A Vermont initiative aimed at improving the health care of patients with chronic conditions will use a patient registry system to track and manage the chronic disease care and quality improvements, Healthcare IT News reports.
The patient registry, provided by DocSite, will allow the initiative to "capture information at the point of care and give health care providers an easy means to apply the latest evidence-based guidelines," according to Craig Jones -- director of the initiative, called the Vermont Blueprint for Health.
The group plans to use the registry to target patients with chronic conditions that might not be receiving the necessary care.
The registry will organize relevant clinical information from the patient record and identify care elements that are due or out of range, based on nationally recognized, evidence-based medical guidelines. The registry also can measure and track outcomes on both an individual and group level.
Jones said the registry will not burden physicians or interfere with the physician-patient relationship.
Vermont estimates that 51% of residents suffer from one or more chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, depression, obesity, respiratory conditions and cardiovascular disease (Merrill, Healthcare IT News, 6/10).