• Michael L Parchman, Laura-Mae Baldwin, Ross Howell, and Jeffrey Hummel.
• From the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle WA (MLP); Department of Family Medicine and the Institute of Translational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle WA (LMB); Comagine Health, Seattle WA (RH).
• J Am Board Fam Med. 2024 Mar 1; 37 (2): 316320316-320.

BackgroundCreating useful clinical quality measure (CQM) reports in a busy primary care practice is known to depend on the capability of the electronic health record (EHR). Two other domains may also contribute: supportive leadership to prioritize the work and commit the necessary resources, and individuals with the necessary health information technology (IT) skills to do so. Here we describe the results of an assessment of the above 3 domains and their associations with successful CQM reporting during an initiative to improve smaller primary care practices' cardiovascular disease CQMs.MethodsThe study took place within an AHRQ EvidenceNOW initiative of external support for smaller practices across Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Practice facilitators who provided this support completed an assessment of the 3 domains previously described for each of their assigned practices. Practices submitted 3 CQMs to the study team: appropriate aspirin prescribing, use of statins when indicated, blood pressure control, and tobacco screening/cessation.ResultsPractices with advanced EHR reporting capability were more likely to report 2 or more CQMs. Only one-third of practices were "advanced" in this domain, and this domain had the highest proportion of practices (39.1%) assessed as "basic." The presence of advanced leadership or advanced skills did not appreciably increase the proportion of practices that reported 2 or more CQMs.ConclusionsOur findings support previous reports of limited EHR reporting capabilities within smaller practices but extend these findings by demonstrating that practices with advanced capabilities in this domain are more likely to produce CQM reports.© Copyright 2024 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

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