California RHIO targets diabetics

A Santa Cruz, CA-based health information exchange has developed a diabetes disease registry which has significantly improved providers' ability to identify and treat diabetics in their care. The network, which includes two hospitals, labs, radiology, pathology and transcription services, share information using technology from vendor Axolotl. About a year ago, the providers began using the technology to develop the registry, which identifies likely candidates for the disease and triggers alerts to the appropriate provider. The system also extracts test results relevant to diabetes care and puts them into an electronic record.

The registry has allowed providers to identify patients which would otherwise have slipped through the cracks, in part because it gives them access to tests other clinicians have performed. Meanwhile, the registry helps demonstrate that providers are giving patients appropriate care, which can help them in reporting quality data for pay-for-performance initiatives.

To get more information about the electronic registry:
- read this Healthcare IT News piece

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