An Optimization Program to Help Practices Assess Data Quality and Workflow With Their Electronic Medical Records:...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Primary Care Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Electronic medical record (EMR) adoption is increasing among Canadian primary care physicians, with over 80% in Ontario now using them.
• Effective EMR utilization is crucial for realizing benefits in practice management and patient care, but requires understanding and training.
• The EMR Practice Enhancement Program (EPEP) was developed to address challenges clinicians face in learning new EMR technologies and workflows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate how the EPEP approach addresses practice-level factors influencing effective EMR use for patient outcomes and population health.
• To highlight the system-level impact of practice-level quality improvement initiatives on population health indicators.

Main Methods:

• EPEP consultants provide on-site support to identify EMR knowledge gaps, analyze workflows, and assess EMR data quality.
• Maturity assessment tools are used to establish baselines for data quality and EMR proficiency.
• Action plans with achievable tasks are developed collaboratively, with tailored approaches and timeframes for each practice.

Main Results:

• Post-engagement assessments showed improvements in data quality across key clinical indicators.
• Practices gained confidence in their data, enabling the adoption of advanced EMR functions and targeted patient initiatives.
• Improvements were observed in colorectal, cervical, and breast cancer screening, diabetes diagnosis, and smoking status documentation.

Conclusions:

• On-site support effectively addresses EMR knowledge gaps, workflow inefficiencies, and data quality issues.
• Enhanced EMR proficiency leads to greater practice benefits and improved patient care.
• Practice-level quality improvement work using EMRs can positively impact population health indicators.