Now, here is some good news for those of us working to move the adoption of EHRs along. A Kaiser study found EHRs were at the core of saving cardiac patient lives.
The two-year randomized trial of 421 patients found that patients discharged from the more intensive portion of the program kept their lipid and blood pressure levels at controlled, healthy levels by receiving electronic reminders. Other achieved results, include:
- Patients have an 88 percent reduced risk of dying of a cardiac-related cause when enrolled within 90 days of a heart attack, compared to those not in the program;
- The number of patients meeting their cholesterol goal went from 26 percent to 73 percent, and
- The number of patients screened for cholesterol went from 55 percent to 97 percent.
The most exciting finding from the study, after saving lives, was that the outcome came by Kaiser providing a more efficient, yet equally effective, option to help guide patients. While the clinical measures are important, so are the cost (resource) measures. Saving money will lead to improved access for all!
If you are aware of other studies that have measured outcomes from implementation of EHRs, lets add links to the post and start a listing.
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