Electronic Health Record Functionality Research Articles

The impact of electronic health record functions on patterns of depression treatment in primary care

ABSTRACT Background Many individuals with depression are not being linked to treatment by their primary care providers. Electronic health records (EHRs) are common in medicine, but their impact on depression treatment is mixed. Because EHRs are diverse, differences may be attributable to differences in functionality. This study examines the relationship between EHR functions, and patterns of depression treatment in primary care. Methods secondary analyses from the 2013–2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey examined adult primary care patients with new or acute depression (n = 5,368). Bivariate comparisons examined patterns of depression treatment by general EHR use, and logistic regression examined the impact of individual EHR functions on treatment receipt. Results Half the sample (57%; N = 3,034) was linked to depression treatment. Of this, 98.5% (n = 2,985) were prescribed antidepressants, while 4.3% (n = 130) were linked to mental health. EHR use did not impact mental health linkages, but EHR functions did affect antidepressant prescribing. Medication reconciliation decreased the odds of receiving an antidepressant (OR = .60, p < .05), while contraindication warnings increased the likelihood of an antidepressant prescription (OR = 1.91, p < .001). Conclusions EHR systems did not impact mental health linkages but improved rates of antidepressant prescribing. Optimizing the use of contraindication warnings may be a key mechanism to encourage antidepressant treatment.

Harnessing the Electronic Health Record and Computerized Provider Order Entry Data for Resource Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development of a Decision Tree.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in shortages of diagnostic tests, personal protective equipment, hospital beds, and other critical resources.ObjectiveWe sought to improve the management of scarce resources by leveraging electronic health record (EHR) functionality, computerized provider order entry, clinical decision support (CDS), and data analytics.MethodsDue to the complex eligibility criteria for COVID-19 tests and the EHR implementation–related challenges of ordering these tests, care providers have faced obstacles in selecting the appropriate test modality. As test choice is dependent upon specific patient criteria, we built a decision tree within the EHR to automate the test selection process by using a branching series of questions that linked clinical criteria to the appropriate SARS-CoV-2 test and triggered an EHR flag for patients who met our institutional persons under investigation criteria.ResultsThe percentage of tests that had to be canceled and reordered due to errors in selecting the correct testing modality was 3.8% (23/608) before CDS implementation and 1% (262/26,643) after CDS implementation (P<.001). Patients for whom multiple tests were ordered during a 24-hour period accounted for 0.8% (5/608) and 0.3% (76/26,643) of pre- and post-CDS implementation orders, respectively (P=.03). Nasopharyngeal molecular assay results were positive in 3.4% (826/24,170) of patients who were classified as asymptomatic and 10.9% (1421/13,074) of symptomatic patients (P<.001). Positive tests were more frequent among asymptomatic patients with a history of exposure to COVID-19 (36/283, 12.7%) than among asymptomatic patients without such a history (790/23,887, 3.3%; P<.001).ConclusionsThe leveraging of EHRs and our CDS algorithm resulted in a decreased incidence of order entry errors and the appropriate flagging of persons under investigation. These interventions optimized reagent and personal protective equipment usage. Data regarding symptoms and COVID-19 exposure status that were collected by using the decision tree correlated with the likelihood of positive test results, suggesting that clinicians appropriately used the questions in the decision tree algorithm.

The associations of information system's support and nurses' documentation competence with the detection of documentation-related errors: Results from a nationwide survey.

The use of information systems and electronic documentation has become a central part of a nurse's work, and it is expected to increase the quality of documentation and patient safety. However, errors related to documentation have been identified as a significant risk for the quality and safety of care. This study examined whether information system's support for documentation and nurses' documentation competence are associated with how frequently nurses detect documentation-related errors that have caused an adverse event. A nationwide survey was conducted in 2020, and a total of 3610 nurses participated. Results from linear regression analyses showed that high documentation support from the information system and high documentation competence were associated with fewer detected documentation-related errors. Nurses with low documentation support from the system and low documentation competence detected the most errors. The results highlight the need to develop electronic health record functions in a way that they better support accurate documentation. Furthermore, organisations should invest in ensuring the documentation skills of nurses and providing appropriate training.

