Advanced technology aids Concord Hospital Medical Group in helping patients stop smoking

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Andy Morse
(603) 227-7000, ext. 2342
amorse@crhc.org

CONCORD, NH – Nearly 9 out of every 10 lung cancer cases is a result of tobacco smoke. According to the American Cancer Society, changing your lifestyle and kicking the habit at any age can lower your risk of lung cancer, among other illnesses and diseases.

To support patients and their efforts to stop smoking, Concord Hospital Medical Group (a department of Concord Hospital) primary care practices use their Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system to identify current smokers thus prompting the need for counseling. The Electronic Medical Record allows healthcare providers to securely access patient medical information electronically. This system enhances patient safety by allowing healthcare providers a quick and easy means of reviewing clinical data and consulting with specialists, if necessary.

A multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals created electronic reminders, prompts, and information-gathering capabilities within a pre-existing risk assessment form already found in the highly sophisticated EMR system.

These tools were developed after identifying that smoking cessation classes at Concord Hospital Center for Health Promotion lacked participants, however a community health needs assessment consistently identified smoking cessation as one of the community’s most pressing health needs.
“During an office visit, a member of the healthcare team assesses each patient’s smoking status and readiness to change prior to the primary care provider and patient interaction,” said Dr. Joel Berman, chief medical information officer at Concord Hospital. “If a patient is currently a smoker and willing to discuss ways to quit, then their healthcare provider can come in and devote more time to counseling, rather than initial fact-finding. This electronic form in the EMR that prompts and encourages team members to get each patient’s smoking status had not existed in the past.”

Once this new process was implemented, the percentage of adult patient whose smoking status has been identified increased from 66 percent to 97 percent from September 2004 to June 2009. During that same time frame, the percentage of smokers counseled to quit within the last year has risen from 40 percent to 58 percent. In addition to the Concord Hospital Medical Group, this data also includes patients receiving care at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Concord.

“As additional Concord Hospital Medical Group primary care practices utilize EMR and more data is collected, our hope is to continue documenting a decrease in the numbers and percentages of patients who are current smokers along with a continued increase in numbers and percentages of those who are previous smokers,” Dr. Berman said.

In addition, smoking cessation counseling for all hospitalized patients with acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), congestive heart failure, or community acquired pneumonia is one of the quality measures publicly reported to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Concord Hospital is measured against state and national hospitals for proven, evidence-based medicine in heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. These three serious medical conditions are common among individuals with Medicare. Surgical infection prevention is also publicly reported to CMS. Visit www.concordhospital.org to view the measurements. The latest data indicated that Concord Hospital is at or near the 100 percent benchmark for smoking cessation counseling.

For more information on how to stop smoking, speak with your primary care provider, register for Center for Health Promotion smoking cessation classes at (603) 230-7300, or visit www.quitworksnh.org and www.breathenh.org.