Leveraging Health Information Technology to Meet The Joint Commission's Standard for Measurement-Based Care: A Case...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral health
• Health services research
• Clinical informatics

Background:

• Routine collection of patient-reported outcomes for measurement-based care (MBC) can enhance clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes.
• Despite evidence supporting MBC, widespread adoption in clinical practice remains limited due to various barriers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of health information technology (HIT)-facilitated MBC at a community behavioral health center.
• To address Element of Performance (EP) 1 of The Joint Commission's revised MBC standard.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a comprehensive implementation plan based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.
• Leveraged a measurement feedback system (MFS), a type of HIT, to streamline MBC processes.
• Focused on overcoming logistical barriers associated with MBC implementation.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 96.8% completion rate for baseline measurements among patients during the initial 15-month implementation period.
• Attained a 91.5% rate of at least one repeated measure completion for patients.
• Demonstrated high patient engagement with the HIT-facilitated MBC approach.

Conclusions:

• Health information technology (HIT), specifically a measurement feedback system (MFS), can significantly reduce logistical barriers to implementing measurement-based care (MBC).
• Successful uptake of MFS-facilitated MBC necessitates a robust implementation strategy addressing barriers across multiple domains.
• This approach supports adherence to quality standards like The Joint Commission's MBC standard.