CHiP publishes research article on the challenges & opportunities surrounding using Electronic Health Records for quality improvement

CHiP Director Abel Kho co-authored a research article published in the April issue of Health Affairs examining the obstacles surrounding using Electronic Health Record (EHR) data for quality improvement. The paper, titled “Primary Care Practices’ Abilities and Challenges In Using Electronic Health Record Data For Quality Improvement,” surveyed 1,492 practices participating in ESCALATES, an EvidenceNOW initiative dedicated to identifying the facilitators of and barriers to implementing regionwide infrastructure to support quality improvement among primary care practices.

According to the study’s findings, despite the large national investment in health IT and substantial investments of time and expertise by practices, it has been difficult for them to generate timely and usable data for quality measurement and improvement. Often, EHR software required expensive upgrades and health IT experience to use – resources typically unavailable in practices, particularly those located in rural areas. The study calls for investments to ensure that the health IT clinicians use delivers credible clinical quality data and has the functionality necessary to inform quality improvement efforts, without adding to an already high burden.

Read the full paper here.