What's New | July 20, 2011

Health IT in Care Coordination

Patients often receive fragmented care that is delivered across multiple providers and organizations. Health information technology is increasingly being used to improve care coordination by enabling the timely and effective exchange of clinical information between providers.

The featured Innovations describe three programs that use electronic systems in the coordination of care, with a focus on patient referrals and care transitions.

The featured QualityTools provide guidance for the electronic exchange of health information and other resources to support coordinated care.

Featured Innovations:

• Electronic Standing Orders Highlight Care Gaps and Allow Nonphysicians to Address Them, Leading to Increased Provision of Preventive Services

• Electronic System for Tracking Test Results Pending at Hospital Discharge Draws Little Use or Enthusiasm From Hospitalists

• Referring Physicians Send Electronic Handoff Note With Pertinent Patient Information to Emergency Department, Improving Physician Efficiency and Quality of Care

Featured QualityTools:

• Continuity of Care Document
Developed by Stratis Health

• Reducing Care Fragmentation: A Toolkit For Coordinating Care
Developed by MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation

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Also in This Issue:

Innovations >

• American Indian Nation–Owned Skilled Nursing Facility Provides Culturally Responsive Services, Leading to High Patient Satisfaction and Low Staff Turnover

• Collaborative Supports Hospitals in Sharing and Implementing Best Practices, Leading to 33-Percent Decline in Urinary Tract Infections

• Community Coalition Supports Schools in Helping Students Increase Physical Activity and Make Better Food Choices

• Culturally Responsive Maternity Care Clinic Enhances Access to Care for Expectant Refugee Mothers and Their Children

• Hospital System-Based Changes Enhance Throughput and Meet Increased Demand Without Adding New Facilities

• Nurse-Led Weekly Educational Program for Children Focuses on Physical Activity and Food Choices, Leading to Healthier Behaviors, Lower Body Mass Index

• Weekly Group Program Improves Health-Related Behaviors, Leading to Stable Body Mass Index in Children and Weight Loss in Adults

QualityTools >

• A Guide to Group Visits for Chronic Conditions Affected by Overweight and Obesity
Developed by American Academy of Family Physicians; Americans in Motion - Healthy Interventions

• Assurance of Diabetes Care Coordination Toolkit
Developed by Forum of ESRD Networks’ Medical Advisory Council

• Cultural Competency: Training Tools for Physicians and Others
Developed by Office of Minority Health

• HIMSS State HIT Dashboard
Developed by Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

• SPARK Physical Education Lesson Plans
Developed by San Diego State University Research Foundation; SPARK

Articles >

• Addressing Health Disparities: A Conversation With Thomas LaVeist, PhD, Director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health