help answer critical questions concerning policy concerns regarding sector transformations W r i t i n g
Hi, if you could please reply to the following 3 DQs 100-150 words each. Thank you.
Robert:
Clinical decision support (CDS) are tools that can be built into the electronic health record (EHR) to provide information and assist providers and other clinicians in decision making while caring for patients. The development of CDS tools in the EHR requires computable biomedical knowledge, person-specific data, and a reasoning or inferencing mechanism that combines knowledge and data to present information to clinicians in real time as care is being delivered (Health Information Technology, 2018). These tools take information and data such as vital signs from documentation entered into the EHR and generate alerts or pop-ups that can either be informational or actionable to assist in the direction of care. CDS benefits include increased quality care and health outcomes, avoidance of errors and adverse events, and improved efficiency, cost-benefit, and provider and patient satisfaction (Health Information Technology, 2018).
The EHR system used at my organization uses CDS for patients that could be at risk for sepsis. When data such as vital signs are entered and satisfies parameters built in the system that indicate that a patient is a risk of being or becoming septic, there are a couple different alerts or best practice advisories (BPA) that present themselves on the screen for the clinician to take an action. For example, if potential sepsis is detected by the system based on documentation parameters, a BPA will pop-up for the provider to review information and the patient’s condition. Within the BPA is a sepsis specific order set that the provider can open from there and initiate orders to begin sepsis treatment. If a nurse opens the chart, a BPA pops-up alerting the user of possible sepsis and contains lab orders such as a lactic acid that the nurse can order based on a sepsis protocol developed by the system. In both of these examples, the CDS tools allow for early detection and notification of possible sepsis and allows the provider and nurse to initiate treatment for sepsis sooner which can greatly increase the chances of better patient outcomes.
Reference
Health Information Technology. (2018). Clinical Decision Support.
In our organization CoverMyMeds was a gamechanger. When it was implemented with us it was simply a PA notification and support system. When a medication is not covered, we can send a PA request right from the pharmacy system to the physician. It provides the physician with all the necessary information and forms to easily submit the PA. Recently CoverMyMeds launched a new inegration into the EHR to provide economic based medication support. Medcheck not only screens the chart for medication history and adverse events, but it also provides direction based upon pricing options and drug plan formularies eliminating much of the bureaucracy of third party prescription payors. It streamlines the process and eliminates a lot of the go between pharmacy, patient and provider which is time consuming. It also helps patients who are on a budget find reasonable medication alternatives they can afford without delay. CoverMyMeds’ Prescription Decision Support Technology Now Available to Clinical Staff. (2021, August 9). CoverMyMeds Insights. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://insights.covermymeds.com/press/covermymeds-prescription-decision-support-technology-now-available-to . Jones, L. K., Ladd, I. G., Gregor, C., Evans, M. A., Graham, J., & Gionfriddo, M. R. (2019). Understanding the medication prior-authorization process: A case study of patients and clinical staff from a large rural integrated health delivery system. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 76(7), 453–459. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxy083