Patient Portals: Objectives, Acceptance, and Effects on Health Outcome - A Scoping Review of Reviews.

Patient portals provide patients access to their electronic health record and other functions as secure messaging. For over a decade, more and more patient portals are developed for various settings. The aim of this scoping review of reviews is to systematically search the literature for existing reviews to provide an overview of patient portals' objectives, acceptance and effects on outcome. We followed the PRISMA Statement and its extension for scoping reviews, and searched for articles published in 2011-2021. The 19 included articles were considerably heterogeneous concentrating on health outcome or patient portal facilitators and barriers.

Use of electronic health records to manage tobacco screening and treatment in rural primary care

Electronic health records (EHRs) can facilitate primary care providers' (PCPs) use of best practices in addressing tobacco dependence. It is unknown whether rural PCPs reap the same benefits as their urban counterparts when employing EHRs for this purpose. Our study examines this issue. This cross-sectional investigation based on the 2012-2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey used chi-square tests and adjusted logistic regression models to explore how rurality and use of tobacco-related EHR functions were related to smoking status documentation (SSD) and cessation treatment at adult primary care visits. SSD rates were similar in visits to rural- and urban-based PCPs (88.2% rural-based vs 81.1% urban-based, P = .5819). Use of EHRs for SSD was associated with higher SSD odds at visits to both rural- and urban-based PCPs, but this increase was greater for visits to rural-based PCPs (428% vs 220% urban-based, P = .0443). Rates of cessation treatment at smokers' visits were low in rural and urban contexts (19.3% rural vs 19.6% urban, P = .9430). Odds of cessation treatment were 68% higher where EHRs were used to remind PCPs of treatment guidelines (P = .001), with no rural-urban difference in the size of the increase. Access to EHRs with tobacco-related functions was similar across rural and urban practices. Rural-based PCPs were at least as successful as urban-based PCPs in leveraging EHRs to enhance tobacco-related services. Even where EHRs are used, opportunities exist to expand cessation treatment in rural primary care.

Hospital SUD Programs, Psychiatric Hospitals Lag in Electronic Health Record Use

Hospital SUD Programs, Psychiatric Hospitals Lag in Electronic Health Record Use

A visual representation of microbiological culture data improves comprehension: a randomized controlled trial.

While the judicious use of antibiotics takes past microbiological culture results into consideration, this data's typical format in the electronic health record (EHR) may be unwieldy when incorporated into clinical decision-making. We hypothesize that a visual representation of sensitivities may aid in their comprehension. A prospective parallel unblinded randomized controlled trial was undertaken at an academic urban tertiary care center. Providers managing emergency department (ED) patients receiving antibiotics and having previous culture sensitivity testing were included. Providers were randomly selected to use standard EHR functionality or a visual representation of patients' past culture data as they answered questions about previous sensitivities. Concordance between provider responses and past cultures was assessed using the kappa statistic. Providers were surveyed about their decision-making and the usability of the tool using Likert scales. 518 ED encounters were screened from 3/5/2018 to 9/30/18, with providers from 144 visits enrolled and analyzed in the intervention arm and 129 in the control arm. Providers using the visualization tool had a kappa of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.65-0.73) when asked about past culture results while the control group had a kappa of 0.16 (95% CI: 0.12-0.20). Providers using the tool expressed improved understanding of previous cultures and found the tool easy to use (P < .001). Secondary outcomes showed no differences in prescribing practices. A visual representation of culture sensitivities improves comprehension when compared to standard text-based representations.

Hospital Adoption of Electronic Decision Support Tools for Preeclampsia Management.

