Lipid management program: results of applying national guidelines in a private practice

• HIT Description: Customized computerized software to facilitate record keeping and generate patient and physician reminders. More info...
  
• Purpose of Study: Implement the National Cholesterol Education Program recommendations for lipid management in a private cardiology practice.
  
• Years of study: Published in 1993.
  
• Study Design: Pre/post study of patients enrolled for at least one year.
  
• Outcomes: Measures of lipid control and drug therapy.
  

• Settings: A large single specialty cardiology practice.
• Intervention: Implementation of the 1988 National Cholesterol Education Program with modification based on the Helsinki Heart Study with a customized computerized software program to facilitate record keeping, serve as a database and generate reminders and results to patients and referring physicians.
• Evaluation Method: Measures of lipid control before and after the study.
• Quality of Care and Patient Safety Outcome: Mean cholesterol value fell from 243 to 217 mg/dL, triglycerides fell from 170 to 145 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol was essentially unchanged. The calculated LDL cholesterol fell from 167 to 146 mg/dL.
• Changes in efficiency and productivity: The authors state that Òthe use of [a] dedicated computer software allowed delivery of a large volume of lipid related care in a cost-effective mannerÓ.
• Changes in revenue: Increased visits to a dietician were a potential result of guideline implementation.