technology tools.

 
 Advantages of EHRs Eliminates paper charts – Electronic records are more convenient and access to information can be quick and easy.

Enables e-prescribing – Electronic systems handle prescription refills easily and efficiently and the software can also alert the physician to drug interactions.
 
Increases efficiencies – Data goes immediately into the chart, and visits are properly documented, making it easier to resolve billing and insurance questions.
 
Improves preventive care – Most systems remind physicians of out-of-date health maintenance services such as routine tests and vaccinations.
 
Ties to economic incentive – Use pay for performance initiatives to increase your practice’s income.
 
Promotes outcomes management – Specific data collection can provide comprehensive information on important patient outcome measures, contribute to meaningful data identification, Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) reporting and physician incentive payments.
 
Eases chronic care management – System flags can ease your ability to oversee and manage patients with chronic diseases, prompting reminders and relevant educational tools for patient self management support.
 
Provides patient education – EHR systems put patient education handouts at your fingertips. These can include information on the importance of immunizations, cancer screenings, disease management and specific patient care plans for disease self-management.