New AHRQ Guide Helps Implement Interactive Preventive Health Records - Aug. 7, 2012

A new Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) guide, developed by clinicians at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), offers practical guidance on the implementation of interactive preventive health records (IPHRs). Based on the lessons learned from implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) from 3 different vendors at 14 different ambulatory locations, the guide provides practical steps to follow when integrating IPHRs as a component of EHRs.

In a companion article, published in the Annals of Family Medicine, the VCU clinicians found that IPHR users were more likely to be up to date on all preventive services compared with nonusers, especially in the areas of screening tests and immunizations. The study findings showed that an IPHR and similar systems can improve important outcomes, such as increasing the delivery of evidence-based preventive care.