Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

18 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE When patients see cancer diagnoses via EHR: 5 notes By Elizabeth Gregerson A mong patients who learned of their cancer diagnosis through an online portal, 59% were alone at the time, according to a study published June 24 in JAMA Network Open. e 21st Century Cures Act requires healthcare organizations provide patients with timely, unrestricted access to their electronic health information. Researchers from Dallas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center surveyed 2,412 patients diagnosed with cancer at University of Texas Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center between Jan. 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2023. Here are five notes from the study: 1. Of all survey respondents, 84% received their diagnosis through care team communication — 59% during an in-person or telemedicine visit and 25% during a telephone call — while 7% of respondents first learned of their diagnosis through an online portal. 2. Among patients who received their diagnosis through the portal, 71% were at home and 59% were alone at the time. Of those patients, 54% said they would prefer receiving a diagnosis via the portal in the future while 42% said they would prefer their diagnosis to be delivered by a physician. 3. Among patients who received their diagnosis from a clinician, 79% said they preferred this method while 20% said they preferred learning of their diagnosis via portal. Men and high-frequency portal users were more likely to prefer learning of their cancer diagnosis through the portal. 4. Of all survey respondents, 75% said they preferred clinician communication and 23% said they preferred communication through the portal. 5. Potential solutions to address patients receiving cancer diagnoses through a portal include "improving clinician and patient awareness of available portal notification settings; developing tiered or delayed-release approaches for particularly sensitive findings; and integrating supportive digital tools such as plain- language summaries for radiology and pathology reports," researchers said in a June 24 news release from UT Southwestern Medical Center. n Real-Time Predictive Unified Platform for Quality, Safety & Risk Dexur has developed a 2-KPI Strategy to Reduce Readmissions % of Hospitalized Patients who visit the ED within 30 Days of Discharge (†‡ˆ #1) Admit Rate from ED to Inpatient (†‡ˆ #2) 30-Day Readmission Rate Improving either KPI in isolation may not significantly reduce your readmission rate. Sustainable improvement comes from optimizing both. Focus on These 2 KPIs. Improve Both. Lower Your 30-Day Readmission Rate. LEVER 1 LEVER 2 Reduce ED Visits Within 30 Days of Discharge Lower the % of hospitalized patients who return to the ED within 30 days of discharge. Improve ED Management to Lower Admit Rate from ED to Inpatient Ensure only patients who truly need admission are admitted. Typically 15% to 25% Typically 55% to 65% Real-Time Predictions Stronger Performance Across Quality Programs Better Outcomes & Safety 01 Real-Time Predictive Program, Domain & Measure Management 02 Real-Time Predictive Readmissions & Mortality Management 04 Real-Time Infection & Clinical Surveillance 03 Real-Time Predictive Patient Experience Rounding 05 Real-Time Physician & HCP Reporting, OPPE, FPPE & Peer Review 06 Quality Reporting for Regulatory Compliance & Accreditation 07 Predictive Risk, Safety & Incident Management 08 Real-Time Predictive CMS Team & Value-Based Care Management Proactive Interventions

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