Purpose:

• To develop “infrastructure” for measuring preventive health service delivery (including Tobacco status assessment and delivery of advice to quit) in primary care offices.

• To improve performance of delivery of other preventive services by implementing “Tracking Codes” based on HEDIS measures for prevention.

• To implement these Tracking Codes in two different clinical settings: one pilot project in a electronic medical record (EMR) setting, and the other pilot project in a paper-based medical record setting.

• Implementation of HEDIS tracking codes will be performed using Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) methodologies, and findings from these pilot projects will be used to formulate a System-wide implementation that will be the subject of a Full Evaluation Grant in 2000.

Objectives:

• Development

• Building practitioner acceptance of Tracking Codes for prevention

• Adapting Managed Care Organization (MCO) staff and computer systems to allow for capture and feedback on performance of preventive health care delivery (including tobacco status assessment and provider advice to quit smoking)

• To develop information about protocols, resources, and training necessary to implement this Tracking Code project across an IPA-Model Health System (Providence Health System).

• Involve local practitioners in developing Tracking Codes

• Communicate with the entire health system in a new, systematic, and comprehensive fashion

• Validate these Tracking Codes using a credible, independent group (Oregon Medical Association; Ambulatory Records Certification/ARC)

• To enhance existing financial incentives to promote delivery of preventive health care (including Tobacco Status Assessment and Provider Advice to Quit smoking)