Missed opportunities for influenza vaccination occur in acute-care visits when a clinician may not be thinking about vaccination or being aware a patient was under-vaccinated (Stockwell & Fiks, 2013). It is difficult for physicians to know if a patient has been vaccinated, and for certain high-risk population groups it is imperative to administer the influenza vaccine. A CDS system is comparable to hiring a new member of a clinical practice. The technology helps providers aggregate and synthesize data at the patient and population levels to increase the rates of intervention (McLeod, Eidus, & Stewart, 2012). Employing the CDS as a partner in patient care is a significant development in the way healthcare is delivered.
Previous studies have …show more content…
The lower rate of preventive services can be attributed to insufficient services, higher rates of poverty, and lack of insurance (Bennett, Pumkam, & Probst, 2011). Furthermore, rural residents tend to be 65 years or older, and have difficulties seeking medical care due to the sparse nature of healthcare in rural areas (Bennett, Bellinger, & Probst, 2010). Access to vaccines is limited to rural residents, even though the population profile of these areas illustrates they are an ideal group for influenza vaccination. Rural populations have higher rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type II diabetes, yet they receive far less preventive medical interventions than their urban …show more content…
The Beacon program acknowledged the Delta is a medically underserved area, with a high proportion of racial minorities and other vulnerable populations (Maxson, et al., 2010). The primary goal of the Beacon program is to expand the use of HIT in rural health systems. With the help of a generous grant funded by The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Delta Health Alliance formed the Delta BLUES (Better Living Utilizing Electronic Systems) Project. The Delta BLUES Project was one of only two Beacon communities that committed to the expansion of broadband in the area to support communications among provider locations. As HIT was implemented into regional clinics, the Delta BLUES Project invested heavily in clinical decision support (CDS) systems. CDS systems are used in Delta BLUES clinics to give automatic reminders for glucose screenings, cholesterol tests, and eye screenings for diabetic patients (Delta Health Alliance, 2014). The technology has demonstrated an improvement in clinical outcomes for diabetic patients. Building on this success, clinics began to distribute Care Guides based on the guidelines set forth in the CDS system. The Care Guides, such as a hypertension guide has been embraced by patients (Delta Health Alliance, 2014). Utilizing CDS technology to improve preventive care in rural health systems, such as the Delta
Previous studies have …show more content…
The lower rate of preventive services can be attributed to insufficient services, higher rates of poverty, and lack of insurance (Bennett, Pumkam, & Probst, 2011). Furthermore, rural residents tend to be 65 years or older, and have difficulties seeking medical care due to the sparse nature of healthcare in rural areas (Bennett, Bellinger, & Probst, 2010). Access to vaccines is limited to rural residents, even though the population profile of these areas illustrates they are an ideal group for influenza vaccination. Rural populations have higher rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type II diabetes, yet they receive far less preventive medical interventions than their urban …show more content…
The Beacon program acknowledged the Delta is a medically underserved area, with a high proportion of racial minorities and other vulnerable populations (Maxson, et al., 2010). The primary goal of the Beacon program is to expand the use of HIT in rural health systems. With the help of a generous grant funded by The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Delta Health Alliance formed the Delta BLUES (Better Living Utilizing Electronic Systems) Project. The Delta BLUES Project was one of only two Beacon communities that committed to the expansion of broadband in the area to support communications among provider locations. As HIT was implemented into regional clinics, the Delta BLUES Project invested heavily in clinical decision support (CDS) systems. CDS systems are used in Delta BLUES clinics to give automatic reminders for glucose screenings, cholesterol tests, and eye screenings for diabetic patients (Delta Health Alliance, 2014). The technology has demonstrated an improvement in clinical outcomes for diabetic patients. Building on this success, clinics began to distribute Care Guides based on the guidelines set forth in the CDS system. The Care Guides, such as a hypertension guide has been embraced by patients (Delta Health Alliance, 2014). Utilizing CDS technology to improve preventive care in rural health systems, such as the Delta