WILMINGTON, DE – Last July, the research firm HealthCore released a study showing that use of a patient clinical summary (PCS) electronic health record in an emergency department results in significant cost savings.
Christiana Care Health System, whose emergency department was the setting for the study, is set to release a new study early this summer that will enhance those findings.
Ed Ewen, MD, director of clinical informatics at Christiana Care, is leading the current study.
Christiana Care’s PCS includes a medication list, a list of providers who have seen the patient, a summary of patient’s medical problems and lab and imaging tests. The study showed that the information provided in the PCS was critical in the treatment of patients. “For our high-acuity patients, really, there is significant improvement in the quality of medications data,” said Ewen. “We’re getting a much more complete view of what the patient is taking. There is no question in our minds that this translates into improved safety.”
Christiana Care also saw a “significant” reduction in the emergency department length of stay – nearly 10 percent. “This is a significant finding,” said Ewen. “It is allowing us to see more patients at no greater cost, no increase in overhead and to get our patients more efficiently through the system. So it’s definitely a win/win for us.”
While no one has questioned the validity of the study, said Henry DePhillips III, MD, executive vice president and CMO of MEDecision, payers particularly are interested in the implications of a study in other venues and conditions.
DePhillips said the company is involved in a number of ongoing studies. One is a similar study done in other geographic areas. Another will demonstrate benefits in other lines of business – Medicare and Medicaid versus the commercial line of business illustrated in the July 2006 report. Another study will focus on health outcomes.
Vince Willey, vice president of HealthCore, said the study showed significant savings in lab costs because of the elimination of duplicate tests. The PCS did not prevent patients from being hospitalized, he said, but more importantly, the data helped streamline and guide the treatment, especially for complex patients.