Background:Electronic health record (EHR)–based clinical decision support tools can improve the use of evidence-based clinical guidelines for preeclampsia management that can reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. No study has investigated the organizational capabilities that enable hospitals to use EHR-based decision support tools to manage preeclampsia.Objective:To examine the association of organizational capabilities and hospital adoption of EHR-based decision support tools for preeclampsia management.Methods:Cross-sectional analyses of hospitals providing obstetric care in 2017. In total, 739 hospitals responded to the 2017-2018 National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (NSHOS) and were linked to the 2017 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey Database and the Area Health Resources File (AHRF). A total of 425 hospitals providing obstetric care across 49 states were included in the analysis. The main outcome was whether a hospital adopted EHR-based clinical decision support tools for preeclampsia management. Hospital organizational capabilities assessed as predictors include EHR functions, adoption of evidence-based clinical treatments, use of quality improvement methods, and dissemination processes to share best patient care practices. Logistic regression estimated the association of hospital organizational capabilities and hospital adoption of EHR-based decision support tools to manage preeclampsia, controlling for hospital structural and patient sociodemographic characteristics.Results:Two-thirds of the hospitals (68%) adopted EHR-based decision support tools for preeclampsia, and slightly more than half (56%) of hospitals had a single EHR system. Multivariable regression results indicate that hospitals with a single EHR system were more likely to adopt EHR-based decision support tools for preeclampsia (17.4 percentage points; 95% CI, 1.9 to 33.0; P < .05) than hospitals with a mixture of EHR and paper-based systems. Compared with hospitals having multiple EHRs, on average, hospitals having a single EHR were also more likely to adopt the tools by 9.3 percentage points, but the difference was not statistically significant (95% CI, −1.3 to 19.9). Hospitals with more processes to aid dissemination of best patient care practices were also more likely to adopt EHR-based decision-support tools for preeclampsia (0.4 percentage points; 95% CI, 0.1 to 0.6, for every 1-unit increase in dissemination processes; P < .01).Conclusion:Standardized EHRs and policies to disseminate evidence are foundational hospital capabilities that can help advance the use of EHR-based decision support tools for preeclampsia management in the approximately one-third of US hospitals that still do not use them.

A Collaborative Partnership between the Multicenter Handoff Collaborative and an Electronic Health Record Vendor.

Objectives The operating room is a specialized, complex environment with many factors that can impede effective communication during transitions of care between anesthesia clinicians. We postulated that an efficient, accessible, standardized tool for intraoperative handoffs built into standard workflow would improve communication and handoff safety. Most institutions now use an electronic health record (EHR) system for patient care and have independently designed intraoperative handoff tools, but these home-grown tools are not scalable to other organizations and lack vendor-supported features. The goal of this project was to create a standardized, intraoperative handoff tool supported by EHR functionality. Methods The Multicenter Handoff Collaborative, with support from the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, created a working group of frontline anesthesia experts to collaborate with a development team from the EHR vendor (Epic Systems) to design a standardized intraoperative handoff tool. Over 2 years, the working group identified the critical elements for the tool and software usability, and the EHR team designed a standardized intraoperative handoff tool that is accessible to any institution using this EHR. Results The first iteration of the intraoperative handoff tool was released in August 2019, with a second version in February 2020. The tool is standardized but customizable by individual institutions. Conclusion We demonstrate that work on complex health care processes critical to patient safety, such as handoffs, can be performed on a national scale through cross-industry collaboration. Frontline experts can partner with health care industry vendors to design, build, and release a product on an accelerated timeline.

The Effect of Electronic Health Record Burden on Pediatricians' Work-Life Balance and Career Satisfaction.

To examine pediatricians' perspectives on administrative tasks including electronic health record (EHR) documentation burden and their effect on work-life balance and life and career satisfaction. We analyzed 2018 survey data from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Pediatrician Life and Career Experience Study (PLACES), a longitudinal cohort study of early and midcareer pediatricians. Cohorts graduated from residency between 2002 and 2004 or 2009 and 2011. Participants were randomly selected from an AAP database (included all pediatricians who completed U.S. pediatric residency programs). Four in 10 pediatricians (1,796 out of 4,677) were enrolled in PLACES in 2012 and considered participants in 2018. Data were weighted to adjust for differences between study participants and the overall population of pediatricians. Chi-square and multivariable logistic regression examined the association of EHR burden on work-life balance (three measures) and satisfaction with work, career, and life (three measures). Responses to an open-ended question on experiences with administrative tasks were reviewed. A total of 66% of pediatrician participants completed the 2018 surveys (1,192 of 1,796; analytic sample = 1,069). Three-fourths reported EHR documentation as a major or moderate burden. Half reported such burden for billing and insurance and 42.7% for quality and performance measurement. Most pediatricians reported satisfaction with their jobs (86.7%), careers (84.5%), and lives (66.2%). Many reported work-life balance challenges (52.5% reported stress balancing work and personal responsibilities). In multivariable analysis, higher reported EHR burden was associated with lower scores on career and life satisfaction measures and on all three measures of work-life balance. Open-ended responses (n = 467) revealed several themes. Two predominant themes especially supported the quantitative findings-poor EHR functionality and lack of support for administrative burdens. Most early to midcareer pediatricians experience administrative burdens with EHRs. These experiences are associated with worse work-life balance including more stress in balancing responsibilities and less career and life satisfaction.

