Over the past few years, Phrase Health has collaborated with several health systems under an NIH-funded research initiative aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of EHR-based interventions like alerts and order sets. As this phase of our research concludes, we are excited to share the impressive strides made by some of our partner teams.
At the University of Vermont Health Network, the research, led by Dr. Paul Rosenau, focused on diabetes management, infant fever workups, and evaluations for child abuse. Dr. Rosenau, a clinical informaticist and co-chair of the CDS committee, has been pivotal in bridging the gap between IT infrastructure and quality improvement within the health network. Through this research, he highlighted gaps in the awareness and implementation of clinical decision support (CDS) systems. "The natural source of interventions should stem from quality improvement efforts, though they often overlook the potential of effectively utilizing CDS," Dr. Rosenau said. For instance, the health system recently developed a new order set for child abuse cases to ensure appropriate labs, imaging, and referrals are utilized. However, questions remained about the order set's usage and its effectiveness in ensuring appropriate care. Implementing this project on the Phrase Health platform quickly enabled the emergency department and child abuse teams to determine effective next steps for ongoing improvement.
Children's Hospital of Atlanta (CHOA) also made substantial contributions by integrating their strategic priorities with the robust evaluation framework provided by Phrase Health. Under the leadership of clinical informaticists Drs. Evan Orenstein and Naveen Muthu, the team opted to leverage data from their local warehouse to drive improvements alongside the Phrase Health platform. Over the past year, CHOA focused on enhancing sepsis outcomes with the Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO) framework and understanding the dynamics of physician versus respiratory-therapist-led protocols in asthma care. Notably, a recent adjustment in their asthma care pathway prompted them to analyze its impact on hospital stay durations and protocol efficacy. "[Phrase Health] helps us quickly understand the scale of the problem," stated Dr. Muthu. The insights gained have prepared them for the next phase of their quality improvement journey, particularly with the promising results from the asthma protocol association with length of stay.
The Phrase Health team is proud to have supported these stellar initiatives. Our involvement not only propelled the research forward but also helped swiftly identify insights that impact improvements in patient care. The insights and successes from this initiative underscore our commitment to continuous advancement in healthcare quality and efficiency.
To discover more about this initiative, visit our NIH abstract here.