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Issue Date: September 2005

HHS Cites Imperatives for Electronic Records
Among groups with 50 or more physicians, more than two thirds (68%) have adopted electronic medical record systems. But for groups of five or fewer, only 12% have adopted EMRs, and among solo practitioners and small groups of two physicians, only 1% have adopted EMRs, says David Brailer, MD, PhD, national health information coordinator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To Brailer, these small groups, which make up roughly half of all practicing physicians in the United States, are “the elephant in the room,” explaining that if they don’t adopt EMRs, the government’s plan to establish an interoperable seamless computer system that links all components of the U.S. health care system will be useless. President Bush appointed Brailer to his position last year and gave him a mandate to create this system and get physicians to adopt EMRs nationwide.

Collaboration Helps Control Asthma
Asthma, the most common chronic illness among children, is one of the major reasons for emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and missed school days, especially among those younger than 15. Approximately 20% to 25% of all school absences due to chronic illness are related to asthma, which causes an estimated 14 million lost school days annually. Children with asthma whose sleep is routinely disrupted by nighttime wheezing and coughing, whose symptoms affect their ability to function during the day, and whose acute episodes cause frequent absenteeism are at-risk for poor academic performance. Children are in school six hours a day, five days a week, and typically 180 days a year. “Since children spend so much time in school, school nurses are in a position to observe children with asthma in different ways than families and physicians,” says Charlotte Jensen, RN, LSN, AE-C, the asthma resource nurse for the Healthy Learners Asthma Initiative in the Minneapolis Public Schools.

Cautions on Implementing an EMR
Many physicians are adopting electronic medical record systems, and most have made the transition without too much trouble. But others have horror stories to tell about the experience when new systems don’t work well. Or worse yet, when a new system doesn’t work and the company that makes the system stops answering your calls for support. Jeffery Daigrepont, a consultant with The Coker Group, health care consultants, in Alpharetta, Ga., says there is a steep learning curve to make an EMR work before physicians will be able to enjoy the benefits of this electronic marvel. He cautions that EMR implementation success depends on solid preparation by training physicians and staff to use the tools and by preparing them emotionally for the change.

New Treatment Options Available
For patients, screening for colorectal cancer is the key to reducing the burden of this disease, the third most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer mortality in the United States. Fortunately, the number of medical and surgical options continues to rise, offering hope to patients when a cancerous lesion is detected.

Excellence Drives Group’s Success
Quality of care is crucial to the success of any cardiology practice. But at Cardiovas-cular Medicine PC, an 18-member practice with two locations in Marietta and Austell, Ga., the definition of care quality extends beyond excellence in clinical care to include superior service to all its constituents: staff, patients, and referring physicians. How a group defines quality is revealing and will drive the culture of the practice. The business benefit that results from quality improvement efforts is difficult to quantify, but the cardiologists in the group believe attention to quality has helped the business succeed.