Nursing Attitudes and Practices in Code Documentation Employing a New Electronic Health Record.

Based on feedback from nurses regarding the challenges of code documentation following the implementation of a new electronic health record (EHR), we sought to better understand inpatient nurse attitudes and practices in code documentation and to identify opportunities for improvement. An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to all inpatient nurses working at a single, 999-bed, university-based, and quaternary care hospital. Participation in the study was voluntary and consent was implied by survey completion. Overall, 432 (14%) of 3,121 inpatient nurses completed the survey. While nearly 80% of respondents indicated feeling very comfortable using computers for personal use, only 5% felt very comfortable navigating the EHR to document codes in real time. While 53% had documented codes in the new EHR, most admitted to documenting on paper with retroactive entry into the EHR. About 25% reported having participated in a code that was not accurately documented in the new EHR. All respondents provided specific suggestions for improving the EHR interface, and over 90% expressed interest in having opportunities to practice code documentation using simulated code events. Despite completion of training modules in code documentation in a new EHR, many inpatient nurses in a single institution feel uncomfortable documenting codes directly into the EHR, and some question the accuracy of this documentation. Improving EHR functionality based on specific recommendations from end-users coupled with more practice documenting simulated codes may ease EHR navigation, leading to nurses' acceptance of the EHR tool, more accurate and efficient documentation, greater nurse satisfaction and more appropriate quality improvement measures.

Use of Electronic Health Information Technology in a National Sample of Hospitals That Provide Specialty Substance Use Care.

Most U.S. acute care hospitals have adopted basic electronic health record (EHR) functionality and health information exchange (HIE) (84% and 88%, respectively, in 2017). This study examined whether rates of EHR and HIE adoption by hospital-based substance use disorder programs are lower than rates by acute care hospitals. Data from the 2017 National Survey on Substance Abuse Treatment Services were analyzed to examine adoption of basic EHR functionality (i.e., assessment, progress monitoring, discharge, labs, and prescription dispensing) and use of HIE by hospital-based programs. Analyses used weighted multivariable models of EHR and HIE outcomes, adjusted for nonresponse. Of 894 hospital-based substance use disorder programs with EHR information, two-thirds (N=606, 68%) reported use of basic EHR functionality. Psychiatric hospitals were less likely than acute care hospitals to have adopted EHR (odds ratio [OR]=0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.35-0.71). Compared with nonprofit hospitals, for-profit (OR=0.23, 95% CI=0.16-0.35) and government-owned (OR=0.52, 95% CI=0.33-0.83) hospitals were less likely to use basic EHR functionality. Hospital-based programs providing medications for alcohol or opioid use disorders were more likely than those not providing such medications to use basic EHR (OR=1.95, 95% CI=1.31-2.90). Of 839 hospitals with information on HIE use, 598 (71%) reported using electronic HIE. Adoption of basic EHR functionality was the strongest predictor of HIE use (OR=4.73, 95% CI=3.29-6.79). Hospital-based substance use disorder programs trail behind U.S. acute care hospitals in adoption of basic EHR and electronic HIE. Findings raise concerns about missed opportunities to improve hospital-based substance use disorder care quality and performance measurement.

Hospital organizational strategies associated with advanced EHR adoption.

