Quality Indicators for Major Depressive Disorder in Adults: A Review of Performance Measures by the American College of Physicians.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe mood disorder that affects at least 8.4% of the adult population in the United States. Characteristics of MDD include persistent sadness, diminished interest in daily activities, and a state of hopelessness.

Quality Indicators for Osteoporosis in Adults: A Review of Performance Measures by the American College of Physicians.

Primary osteoporosis is characterized by decreasing bone mass and density and reduced bone strength that leads to a higher risk for fracture, especially hip and spine fractures. The prevalence of osteoporosis in the United States is estimated at 12.6% for adults older than 50 years.

Performance Measures for Physicians Providing Clinical Care Using Telemedicine: A Position Paper From the American College of Physicians.

There has been an exponential growth in the use of telemedicine services to provide clinical care, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical care delivered via telemedicine has become a major and accepted method of health care delivery for many patients. There is an urgent need to understand quality of care in the telemedicine environment.

User-centered design to improve clinical decision support in primary care.

Background: A growing literature has demonstrated the ability of user-centered design to make clinical decision support systems more effective and easier to use. However, studies of user-centered design have rarely examined more than a handful of sites at a time, and have frequently neglected the implementation climate and organizational resources that influence clinical decision support. The inclusion of such factors was identified by a systematic review as "the most important improvement that can be made in health IT evaluations.

Electronic health record-based interventions for improving appropriate diagnostic imaging: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: One driver of increasing health care costs is the use of radiologic imaging procedures. More appropriate use could improve quality and reduce costs.

Purpose: To review interventions that use the computerized clinical decision-support (CCDS) capabilities of electronic health records to improve appropriate use of diagnostic radiologic test ordering.

Reducing PSA-Based Prostate Cancer Screening in Men Aged 75 Years and Older with the Use of Highly Specific Computerized Clinical Decision Support.

Introduction: In 2012, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) implemented guidelines seeking to reduce PSA-based screening for prostate cancer in men aged 75 years and older.

Objectives: To reduce the use of inappropriate PSA-based prostate cancer screening among men aged 75 and over.

Setting: The Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VA GLA) PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: We developed a highly specific computerized clinical decision support (CCDS) alert to remind providers, at the moment of PSA screening order entry, of the current guidelines and institutional policy.

Usage and effect of health information exchange: a systematic review.

Background: Health information exchange (HIE) is increasing in the United States, and it is incentivized by government policies.

Purpose: To systematically review and evaluate evidence of the use and effect of HIE on clinical care.

Data Sources: Selected databases from 1 January 2003 to 31 May 2014.

Developing an informatics tool to advance supportive care: the Veterans Health Care Administration Palliative Care National Clinical Template.

Background: Increasing emphasis in performance-based payment, public reporting, and quality improvement (QI) has led to widespread interest in measuring and improving the quality of care. By 2014, hospice programs will be required to report quality data to the federal government or incur financial penalties. With this increased interest in quality reporting comes an opportunity to develop informatics tools to capture data that reflect the complex practices involved in palliative care (PC).

Electronic patient portals: evidence on health outcomes, satisfaction, efficiency, and attitudes: a systematic review.

Background: Patient portals tied to provider electronic health record (EHR) systems are increasingly popular.

Purpose: To systematically review the literature reporting the effect of patient portals on clinical care.

Data Sources: PubMed and Web of Science searches from 1 January 1990 to 24 January 2013.

A cancer genetics toolkit improves access to genetic services through documentation and use of the family history by primary-care clinicians.

Purpose: We developed, implemented, and evaluated a multicomponent cancer genetics toolkit designed to improve recognition and appropriate referral of individuals at risk for hereditary cancer syndromes.

Methods: We evaluated toolkit implementation in the women's clinics at a large Veterans Administration medical center using mixed methods, including pre-post semistructured interviews, clinician surveys, and chart reviews, and during implementation, monthly tracking of genetic consultation requests and use of a reminder in the electronic health record. We randomly sampled 10% of progress notes 6 months before (n = 139) and 18 months during implementation (n = 677).

Systematic review of women veterans' health: update on successes and gaps.

Objective: We assessed the state of women veterans' health research by conducting a systematic review of scientific literature published from 2004 to 2008, updating a prior review spanning the history of this literature to 2004.

Methods: We identified articles by searching scientific databases and contacting experts. Relevant articles were independently evaluated by two physician reviewers.

Addressing physician concerns about performance profiling: experience with a local Veterans Affairs quality evaluation program.

The Authors investigated the addition of novel quality indicators, patient risk adjustment, and simple statistics in an ongoing clinician feedback initiative that profiles diabetes care for 13 Veterans Affairs (VA) clinics. Data were extracted from a computerized database for calendar years 2004 to 2005. Performance was assessed with 4 monitoring measures, 3 intermediate outcomes, and 3 appropriate treatment measures.

Costs and benefits of health information technology: new trends from the literature.

To understand what is new in health information technology (IT), we updated a systematic review of health IT with studies published during 2004-2007. From 4,683 titles, 179 met inclusion criteria. We identified a proliferation of patient-focused applications although little formal evaluation in this area; more descriptions of commercial electronic health records (EHRs) and health IT systems designed to run independently from EHRs; and proportionately fewer relevant studies from the health IT leaders.

Screening for osteoporosis in men: a systematic review for an American College of Physicians guideline.

Background: Screening for low bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the primary way to identify asymptomatic men who might benefit from osteoporosis treatment. Identifying men at risk for low BMD and fracture can help clinicians determine which men should be tested.

Purpose: To identify which asymptomatic men should receive DXA BMD testing, this systematic review evaluates 1) risk factors for osteoporotic fracture in men that may be mediated through low BMD and 2) the performance of non-DXA tests in identifying men with low BMD.