Study demonstrates feasibility of centralized data warehouse with disparate EHRs
The establishment of a national, centralized database with multiple partners and disparate EHR systems is doable, according to a study published in eGEMS (Generating Evidence & Methods to improve patient outcomes).
Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Northwest examined the development and implementation of the Community Health Applied Research Network (CHARN), a data warehouse that links 19 community health centers organized around four research specialties. CHARN includes more than 500,000 diverse safety net patients across 11 states.
Given there is sufficient time, it is possible to develop trusting relationships between partners with varied technology, backgrounds, expertise and interest. Also, it is possible to:
- Establish institutional, business and regulatory review processes;
- Identify and address technical challenges in diverse data environments; and
- Provide continuous data quality assessments.
“It is feasible, but time intensive, to create a centralized data warehouse with multiple partners using different EHR systems,” concluded the authors.
Read the paper here.