Hospitals with EHRs may order more preventative screenings for their patients than those without, according to new research published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
The study, led by University of Cincinnati doctoral candidate Namita L. Tundia, examined data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey database from the years 2007 to 2008 to see if there was a correlation between the level of EHR sophistication and the quality of care in 11 preventative health services for women.
Though many studies have established the benefits of EHR, there is little research on whether improved EHR functionality has an effect on preventive health.
"I thought it would be interesting to see if EHR sophistication improves patient care," Tundia told DOTmed News.
As it turns out, not only is EHR sophistication correlated with better preventative care, but even hospitals with minimal EHR functions are still more likely to prescribe more mammograms and bone density tests than those without, said Tundia.
Only 10.5 percent of older women were prescribed mammograms at a non-EHR provider, while mammogram rates shot up to 15.2-29.4 percent for providers with EHR systems ranging from minimal to fully functional capability.
Ironically, the study also found that OB-GYN and primary care providers — the specialties most likely to prescribe preventative screenings — were also the least likely to invest in EHR systems.
But studies like these may eventually sway providers who are still on the fence about investing in EHR. "This is providing the evidence that yes, it will improve the number of prescriptions for preventative health tests," said Tundia.
