UC Davis Health piloted Epic Systems' population health module to increase preventive health screenings for patients over 50.
Here's how they did it:
- Researchers collected data from a control clinic within the UC Davis Health system and from the Sacramento County, Calif.-based intervention clinic between July 2020 and June 2021.
- Using Epic Healthy Planet, custom reports were created for patients 50 and older at the Sacramento County clinic to determine care gaps in the following areas: colon cancer screening, lung cancer screening, tobacco counseling, obesity counseling, pneumonia vaccination, shingles vaccination and hepatitis C screening.
- This data was then used to bundle orders for colon cancer screening, lung cancer screening, tobacco and obesity counseling, age-appropriate vaccines and hepatitis C screening, for patients prior to their visit.
- A nurse, who specializes in prevention education, would also contact patients before their visit to discuss interventions, pre-order tests and vaccines, so they were ready for the physician to finalize with the patient at the appointment.
The researchers found that the tailored application of electronic population health tools increased the uptake of preventive health services.