Research and Projects: AHRQ THQIT and SRD Portfolio

Virginia

Rural Virginia e-Health Collaborative

Description:  Examines automation of the continuity of care record for use in patient referrals, hospital admission, and hospital discharge; e-prescribing in physician practices, hospital discharge medications, and long-term care facilities with links to community pharmacies; and disease registries for managing preventive care interventions and chronic diseases.

Abstract:  DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): Rappahannock General Hospital is a 76-bed, not-for-profit hospital opened in 1977 to serve the 60,000 residents of the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions of rural eastern Virginia. Located in Kilmarnock, VA, RGH offers a full range of medical services, including acute inpatient care, 24-hour emergency services, home care, and skilled nursing. RGH has assembled a powerful alliance of provider and business partners to assist in the planning and implementation of a health information technology (HIT) infrastructure that will enhance quality, patient safety, and efficiency of care delivery. These partners bring together a wealth of experience and expertise in program development, care management, information technology, provider collaboration, and research. Traditional efforts to improve quality and patient safety involve automation within specific provider entities, such as hospitals, pharmacies, and physician practices. In contrast, however, this initiative will plan for clinical automation that provides key linkages across providers, enhancing quality and patient safety across the continuum of care. Specifically, we will be examining three potential technologies: automation of the continuity of care record for use in patient referrals, hospital admission, and hospital discharge; e-prescribing in physician practices and for hospital discharge medications and long-term care facilities with links to the community pharmacies; and disease registries for managing preventive care interventions and chronic diseases.

Year 1 Funding:  $200,000

Estimated Total Funding:  $200,000

Principal Investigator:  Michael Matthews

Applicant Institution:  Rappahannock General Hospital

City/Town:  Kilmarnock, Virginia

State:  Virginia

Grant Number:  P20 HS15301

Category:  Planning Grants (THQIT)

Thesaurus Terms:  

computer assisted patient care, computer system design /evaluation, health care quality, health care service organization, health care service planning, medically underserved population, patient care management, patient safety /medical error, rural area, telemedicine, automated medical record system, biomedical registry /referral center, chronic disease /disorder, cooperative study, disease /disorder prevention /control, extended care, health care referral /consultation, health care service availability, health care service evaluation, human old age (65+), low socioeconomic status, pharmacy administration, behavioral /social science research tag, clinical research, health services research tag, patient oriented research

Project Start Date:  Sep 30, 2004

Project End Date:  Sep 29, 2005