Date and Time
February 4, 2009
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Availability
Open to the public
No RSVP required

This presentation reports the findings of a national study of the effects of Computerized Patient Record Systems (CPRS) and Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals on patient safety.  Using the AHRQ Patient Safety Indictor and Inpatient Quality Indicator software, we measured risk-adjusted patient outcomes for 120 VA Medical Centers over 44 quarters.  These data were merged with a unique dataset on the timing of CPRS and BCMA implementation, which varied substantially from 1995 through 2006, and with data on facility characteristics such as teaching status, patient volume, and acuity.  Site visits were conducted at eight VA facilities to obtain qualitative data to augment the quantitative findings.  We find little improvements in quality associated with CPRS and BCMA, as measured by the AHRQ PSIs and IQIs.  Staff expressed concern that IT might adversely affect quality of care, but this concern was not generally confirmed in the data.  Administrative databases do not measure all outcomes of importance, such as medication errors.