Groups Make Efforts To Improve Physicians’ Office Operations, Patient Safety

November 21, 2006 – 9:40 pm | posted in IT / Internet / E-mail, Primary Care, Public Health

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined new online patient safety assessment tools for medical practices and looked at how medical groups are “taking steps to make sure patients fully understand their part of the bargain.” With the help of a Commonwealth Fund grant, the Medical Group Management Association, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the Health Research and Educational Trust have launched a Web-based “Physician Practice Patient Safety Assessment.” The tool helps physicians evaluate the efficiency of their office and offers them ways to better track the use and safety of medicines, transfer information and communicate with patients. Of the first 164 medical practices that completed the online assessments, 31% were not aware of or had not implemented safety procedures for medications, while 20% had no programs for patient education. Meanwhile, medical groups are starting to provide patients with information to help them better understand physician instructions and orders. For example, Kaiser Permanente has begun to offer patients “after-visit summaries,” which recount issues discussed during a visit, fully explain medication and dosages, and provide instructions for self-care and follow-up visits. The summaries are part of the company’s KPHealth Connect electronic record system (Landro, Wall Street Journal, 11/15).

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