Electronic Health Records and Registries
Electronic medical record (EMR) databases and EMR registries represent an emerging data source with the potential to greatly enhance our ability to measure important health outcomes at a much higher level of detail than available in claims data. However, this level of detail comes at a cost. EMR and registry data is often more difficult to analyze than claims, and their application to vision and eye public health research is unproven.
The VEHSS team reviewed potential EMR databases for inclusion in the surveillance system and identified the IRIS® Registry and the AOA MORE registry systems. Of the sources identified in our review, the IRIS® Registry is the only data source currently included in the VEHSS, although data from MORE may be included in the future. For more information, please visit the Review of Claims and Registries Report pdf icon[PDF – 870 KB]external icon.
| IRIS® Registry | MORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Nationally Representative | No | No |
| Demographics | ||
| Age/Sex/Race | Yes | Yes |
| Geographic Representation | ||
| State Representation | Partial | Partial |
| County Representation | Partial | Partial |
| Patient Groups | ||
| All Ages | Yes | Yes |
| Undiagnosed | No | No |
| Payer Type | ||
| Private Medical | Yes | Yes |
| Private Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Medicare | Yes | Yes |
| Medicaid | Yes | Yes |
| Other Government Payers | Partial | Partial |
| Uninsured | Partial | Partial |
| Care Type and Setting | ||
| Vision Services | Partial | Yes |
| Medical Eye Care | Yes | Partial |
| Other Medical | Partial | Partial |
| Conditions | ||
| All Medical Diagnoses | No | No |
| Risk Factors | Partial | Partial |
| Uncorrected Acuity | Yes | Yes |
| Corrected Acuity | Yes | Yes |