Older Indiana adults with dementia or depression are going to be cared for with the statewide roll-out of a unique automated decision-support system enabling their care coordinators to meet their complex biopsychosocial needs.
The use of the “Enhanced Electronic Medical Record Aging Brain Care” (eMR-ABC) software has been developed and tested by the Indiana University (IU) Center for Aging Research http://medicine.iupui.edu/iucar and the Regenstrief Institute www.regenstrief.org. eMR-ABC is now being implemented throughout the state by Indiana’s 16 Area Agencies on Aging.
“The number of older adults nationally and in Indiana is growing rapidly. Delivering personalized care to this population is difficult and requires the ability to track a sizeable number of mental and physical indicators,” reports Geriatrician Malaz Boustani, M.D, Associate Director of the IU Center for Aging Research.
The eMR-ABC software can be used independently or can be used with most EMRs and HIEs to capture and monitor the cognitive, functional, behavioral, and psychological symptoms of older adults suffering from dementia or depression.
The software application can provide decision support to area agency care coordinators who work with physicians, social workers, and other members of the older adult’s healthcare team to create a personalized care plan. The software is a compatible plug-in to most existing EMRs and HIEs and was recently licensed to Preferred Population Health Management, LLC.
Information made available can include evidence-based non-pharmacological protocols, self-management handouts, and alerts on medications that may have potentially adverse cognitive effects. The software’s built-in engine tracks patient visits and can be used to generate reports for specified indicators such as cognitive decline or caregiver burnout.