Long-term outcomes of optimized medical management of outpatients with stable coronary artery disease.

The objective of this study was to assess long-term clinical outcomes and their correlates in medically managed outpatients with stable angina pectoris, healed myocardial infarction (MI), or documented asymptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). Management strategy emphasized maximally tolerated medical therapy and modification of coronary risk factors. Referral to invasive coronary interventions followed stricter criteria than standard published guidelines.

Return on investment analysis for a computer-based patient record in the outpatient clinic setting.

While the computer-based patient record (CPR) is considered essential technology for improving efficiency and quality of health care, the high cost of CPR implementation has been a major barrier to widespread acceptance of these systems. This paper describes a framework to evaluate the costs and benefits of implementing CPR systems in outpatient clinical settings. Return on investment (ROI), a measurement of the difference between the costs of and benefits from an investment, is one method to evaluate the economic implications of CPR.