Using Electronic Health Records to Improve Population Health

Public Health Grand Rounds (PHGR) will continue to promote Preventive Medicine Grand Rounds (PMGR) while our monthly PHGR sessions are on hold. We welcome your questions. Please email us at grandrounds@cdc.gov

Using Electronic Health Records to Improve Population Health

This grand rounds will focus on the achievement of meaningful use of EHRs in population health within the context of a local California health plan that serves the Medicaid/Medicare population. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) website states: “Electronic health record (EHR) systems, defined as ‘an electronic record of health-related information on an individual that can be created, gathered, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff within one health care organization,’ have the potential to provide substantial benefits to physicians, clinic practices, and health care organizations. These systems can facilitate workflow and improve the quality of patient care and patient safety.”

During her presentation, Samareen Shami will illustrate how health plans use EHR data in combination with other data sources to understand their population, outline disparities in health outcomes, and help loop back to providers on how to improve health outcomes. Additionally, Ms. Shami will provide specific examples of how health plans can assist in improving patient care and discuss the importance of investments in data interoperability.