A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found a marked improvement in the care received and outcomes realized if the practice was using an EHR compared to paper-based practices.

Since I lost my mother to diabetes, I am naturally drawn to headlines from my reading about this disease.  Since we are in the EHR business, I am also attracted to stories, especially fact-based ones, about our collective process on this journey.

This is a good study done on a relatively large population.  The findings support the logic of the vision that an EHR can provide tools and information, as well as institutionalize best practices of care, in a way that a manual system simply cannot.

If you are worried that EHRs force cook book medicine, I'd challenge you to read this study and see if you think any competent physician would not agree that these measures really matter in the life of a diabetic and these standards of care are really what you should be doing to manage that patient.

Another observation of note from the study.  Fortunately, the study authors distinguish between outcomes (results realized by the patients) and standards of care (processes and protocols followed by the providers of care).  And fortunately, both in this study were general positive for EHR-enabled practices. 

That distinction is important as we walk down this journey and we should keep an eye on both types of measures. Soon, we'll add a third and fourth type.  We'll be able to look at the total cost of care for a cohort of patients, and then we'll go from clinical outcomes (e.g. lower cholesterol) to functional outcomes (e.g. improved lifestyle).  This is all part of the trip.

This report is a good early marker that the investments will someday payoff.