title: VA-INPC: Linking Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Indiana Network for Patient Care (INPC) data to assess surveillance testing among veterans with colorectal cancer.
abstract: The goal of this project was to provide empiric evidence about the benefit to US veterans and the VA of capturing data from a citywide clinical informatics network (INPC) to assess care received outside the VA. We identified 468 veterans diagnosed with colorectal cancer from 2000-2007 in the Indianapolis VA cancer registry. Electronic VA healthcare data were linked with electronic health records from the regional health information organization (RHIO) INPC; 341 matches were found. Both the VA and INPC systems were queried regarding receipt of surveillance tests. The proportion with additional data from INPC varied by test: colonoscopy (3%), CT scan/abdomen (13%), CT scan/chest (79%), carcinoembryonic antigen test (8%), and other laboratory tests (25%-53%). An incremental benefit of linking VA and INPC data was present and may increase when expanded beyond patients with a single condition. New, important information about care outside the VA is obtained through RHIO data linkage.
authors.affiliation: VA HSR&D Center on Implementing Evidence-Based Practice, Roudebush VAMC, Indianapolis, IN;
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Haggstrom
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenman
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Evgenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Teal
authors.forename: Bradley N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Doebbeling
mesh_terms: D003113:Colonoscopy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007196:Indiana; D005791:Patient Care; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans