Study shows modest link between EHRs and PCMH success

Laura Pedulli | | Health Exec | Precision Medicine

Physicians utilizing EHRs within the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) provide higher quality care than those who use paper medical records or EHRs without the PCMH, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City conducted a prospective cohort study covering 2008-2010 that examined care of 675 primary care physicians in 312 practices, which managed 143,489 patients. They analyzed claims for 10 quality measures from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data.

The study found that the PCMH group improved significantly more over time than either the paper group or the EHR group for 4 of the 10 measures: eye examinations and hemoglobin A1c testing for patients with diabetes; chlamydia screening; and colorectal cancer screening.

Potential for overall quality improvement in the PCMH group was 7 percent higher than in the paper group and 6 percent higher than in the EHR group.

“The PCMH was associated with modest quality improvement. The aspects of the PCMH that drive improvement are distinct but may be enabled by the EHR,” concluded lead author Lisa M. Kern, MD, MPH and colleagues.

 

Laura Pedulli

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