Citizens Memorial Healthcare (CMH) will establish the standardization efforts necessary for data capture of quality measures in an ambulatory EMR system and demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of using a data extraction and reporting expert to perform quality measurement in the ambulatory care setting. CMH will standardize and integrate data capture for quality of care measurement into the normal documentation of care within the ambulatory EMR.

Care for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease accounts for 75% of all health care spending, but management of chronic illnesses is often fragmented and ineffective. Because HIT investment is both needed and is very costly, there is a need for greater understanding of how targeted uses benefit patients and health care providers. To improve the quality of care for patients with chronic illnesses, the proposed project will use new health information technology that includes specific strategies for managing chronic diseases.