Diagnostic claim codes group and identify diseases, disorders, symptoms, human response patterns and medical signs. They’re used to measure morbidity and mortality.
Today, though, data from electronic health records (EHRs) can be more effective in detecting more cases of many diseases than claim codes alone, including a disease that affects millions of people around the world – diabetes.
According to a recent study done by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, by using EHR data – such as laboratory test results, diagnosis codes and suggestive prescriptions – doctors can more accurately detect diabetes in patients, and even distinguish between type 1 and type 2.
Researchers analyzed four years of data from approximately 700,000 patients, applying an optimized algorithm to a live, prospective EHR-based surveillance system, and reviewed 100 additional cases for validation.
The results of the algorithm flagged over 43,000 patients who were correctly identified and validated as type 1 diabetics.
This data concluded that by utilizing EHR-based algorithms, researchers and physicians can now more easily detect and classify patients with diabetes. This is just another example of how new technology and the use of EHRs are changing healthcare. Call Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 to learn more on how advances in technology and communication are changing healthcare.