To identify organizational complementarities of adoption and use of electronic health records (EHRs) and assess what organizational strategies were associated with more advanced EHR use. Primary survey data of US hospitals combined with secondary data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and IT Supplement. In this cross-sectional study, we describe hospital organizational practices around EHR adoption and use and identify how these practices coalesce into distinct strategies. We then assess the association between those organizational strategies and adoption of advanced EHR functions. Primary data collection consisted of surveys sent to 797 US acute care hospitals in 2018-2019, with 451 complete respondents. There was significant variation in hospital organizational practices for EHR adoption and use. Factor analysis identified practices in three domains: leadership engagement, human capital, and systems integration. Hospitals in the top quartile of the leadership engagement factor were 14 percentage points more likely to have adopted patient engagement EHR functions (P=0.01) while hospitals in the top quartile of human capital were 14 percentage points less likely to have adopted these functions (P=0.02). Hospitals in the top quartile of systems integration were 12 percentage points more likely to have adopted patient engagement functions (P=0.02) and 14 percentage points more likely to have adopted EHR data analytics functions (P=0.02). Our findings suggest that specific organizational strategies are associated with more advanced EHR adoption. Hospital leaders interested in realizing more value from their EHR investment may find it useful to know that there is an association between adoption of more advanced EHR functions, and engaging senior leadership as well as building connectivity between clinical and administrative systems.

Human-centered development of an electronic health record-embedded, interactive information visualization in the emergency department using fast healthcare interoperability resources.

Develop and evaluate an interactive information visualization embedded within the electronic health record (EHR) by following human-centered design (HCD) processes and leveraging modern health information exchange standards. We applied an HCD process to develop a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) application that displays a patient's asthma history to clinicians in a pediatric emergency department. We performed a preimplementation comparative system evaluation to measure time on task, number of screens, information retrieval accuracy, cognitive load, user satisfaction, and perceived utility and usefulness. Application usage and system functionality were assessed using application logs and a postimplementation survey of end users. Usability testing of the Asthma Timeline Application demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in time on task (P < .001), number of screens (P < .001), and cognitive load (P < .001) for clinicians when compared to base EHR functionality. Postimplementation evaluation demonstrated reliable functionality and high user satisfaction. Following HCD processes to develop an application in the context of clinical operations/quality improvement is feasible. Our work also highlights the potential benefits and challenges associated with using internationally recognized data exchange standards as currently implemented. Compared to standard EHR functionality, our visualization increased clinician efficiency when reviewing the charts of pediatric asthma patients. Application development efforts in an operational context should leverage existing health information exchange standards, such as FHIR, and evidence-based mixed methods approaches.

Exploring and Overcoming the Challenges Primary Care Practices Face with Care Management of High-Risk Patients in CPC+: a Mixed-Methods Study.

Longitudinal care management (LCM) for high-risk patients is a cornerstone of primary care models aiming to improve quality and reduce costs. Describe the extent to which LCM was implemented in the second year of Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+), and barriers to and facilitators of implementation. Mixed-methods. Quantitative: 2715 practices participating in CPC+ in 2018. Qualitative: Interviews with practitioners and staff in 23 representative CPC+ practices. Across all CPC+ practices, we report median percentages of empaneled patients placed in the highest-risk tiers and, of those, the median percentage receiving LCM. Across 23 CPC+ practices, we report qualitative findings on LCM implementation. While practices reported benefits of LCM, a small proportion of patients received LCM. Practices placed 2.4% (median) of patients in the highest-risk tier; of these, 30% (median) received LCM. Practices placed 10% (median) of patients in the second-highest-risk tier; of these, 7% (median) received LCM. Interviews revealed LCM uptake across tiers was low because of insufficient care manager staffing. Other challenges included lack of practitioner buy-in to using risk stratification to identify high-risk patients, patients' reluctance to engage in LCM or change behaviors, and limited health information technology functionality for developing, maintaining, and accessing high-risk patients' care plans. Facilitators included embedding care managers within practices and electronic health record functionalities that support LCM. Despite substantial financial and other supports, and practices' perceived benefits of LCM, insufficient care manager staffing and other barriers have limited its potential in CPC+ to date. To expand LCM's reach, practices need additional care managers, training to overcome barriers to patient engagement, better identification of patients who might benefit from LCM, improved information technology tools for risk stratification and care plans, and more practitioner buy-in to risk stratification.

