Improving Quality through Health Information Technology

How can health information technology (HIT) make care more efficient, reduce waste, and improve quality of outcomes?  While HIT systems have the potential to improve quality and efficiency of care, little is known about the use of HIT in outpatient settings. To help fill this knowledge gap, HRET is teaming up with Northwestern University and the Alliance of Chicago Community Health Services, a network of four community health centers that provide care to low-income and uninsured populations, to evaluate the usefulness of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system in tracking and screening patients for HIV and cervical cancer.

This two-year study is assessing how HIT can improve care delivery and outcomes by tracking and facilitating use of lab orders and results information by clinicians.  Specifically, this project looks at the ability of HIT to improve management of lab information for patients with HIV and women who need cervical cancer screening.  The project is addressing six key questions:

  • How can health IT facilitate tracking and management of specific patient populations?
  • How can health IT make review of lab order and results information more efficient?  What are some barriers and facilitators?
  • How does HIT reduce duplicate tests, lost results, and results that lack follow-up?
  • How can health IT systems boost compliance with evidence-based lab test guidelines?
  • Can health IT help reduce disparities between vulnerable populations and other groups in receiving recommended screenings and follow-up interventions?
  • What is the economic impact of improvements resulting from use of HIT?

The project will develop a set of promising practices on ways in which HIT can improve HIV care and will yield findings on the impact of HIT systems in ambulatory environments. The project will also track specific patient populations in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and language and will determine whether HIT and targeted quality improvement efforts can help reduce disparities.

For more information about this project, please contact Steve Hines at (312) 422-2607 or shines3@aha.org.