Success Stories from the AHRQ-Funded Health IT Portfolio

AHRQ developed project success stories to highlight exemplary Health IT Portfolio-funded projects that demonstrate positive impact on health care outcomes. These projects are well-poised to demonstrate sustainability or transferability of health IT, or expansion through the translation of health IT research into practice. The stories also aim to highlight new or novel projects that address gaps in the research literature and collectively show a wide range of successful projects supported by the Health IT Portfolio.

	Electronic Standing Orders in Primary Care Offices Boost the Delivery of Adult Vaccinations and Other Health Maintenance Services (PDF, 1.46 MB)  PDF Help. Principal Investigator: Lynne Nemeth (Contract No. 290-07-10015-2) The implementation of electronic standing orders has positive impact on staff's involvement in improved patient care. For more information detailing this project, please access this video (Flash, 6 min., 18 sec.).
	Individualized, Multi-Media Materials in Spanish and English Help Seniors Manage Medications and Communicate with Clinician Team (PDF, 600 KB)  PDF Help. Principal Investigator: Kate L. Lapane (Grant No. R18 HS 017281) The development of DVD segments on topics such as insomnia, depression, heart failure, and diabetes show promise as a way to help older adults address medication health care challenges. For more information detailing this project, please access this video (Flash, 10 min., 28 sec.).
	Patients Take a Bite of Prevention Apple with Web-based Interactive Personal Health Records (PDF, 5.58 MB)  PDF Help. Principal Investigator: Alexander Krist (Grant No. R18 HS 017046) Interactive Preventive Health Record improves patient outcomes in the delivery of preventive services. A Handbook for Using Patient-Centered Interactive Personal Health Records To Promote Prevention (PDF, 576 KB) PDF Help. This handbook offers practical guidance on the implementation of interactive preventive health records (IPHRs).
	Toolkit Available for Assessing the Impact of Health IT on Workflow in Provider Offices (PDF, 1.03 MB)  PDF Help. Principal Investigators: Pascale Carayon and Ben-Tzion Karsh (Contract No. 290-08-10036) This toolkit helps provider offices assess their worksflows before, during, and after the implementation of a health IT system.
	Time, Effort, and Infrastructure Costs to Use Electronic Health Records (PDF, 274 KB)  PDF Help. Principal Investigator: Neil Fleming (Grant No. R03 HS 018220) This study estimated the actual costs of electronic health record implementation including the resources associated with the time and effort of planning, customization, and training and showed that the loss of revenue and productivity are not as burdensome as feared. For more information, please view the presentation Dr. Fleming gave at the 2011 AHRQ Annual Conference. (PDF, 177 KB)  PDF Help.

Previous Success Stories

In 2009, the AHRQ Health IT Portfolio produced a single report of Success Stories. The stories in this report are:

• SAFEHealth: A Health Information Exchange Improving Health Care Delivery in Central Massachusetts
  Principal Investigator: Lawrence Garber
• Using Human Factors Research to Increase the Success of a Health Information Technology Implementation
  Principal Investigator: Pascale Carayon
• Measuring Quality in Physicians’ Practices in Southwestern Missouri Using an Electronic Health Record
  Principal Investigator: Denni McColm
• Electronic Referrals Show Promise for Improving Quality of Care in Outpatient Settings
  Principal Investigator: Douglas Bell
• Electronic Standing Orders in Primary Care Offices Boost the Delivery of Adult Vaccinations and Other Health Maintenance Services
  Principal Investigator: Lynn Nemeth
• Building Bridges Workshop: Health Care Consumer Needs and the Design of Health Information Technology
  Principal Investigator: Anne Peterson
• Health Care Consumers’ Perspectives on the Design and Use of Health Information Technology
  Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Kerwin
• Strategies for Integrating Usability in Electronic Health Records
  Principal Investigator: Cheryl J. McConnell

To view the success stories from 2009, please access the report (PDF, 588 KB) PDF Help.

Last Modified: August 2012