Health Plans can facilitate evidence-based medicine

There is ample evidence that the practice of evidence-based medicine (EBM) can lead to more cost-effective healthcare. Healthcare payer organizations should pay attention to potential strategies to help improve the adoption of computer-based patient record (CPR) systems by clinicians. By making reasonable investments in this area, payers have the potential to reap a number of benefits including increased patient satisfaction, increased physician satisfaction, reduced costs and decreased care delivery errors.

Emerging third-generation CPR systems are sufficient to support the practice of evidence-based medicine. This is true because a third-generation CPR delivers adequate maturity in:

As third-generation CPRs emerge during 2005, the combination of these seven capabilities will enable care delivery organizations to provide direct point-of-care support for the activities involved in EBM. Physicians will have the opportunity to devise care management protocols, decision support, order sets and workflows that actually implement quality medical care. The system will then help nurses and other caregivers ensure that they are carrying out the needed activities.

Barry Hieb is a research director with Gartner's Healthcare Industry Research & Advisory Services.

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