A new study conducted by researchers at the Columbia University School of Nursing and partner institutions, shows that structured timely record-sharing enables more accurate care for individuals and produces more cohesive data for informing public health policy.
Using EHRs has been especially helpful in tracking vaccinations. Currently, health officials recommend that the public be immunized against 17 vaccine-preventable diseases, but tracking vaccinations is difficult, especially among underserved populations where care is often managed by multiple providers.
Various state and local health agencies have set up immunization registries to consolidate scattered patient records to reduce unnecessary vaccinations. However, registries are frequently slow to report plus incomplete data submission is very often provided by health providers who in many areas still submit information via paper files.
The researchers found that automated reporting reduced the lag time historically associated with data submitted on vaccinations and in some cases, reduced the paperwork and staff time traditionally devoted to managing these required submissions.
According to lead researcher CU Nursing Professor Jacqueline Merrill, RN, “EHRs greatly enhance our ability to help at-risk populations where up-to-date immunizations are critical, as in the case of children, immunosuppressed individuals, or the chronically ill.”
The study analyzed 1.7 million records submitted by 217 primary care practices to the New York Citywide Immunizations Registry between January 2007 and June 2011 before and after the launch of automated reporting via EHRs. The study examined differences in records submitted by day, by lag time, and by documentation for individuals eligible for subsidized vaccines.
The researchers found that the patterns of submission changed significantly. Automated submissions for new and historical records increased by 18 percent and 98 percent respectively. The number of submissions within 14 days as required by New York City also increased, as did the number of submissions within two days. Median lag time was reduced from 13 to 10 days.
“Automating the process appears very successful,” said Merrill. “These findings give us an idea of the benefits of health IT. The launch of automated reporting via an EHR prompted significant improvements in the use of the registry and in the efficiency of reporting from the field. In fact, it’s so successful that we believe it would be beneficial to retrofit data from the past so it can also be included in the EHR.”