The overall goal of the Prevention project is to improve the quality and frequency of preventive health care services through an electronic health record (EHR) system, in order to optimize beneficiary quality of life and health care efficiencies. As the Quality Improvement Organization for the state of Rhode Island under our contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Quality Partners of Rhode Island (Quality Partners) has the pleasure of working with 78 Primary Care Providers in 28 practice sites across the state to improve preventative health care rates using electronic health records (EHRs) in the following areas:
- Mammography Screening
- Colorectal Cancer Screening
- Influenza Immunizations
- Pneumonia Immunizations
Quality Partners has developed a Practice Assistance Program. This program is grounded in the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care and incorporates health information technology (HIT) as a tool to assist with outcome improvement. We have developed individualized educational outreach to providers, their office staff, and patients that provide the framework for preventive and chronic disease management as well as promote the evolution of a PCMH in their practice to support and guide physician practices as they strive to implement prevention processes
The Prevention Team partners with many organizations in the community:
Why Prevention?
|
Measure
|
RI Rate
|
Numerators
|
| Mammography Screening |
62.3% |
RI biennial mammography rate for female Medicare beneficiaries aged 52-59, for July 2005-June 2007.[1] |
| Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening
|
55.8%
|
Eligible Medicare enrollees over age 50 who had any one of the four recommended CRC tests during the report interval: one colonoscopy OR one sigmoidoscopy OR one barium enema OR one Fecal Occult Blood Test.[2] |
| Flu Immunization |
48.4%
|
Annual influenza vaccine for Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older.[3] |
| Pneumonia Immunization |
46.5% |
Lifetime history of pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine in Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older.[4] |
[1]CMS QIO Reports 8th SOW dashboard, online http://qionet.sdps.org/reports/dash_8thSOW.shtml
[2]The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence report on statewide colorectal screening rates, http://www.mrnc.org/crcreport2/tab1.aspx
[3]CMS Immunization Analytics File, 2006
[4]CMS Immunization Analytics File, 2006
Barriers to screenings and immunizations along with corresponding interventions are varied, and can include patient, provider, facility, financial, and educational factors. Once practices migrate to an EHR, they have an increased opportunity to successfully monitor both screening and immunization rates at the practice level. Utilization of EHR to set alerts, “close the loop” on outstanding orders/results and reporting off data are examples of how an EHR system can help manage preventive care services. Reviewing and analyzing data then allows a practice to develop strategies to improve key focus areas with the goal of improving both preventive screening rates and patient outcomes.
Opportunity for Quality Improvement
Our interventions support health information technology (HIT) and have the potential to improve screening rates through timely notification of providers and patients when a mammogram or CRC screening should be scheduled. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination levels among adults 65 years of age and older remain well below the Healthy People 2010 objective of 90%.
Articles
Rhode Island Prevention Connection E-Newsletter
2010 Issues
2009 Issues
For more information, about our Prevention work, contact Brenda Jenkins at bjenkins@riqio.sdps.org or 401-528-3200.
|
