Patients of physicians who use computerized alerts are less likely to suffer complications. The systems can also lower readmission rates, lengths of stay and costs, according to a study in the American Journal of Managed Care.
In the observational study, researchers analyzed the correlation between the use of clinical decision support (CDS) alerts—embedded with Choosing Wisely recommendations—and improved patient clinical and financial outcomes.
The studied looked a 26,424 patient encounters spanning three years. In the treatment group, doctors adhered to a CDS alert system when treating patients. In the control group, doctors did not adhere to the alert system recommendations.
Researchers also studied the association between alert adherence and four outcome measures: length of stay, 30-day readmission rates, odds of complications and total direct costs.
The study found that the total encounter cost increased by 7.3 percent for non-adherent encounters. More specifically, the study found that using the alert system saved an average of $944.
Researchers also found that the odds for length of stay increased by 6.2 percent for non adherent encounters, odds for readmission within 30 days increased by 1.14 percent and odds for complications increased by 1.29 percent.
"Consistent improvements in measured outcomes were seen in the treatment group versus the control group," the study said. "We recommend that provider organizations consider the introduction of real-time CDS to support adherence to evidence-based guidelines, but because we cannot determine the cause of the associations between CDS interventions and improved clinical and financial outcomes, further study is required."
According to the study, a CDS system is comprised of computerized alerts and reminders with information such as “diagnostic support, clinical guidelines, relevant patient information, diagnosis-specific order sets, documentation templates and drug-drug interactions.”
"CDS provides the ability to modify tests and treatments based on context- and patient-specific information presented at the point of care. Utilizing CDS can help providers avoid ordering a low-value test or intervention that could lead to additional nontherapeutic interventions or harm,” according to the study authors.
Danielle covers Clinical Innovation & Technology as a senior news writer for TriMed Media. Previously, she worked as a news reporter in northeast Missouri and earned a journalism degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She's also a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Bulls.