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       			 Health Data Management 
                  February 22, 2011 
                How to Extract Value from an Ambulatory EHR 
                  James Holly, M.D., is a believer when it comes to  EHR technology for physician group practices. His practice, Southeast Texas  Medical Associates, has used digital documentation since 1999—and has invested  $6.5 million in I.T. over the years, “all private funds,” Holly told the  audience at his HIMSS presentation. But Holly says that unless physician groups  use the technology to document—and improve—quality, the EHR is not worth the  cost. 
                  The group practice has jumped into quality measurement full force. It tracks  some 250 quality measures, including several standard industry measures such as  HEDIS and PQRI. The practice has layered a business intelligence tool atop its  NextGen ambulatory electronic record system. It can track multiple metrics for  any patient with a given condition. 
                  Holly says that is the best approach when addressing patients with such  conditions as diabetes. The group for example can track nine metrics for its  diabetic patients, including eye exams, blood pressure, flu shots, blood sugar  test scores and levels, and foot exams. 
                  Its business intelligence system generates reports which show how well the  practice is treating patients with chronic conditions. That enables the  physicians to analyze what to do to help keep the conditions under control. 
                  One metric revealed that patients maintaining positive diabetic profiles had  on average five office visits annually. The group falling short had less than  four annual visits, a metric suggesting these other patients may need to come  in more often, Holly said. 
                  The group publishes it own quality scorecards on its Web site, Setma.com. It  also publishes patient satisfaction scores with the practice. “We are giving  our patients a degree of confidence in us by doing that,” Holly said. “Today  the cost of health care is astronomical and the trust is almost non-existent.  Physicians don’t need new streams of revenue, they need new streams of trust  with patients.” 
                --Gary Baldwin 
           
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