title: Clinical applications of computer-based health information.
abstract: Competitive health care systems are improving their clinical and cost efficiency by performing clinical practice analyses. Large numbers of severity-adjusted cases provide the most objective data for making clinical efficiency decisions. The most cost-effective way to perform these analyses is to utilize well-coded, computer-based health information. This requires consistent coding of patients' comorbidities and complications as well as an interactive working relationship between coders and clinicians providing the clinical practice analysis. The article describes one hospital's evolving clinical efficiency information needs, how its health information system met them, the clinical practice analysis procedure, and the outcomes of this clinical practice analysis.
authors.affiliation: North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, MS, USA.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Beckham
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Englert
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Koch
mesh_terms: D000043:Abstracting and Indexing; D003363:Cost Control; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records / Q000145:classification; D008500:Medical Records Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D008922:Mississippi; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D012720:Severity of Illness Index