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H H S Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Information Technology and Quality
Improvement

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What are the different kinds of clinical systems that can be used to support QI?

Various types of clinical systems such as EHRs, population health management systems (e.g., chronic disease registries) and practice management systems can play an instrumental role in supporting quality improvement.  Disease registries have features that can be especially useful in improving health outcomes for patients and in helping manage chronic diseases. These systems, as defined by Jane Metzger, research director at First Consulting Group, can be “used to capture, manage, and provide information on specific conditions to support organized care management of patients with chronic disease.” EHRs support QI by increasing efficiency, improving coordination of care and facilitating QI reporting. Additionally, tools like clinical decision support systems can be implemented in both EHRs and chronic disease registries and can be applied towards quality improvement by making use of evidence-based guidelines for care. Practice management systems also can support clinical quality improvement when used to report on QI measures. Some clinical applications also feature customizable databases that can be used to gather quality data, contributing to sustaining continual QI.

Related Resources:

Using Computerized Registries in Chronic Disease Care go to exit disclaimer- California Health Care Foundation
IT Tools for Chronic Disease Management go to exit disclaimer - California Health Care Foundation

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