Factors that Determine Comprehensive Categorical Classification of EHR Implementation Levels.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have the potential to alleviate patient safety mistakes. Of the various levels of EHR, advanced or higher-level functionalities of EHR are designed to improve patient safety. Certain organizational and environmental factors may pose as barriers toward implementing all of the functionalities, leaving certain hospitals intermediate between basic and comprehensive levels of implementation. This study identifies a comprehensive categorical classification that includes hospitals that have functionalities between basic and comprehensive levels of EHR and determines the organizational and environmental factors that may influence hospitals to implement one or more combinations of these categories. A longitudinal panel design was used. Ordinal logistic regression with random effects model was fitted with robust cluster standard errors. Our sample consisted of non-federal general acute care hospitals utilizing a panel design from 2010 to 2016 with 17 586 hospital-year observations (or an average of 2600 hospitals per year). Larger size hospitals, ones with higher total margin, metropolitan and urban hospitals, system affiliated hospitals, and those in higher managed care penetration areas have higher odds of belonging in one of the higher categories of EHR implementation. Hospitals that can access a greater amount of human resources and financial assets from their environments, may implement higher levels of EHR. Initial and maintenance costs of EHR, interoperability issues, and inability to distribute high costs of training across facilities may stymie implementation of higher EHR functionalities. Policymaking to encourage competition among vendors may possibly lower the implementation price for hospitals with limited resources.

"I didn't know you could do that": A Pilot Assessment of EHR Optimization Training.

BackgroundInformatics tools within electronic health records (EHRs)—for example, data rosters and clinical reminders—can help disseminate care guidelines into clinical practice. Such tools’ adoption varies widely, however, possibly because many primary care providers receive minimal training in even basic EHR functions.ObjectivesThis mixed-methods evaluation of a pilot training program sought to identify factors to consider when providing EHR use optimization training in community health centers (CHCs) as a step toward supporting CHC providers’ adoption of EHR tools.MethodsIn spring 2018, we offered 10 CHCs a 2-day, 16-hour training in EHR use optimization, provided by clinician trainers, and customized to each CHC’s needs. We surveyed trainees pre- and immediately post-training and again 3 months later. We conducted post-training interviews with selected clinic staff, and conducted a focus group with the trainers, to assess satisfaction with the training, and perceptions of how it impacted subsequent EHR use.ResultsSix CHCs accepted and received the training; 122 clinic staff members registered to attend, and most who completed the post-training survey reported high satisfaction. Three months post-training, 80% of survey respondents said the training had changed their daily EHR use somewhat or significantly.ConclusionFactors to consider when planning EHR use optimization training in CHCs include: CHCs may face barriers to taking part in such training; it may be necessary to customize training to a given clinic’s needs and to different trainees’ clinic roles; identifying trainees’ skill level a priori would help but is challenging; in-person training may be preferable; and inclusion of a practice coach may be helpful. Additional research is needed to identify how to provide such training most effectively.

202. Implementation of an Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) Collaborative for Patients with Staphylococcus aureus or Gram-Negative Bacilli Bacteremia Requiring Home Infusion: The PANTHIR Program

