Prevention

- Electronic Health Records

As Illinois' Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), IFMC - IL assists physicians with utilizing information technology to improve health care quality and efficiency. Quality Improvement interventions that support health information technology have the potential to improve screening rates through timely notification of providers and patients when a mammogram or colorectal cancer screening should be scheduled. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination levels among adults 65 years of age and older remain well below the Healthy People 2020 objective of 90 percent, but similar notifications could help increase those rates.

We are working with practices that have implemented certified EHR systems with all of the following care management capabilities:
• Maintain problem and/or diagnosis list
• Identify specific patients by age and disease or disease risk
• Create printed patient-specific care plans
• Be certified by a recognized certifying body

IFMC - IL will help participants use their EHR to redesign and/or implement care management and patient self-management for preventive service needs. Each participant will use its certified EHR to report breast cancer and CRC screening and influenza and pneumococcal immunization data directly to the CMS Clinical Data Warehouse or alternately, generate an electronic report of this information from its EHR and transmit using software as directed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) is a voluntary quality reporting system that provides a financial incentive to physicians and other eligible professionals who successfully report quality data related to covered services under the Medicare Physican Fee Schedule. The Goal of PQRS is to improve quality and provide an opportunity for providers to begin using objective, evidence-based guidelines to assess the quality of care they provide.

IFMC-IL is dedicated to working with providers and health systems to report PQRS using qualified EHRs with the goals of helping providers better coordinate preventive care services for beneficiaries and report quality measures. Additionally, IFMC-IL will help providers receive financial incentives associated with PQRS reporting.

For further information on EHRs and IFMC - IL work in this area, contact the Prevention Quality Improvement Team at 1-800-386-6431.