EHRs Associated With Fewer Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, Kaiser Study Finds
The use of electronic health records is associated with a decrease in emergency department visits and hospitalizations among patients with diabetes, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers at Kaiser Permanente Northern California found that EHR implementation was associated with a 10.50% decline in hospitalizations for preventable, ambulatory-care sensitive conditions, or about 7.08 fewer hospitalizations per 1,000 patients annually, and a 5.54% decline in ED visits, from an expected 519.12 per 1,000 patients to 490.32 annually.
- "Use of EHRs for Patients With Diabetes Associated With Reduction in Rates of Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, but not Office Visits" (Medical News Today, 9/11).
- "EHRs Tied to Fewer Admissions" (Walsh, "The Gupta Guide," MedPage Today, 9/10).
- "EHR Use Reduces ED Visits, Hospitalizations for Diabetics" (Durben Hirsch, FierceHealthIT, 9/10).