Background Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) bacteremia often require prolonged treatment courses due to high morbidity and mortality risk. Outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) has emerged as a preferred delivery method. Few data have been published regarding the follow-up and adverse event rates among OPAT patients. We describe outcomes in patients with SA or GNB bacteremia transitioning from an academic medical center to home infusion, prompting the implementation of the Parenteral ANtimicrobial therapy Transitions to Home Infusion Review (PANTHIR) program.MethodsA retrospective chart review of adult patients with SA or GNB bacteremia at the University of Minnesota Medical Center requiring home infusion represent a 26-month period. Baseline outcomes, including 30-day hospital readmissions and adverse drug events (ADEs), were calculated. The PANTHIR program was launched as an interdisciplinary collaborative with an infectious diseases (ID) provider, pharmacists, and home infusion specialists. Core program elements include inpatient identification, ID pharmacist review, care plan documentation and communication, and OPAT program measures.ResultsThe retrospective cohort included 69 patients. 23.2% experienced a hospitalization within 30 days of discharge and 26.1% experienced an ADE (Table 1). The mean duration of therapy was 22 days. No patient received aminoglycosides and one required vancomycin. A primary goal was to improve the continuity of care for potentially life-threatening bacteremia during the vulnerable inpatient to outpatient transition. Electronic health record functionality allowed for creation of an OPAT navigator for infectious diseases (ID) pharmacist transition plan documentation, electronic communication with designated provider and home infusion pharmacist, and retrieval of focal data points for ongoing program evaluation. 28 patients have been enrolled in the PANTHIR program with outcomes data collection underway.Table 1. Retrospective data among University of Minnesota Medical Center patients hospitalized with SA or GNB bacteremia requiring home infusion on discharge. ConclusionHospital readmission rates and ADEs are frequent among patients with SA or GNB bacteremia requiring OPAT via home infusion. An ID pharmacist-directed program in collaboration with an ID provider is feasible for OPAT transitions and may serve as a roadmap for other institutions.Disclosures Dana Simonson, PharmD, BCPS, Janssen (Advisor or Review Panel member, Other Financial or Material Support, Webinar Series Speaker Fall 2019)

Pediatrician Electronic Health Record Time Use for Outpatient Encounters.

The time providers spend using their electronic health records (EHRs) delivering care and its potential impact on patient care are of concern for the health care system. In studies to date, researchers have focused on providers who primarily care for adults. Scant information exists for pediatricians. Given this gap, it is important to quantify EHR activity for this group. We studied pediatricians practicing in US-based ambulatory practices using the Cerner Millennium EHR by extracting data from software log files in the Lights On Network for the calendar year 2018 and summarizing the time spent on each of 13 clinically-focused EHR functions according to clinical specialty. Our data included >20 million encounters by almost 30 thousand physicians from 417 health systems. Pediatric physicians spent an average of 16 minutes per encounter using their EHR. Chart review (31%), documentation (31%), and ordering (13%) functions accounted for most of the time. The distribution of time spent by providers using their EHR is highly variable within subspecialty but is similar across specialties. Because of data limitations, we were unable to examine geographic or health system-specific variation. Pediatricians, like physicians who care for adults, spend a large portion of their day using their EHR. Additionally, although chart review and documentation accounted for 62% of the activity, as in previously published studies, in our study, we found that chart review accounted for half of that time. Wide variation suggests opportunities to optimize both the processes of entering information and searching for patient data within the EHR.

Reducing electronic health record-related burnout in providers through a personalized efficiency improvement program.

To give providers a better understanding of how to use the electronic health record (EHR), improve efficiency, and reduce burnout. All ambulatory providers were offered at least 1 one-on-one session with an "optimizer" focusing on filling gaps in EHR knowledge and lack of customization. Success was measured using pre- and post-surveys that consisted of validated tools and homegrown questions. Only participants who returned both surveys were included in our calculations. Out of 1155 eligible providers, 1010 participated in optimization sessions. Pre-survey return rate was 90% (1034/1155) and post-survey was 54% (541/1010). 451 participants completed both surveys. After completing their optimization sessions, respondents reported a 26% improvement in mean knowledge of EHR functionality (P < .01), a 19% increase in the mean efficiency in the EHR (P < .01), and a 17% decrease in mean after-hours EHR usage (P < .01). Of the 401 providers asked to rate their burnout, 32% reported feelings of burnout in the pre-survey compared to 23% in the post-survey (P < .01). Providers were also likely to recommend colleagues participate in the program, with a Net Promoter Score of 41. It is possible to improve provider efficiency and feelings of burnout with a personalized optimization program. We ascribe these improvements to the one-on-one nature of our program which provides both training as well as addressing the feeling of isolation many providers feel after implementation. It is possible to reduce burnout in ambulatory providers with personalized retraining designed to improve efficiency and knowledge of the EHR.