Week 2 Assignment : Evaluating EHR Systems (HealthFirst Hospital)

Case Scenario

You are part of the Health Informatics team at HealthFirst Hospital – Central Clinic, a primary care organization focused on improving preventive care through data and technology. The clinic relies on EHR-based clinical reminders to support colorectal cancer screening.

Recently, Central Clinic implemented an EHR enhancement called ScreenSmart, which helps reduce inaccurate “Overdue” reminders by identifying evidence of screenings completed outside the clinic and prompting staff review rather than automatically closing reminders.

Hospital leadership has asked your team to evaluate how well the EHR’s clinical reminder system is functioning and to make data-driven recommendations to improve preventive care outcomes, patient engagement, and population health.

Instructions: 

Clinical Reminder Data Visualization V (Required EHRGo Activity – Not Submitted)

Part I: Review of Edgar Cash’s Patient Chart

Using the patient chart in EHRGo:

1. Log In toEHRGo Clinical Reminder Data Visualization V (https://web21.ehrgo.com/activity/index/id/13403#!/step10 ) username: QuayCooper password: Beautiful1!!
2. Identify the clinical reminders listed in Edgar Cash’s EHR.
3. Indicate which clinical reminders are Dueand Overdue.
4. Identify which areas of the patient chart (e.g., Prevention, Notes, Alerts, Orders, Labs) contain information related to preventive care or past screenings.
5. Briefly explain how clinical reminders support preventive care decision-making.

 

Part II: ScreenSmart Analysis

Based on your review of the patient chart and ScreenSmart information:

• Explain why the colorectal cancer screening reminder may still appear as “Overdue” when the patient reports completing a screening elsewhere.
• Identify which clinical reminder ScreenSmart flags as potentially completed outside the clinic and describe how this information is presented in the EHR.
• Discuss whether ScreenSmart suggestions should be trusted automatically and explain the importance of human review in maintaining data accuracy.

Part III: Data Analysis Using the Clinical Reminder Dataset

Using the Clinical Reminder Data ScreenSmart dataset and Microsoft Excel:

• Create pivot tables to analyze:

• Screening status (Due, Not Due, Overdue)
• Screening type (gFOBT, CT colonography, colonoscopy)
  • Identify:
• Which screening method has the highest number of patients marked “Not Due”
• Which ScreenSmart flags appear most frequently for Due or Overdue reminders
• Which insurance types have the highest percentage of Overdue screenings
• Screening completion rates by clinic location
  • Include charts or graphsto visually represent key findings.
  • Explain why you selected each chart type and what the data reveals.

 

Part IV: Critical Thinking and Application

Using your data analysis and the assigned scholarly reading:

• Explain why the system does not automatically mark screenings as complete when ScreenSmart flags are present.
• Discuss the benefits of ScreenSmart logic compared to traditional clinical reminder systems.
• Based on your data, recommend which patient groups should be prioritized for a mailed FIT (at-home stool test) program and explain why.
• Recommend key metrics that Central Clinic should track weekly or monthly to improve screening rates and reduce disparities.

 

Actionable Recommendations

Provide clear, data-driven, evidence-based recommendations to improve:

• Clinical reminder accuracy
• Preventive care delivery
• Use of EHR data in decision-making

Your recommendations must be supported by:

• Findings from your statistical analysis
• Peer-reviewed scholarly evidence

What You Will Submit

Submit  the following:

• Written Report(5–7 pages, APA format), OR

Your submission must be clearly organized using the Part I–IV structure outlined below.

 

Writing, Organization, and References

• Organize your submission clearly using the Part I–IV headings.
• Use professional, scholarly writing.
• Include at least three peer-reviewed sourcespublished within the last five years.
• Follow APA 7th editionformatting for in-text citations and references.

Resources:

• Waiting Room Solutions. Go to youtube and search “Waiting Room Solutions Demo” to view this product.
• Allscripts MyWay EMR. Go to youtube and search “Allscripts Demo” to view this product.

2018 AHIMA Entry- Level Competencies Health Information Management Baccalaureate Degree

Domain I. Data Structure, Content, and Information Governance

Competency

I.6. Evaluate data dictionaries & data sets for compliance with government standards

Domain III. Informatics, Analytics, and Data Use

Competency

III.1. Examine health informatics concepts for the management of health information.

III.2. Analyze technologies for health information management.

III.6. Manage data within a database management system.

III.7. Identify standards for exchange of health information.

 

Step-by-Step Guide to Completing the Assignment

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Part I: Review of Edgar Cash’s Patient Chart

1. Log in to EHRGo

   • Link: EHRGo Clinical Reminder Data Visualization V

   • Username: QuayCooper

   • Password: Beautiful1!!

2. Identify Clinical Reminders

   • List which are Due and Overdue.

   • Note the areas in the chart where preventive care data is located: Prevention, Notes, Alerts, Orders, Labs.

3. Explain Function

   • Discuss how clinical reminders help staff make preventive care decisions (e.g., flagging overdue screenings, prompting follow-ups, and improving patient outcomes).

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Part II: ScreenSmart Analysis

1. Analyze Why Overdue Appears

   • Patient may have completed screening outside the clinic; the EHR cannot automatically verify external results.

2. ScreenSmart Flags

   • Identify which reminders are flagged as possibly completed externally.

   • Describe how this appears in the EHR (e.g., alert message, suggested review step).

3. Human Review Importance

   • Explain why staff must validate flagged reminders before marking as complete to maintain data accuracy and compliance.

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Part III: Data Analysis Using Excel

1. Pivot Table Setup

   • Analyze by Screening Status (Due, Not Due, Overdue) and Screening Type (gFOBT, CT colonography, colonoscopy).

2. Key Insights to Identify

   • Screening method with highest Not Due count.

   • Most frequent ScreenSmart flags for Due or Overdue reminders.

   • Insurance types with highest percentage of Overdue screenings.

   • Screening completion rates by clinic location.

3. Charts and Graphs

   • Use bar charts, pie charts, or column charts.

   • Explain why each chart was chosen and what it reveals.

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Part IV: Critical Thinking and Application

1. Explain ScreenSmart Logic

   • Why the system does not automatically mark screenings complete.

   • Benefits of ScreenSmart compared to traditional clinical reminders (accuracy, reduced false “Overdue” flags).

2. Recommendations

   • Identify patient groups for mailed FIT (at-home stool test) programs.

   • Suggest metrics to track weekly/monthly to improve screening and reduce disparities (e.g., overdue reminders, screening completion rates by insurance or location).

3. Actionable Recommendations

   • Focus on improving clinical reminder accuracy, preventive care delivery, and EHR data use.

   • Base recommendations on data analysis and scholarly literature.

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Report Formatting Tips

• Use headings for Part I–IV.

• Include charts, tables, or figures from your Excel analysis.

• Support recommendations with at least 3 peer-reviewed sources published in the last 5 years.

• Follow APA 7th edition for in-text citations and references.

• Write clearly, professionally, and concisely.

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Helpful Resources

• EHRGo Clinical Reminder Data Visualization V

• Waiting Room Solutions Demo – YouTube

• Allscripts MyWay EMR Demo – YouTube

• AHIMA 2018 Entry-Level Competencies – Health Information Management (Data & Informatics focus)

 

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