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Articles and Publications
09.09.06
DCMS Member Receives National Recognition for Best Practices in Patient Information Management
WASHINGTON - The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA )recently announced that reconstructive plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Harlin of Broomall, Pennsylvania has received Recognition from the Physician Practices Connection (PPC) Program for using information systems to measure practice-wide clinical quality and improve clinical outcomes at the point of care.This makes Dr. Harlin the first physician in Pennsylvania to win the award. And as Medical Director of The Wound Clinic, Dr. Harlin becomes the first physician director of an ambulatory wound care center, in the nation, to be honored.
Physician Practice Connections recognizes practices that use information systematically to improve the quality of patient care. Practices meeting program standards monitor for patients who need care, measure quality across their entire practice and ensure that abnormal test results receive follow-up. Such approaches have been shown to improve medical outcomes and to reduce errors. Numerous studies, including the Institute of Medicine's Fostering Rapid Advances in Health, have called for the systematic use of health care information, including more widespread adoption of information technology such as electronic health records (EHRs).
"Good information at the point of care is crucial to delivering quality health care," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "Physician Practice Connections identifies those doctors who make the most out of clinical information they have on hand to make better decisions and provide better follow-up. Patients notice and appreciate the improvements in care. Dr. Harlin is to be commended for his achievement in earning Recognition."
To receive Recognition, which is valid for three years, Dr. Harlin met key program measures in all of the following areas:
-Full use of electronic systems
-Structured care for patients with chronic conditions
-Provision of educational resources for patients
-Practice-wide quality measurement and improvement efforts
-Screening, referrals, and follow-up for at-risk patients
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, recognizes physicians and physician groups in key clinical areas and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the tool the nation's health plans use to measure and report on their performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.For further information about the program, please visitwww.ncqa.org/ppc.
To learn more about Dr. Harlin and his ambulatory wound care center, please visit www.wounds.com/ncqa Technical information about the Doctor Harlin's computer network can be obtained atwww.apple.com/business/profiles/harlin.
-end-Note: this article is presented through the efforts of the Delaware County Medical Society and is intended for informational purposes only, the contents should not be intended as medical advice. “You and Your Doctor – Preserve the Relationship”.
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