Oklahoma Physicians Adopt Technolgy to Improve Patient Safety and Quality of Care

In an a time when consumers do practically everything online—from paying bills to booking a trip to Los Angeles—one area that lags behind in adopting computer technology is health care. With the health care system, one of the least likely locations to use health information technology (HIT) is in your local physician’s office. According to a recent study published in Health Affairs (Sep-Oct 2005), fewer than 15 percent of physician practices have implemented electronic health records nationwide, yet the benefits to providers and patients are apparent. Physicians have easier access to patient information, improve quality of care and experience fewer errors when using electronic health records. 1

Nearly 70 practices in Oklahoma have joined with Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality (OFMQ) to participate in a three-year program called DOQ-IT (Doctors’ Office Quality-Information Technology) aimed at overcoming some of the biggest challenges to the adoption and effective use of electronic health records (EHRs) by primary care practices. DOQ-IT is a major initiative sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Through DOQ-IT, OFMQ is assisting physicians across Oklahoma in adopting EHR technology and using these systems to improve efficiency, quality of care and patient safety, and manage chronic disease more proactively. DOQ-IT is the largest national program promoting health IT.

DOQ-IT participant Dr. Richard Carter of Watonga, Okla. expresses his experience with the program saying, “I saw this as an opportunity to gain access to OFMQ’s expertise at no charge. They helped me identify my goals and what attributes in an EHR were important to me. Since implementing my EHR, I’ve found that my office is more efficient, I have easier to access patient records and my billing and reimbursement has been optimized.”

HIT can be a major asset to physicians in addressing quality of care, cost and time issues in clinical practice by:

  • Eliminating paper charts. It can be inconvenient and time consuming to constantly pull paper charts.
  • Enabling E-prescribing. Not only is it easier to handle prescription refills, the software can also alert the physician to drug interactions.
  • Increasing efficiency. Data goes immediately into the electronic chart and visits are properly documented, making it easier to resolve insurance questions.
  • Improving preventive care. Most systems remind physicians of out-of-date health maintenance services such as vaccinations and routine tests for chronic conditions such as diabetes.

“As many as half of all EHR implementations fail for one reason or another, often because practices did not go through the rigorous preparation and development necessary for success,” said American Health Quality Association’s Executive Vice President David Schulke in testimony submitted April 6, 2006 at a hearing of the Health Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee.