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Funds from the ARRA are bringing primary care providers new financial reasons to invest in and use health information technology ( healthcare IT ) to improve health care quality and efficiency.

Funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are bringing primary care providers new financial reasons to invest in and use health information technology ( healthcare IT ) to improve health care quality and efficiency. Leveraging advanced technology to gain the most from those investments is the common focus of two new resources from the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC). The briefs will be unveiled Oct. 21, 2001, at the PCPCC's Annual Summit at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

"Exhibiting the Evidence: Advance of the Patient Centered Medical Home" is the theme of the PCPCC's Annual Summit. The PCPCC is a coalition of more than 700 organizations representing the nation's business leaders, consumers, primary care physicians and other health care stakeholders with a shared goal to advance the patient centered medical home (PCMH).

"These are unique resources, produced by volunteers in the PCPCC who are dedicated to moving the PCMH forward in tangible ways that both inform those in the care delivery system and the patients they serve," said Edwina Rogers, executive director of the PCPCC. "Both resources include case examples and the latest research by subject matter experts from across the nation. They are essential reading to understand the scope of cutting-edge practice in patient engagement and in clinical decision support ."

Simply using an electronic substitute for paper clinical records is not likely to lead to improvements in health care quality or cost. The PCMH encourages the use of health IT, including clinical decision support tools, to improve health care quality and decrease overall cost to the national health care system. The first resource, Clinical Decision Support in the Medical Home, is a guide that defines clinical decision support and describes its role in the PCMH for enhancing quality and lowering costs. Authored by the PCPCC's Center for eHealth Information Adoption and Exchange, the resource presents the types of clinical decision support available, ways to implement it smoothly into the physician practice and keys to effective use. It also outlines how clinical decision support can help primary care providers demonstrate they have met the federal government's "meaningful use" criteria, which is required for them to tap into ARRA funding.

The second resource is a compendium of articles, case examples and tools for providers across the health care continuum to engage patients in their own care. Transforming Patient Engagement: Health IT in the Patient Centered Medical Home includes 15 core articles and 23 case examples to help primary care clinicians enhance patient engagement in the process of care delivery. This comprehensive resource was compiled by the Patient Engagement Task force of the PCPCC's Center for eHealth Information Adoption and Exchange, and includes articles for a range of stakeholders—primary care providers, patients, caregivers, health IT developers, policy makers, employers and the broad spectrum of clinical team members who serve patients every day.

Source: PR-CANADA.net

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