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Chelsea Richwine

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Chelsea Richwine's Latest Blog Posts

A Decade of Data Examined: The Evolution of Electronic Prescribing

Chelsea Richwine | July 15, 2024

The electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) landscape continues to evolve and many positive advances have been made over the past decade. This blog post showcases the rapid growth in e-prescribing, steps taken towards laying the essential groundwork for the current state of e-prescribing, and what remains to be accomplished. This post is our third in the “A Decade of Data Examined” blog series.

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A Decade of Data Examined: Patient Access to Electronic Health Information

Chelsea Richwine | December 11, 2023

The world is better off and getting better, compared to popular opinion and what’s broadcast on the news, says Hans Rosling and his co-authors, using simple, comprehensive measures, in Factfulness. Sometimes taking a step back and looking at the big picture (and the data) is important to take stock of actual progress and the necessary work to come. In that spirit, we’re kicking off a new blog series: “A Decade of Data Examined.” These posts will provide a comprehensive look at measures and metrics we’ve tracked for ten or more years to assess progress on important ONC mission activities and help chart a path forward on the work still to come.

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Patient Preferences with Social Needs Information Sharing

Chelsea Richwine | October 26, 2023

Screening for patients’ health-related social needs can help providers more effectively coordinate patient care and connect patients to the resources they need. Social needs are social conditions—such as food insecurity, housing instability, and lack of reliable transportation—which often result from underlying social determinants of health and can adversely affect health outcomes if left unaddressed. While studies show that patients are generally comfortable with social needs screening, little is known about patients’ comfort or preferences around how social needs data are captured and shared with other providers and service organizations to inform treatment and care coordination.

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Hospitals Collect and Receive Social Needs Data, but Usage Varies

Chelsea Richwine | July 31, 2023

If left unaddressed, the social needs experienced by an individual may lead to poor health outcomes and more time spent in hospitals and interacting with the health care system. Hospitals, therefore, are uniquely situated to help address social needs and mitigate social risk factors by screening for social needs, assisting with transitions of care, and making connections to social service organizations. According to a recent ONC analysis of data from the 2022 American Hospital Association (AHA) Information Technology Supplement Survey,

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Physicians have Widespread Access to State PDMP Data, but Data Sharing Varies Across States

Chelsea Richwine | April 6, 2023

A recent ONC blog post showed physicians have widespread access to data from their state’s prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP). According to a 2021 national survey of office-based physicians, more than three-quarters of physician prescribers reported checking the PDMP prior to prescribing controlled substances to a patient for the first time. Prescriber use laws and ongoing efforts to integrate electronic health record (EHR) systems with state PDMPs likely contributed to high levels of PDMP use among physicians.

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