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EMRs more useful than Medicaid claims, study says
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 25, 2011
Electronic medical records provide a more comprehensive look at health care quality than Medicaid claims, according to a study.
The report, published in the July 1 Annals of Family Medicine, found a high percentage of services provided to patients were documented in EMRs but not in Medicaid claims. Services found only in the EMR included 50.4% of influenza vaccinations, 50.1% of nephropathy screenings, 49.3% of cholesterol screenings and 48.4% of hemoglobin A1c tests. In other cases, they were in the EMR and the Medicaid claim.
There are numerous reasons the services did not show up in the Medicaid claim. One common reason: The patient wasn't enrolled in Medicaid at the time of service.
The report authors concluded that relying solely on Medicaid claims "is likely to substantially underestimate the quality of care." The report is online (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/07/25/bibf0725.htm.
