Preventing Hepatitis Complications in Baby Boomers

June 17, 2019
Michigan Medicine uses Epic to improve screening rates for adults at risk of liver complications

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, baby boomers are at high risk of liver complications from hepatitis C, even though the virus is easily treated after it’s identified. To increase awareness and prevent complications in these adults, Michigan Medicine used Epic to boost screening rates from under 8% to more than 72%.

During a visit, a primary care physician sees a reminder if the patient was born between 1945 and 1965 and hasn’t been screened for hepatitis C. After discussing the benefits of screening, the physician can order the test right from the reminder. If the patient would like to come back later for the screening, it appears in a list of preventive care tasks so the patient’s care team can follow up.

“We designed [the reminders] with primary care physicians in mind,” said Dr. Monica Konerman, clinical lecturer at Michigan Medicine. The one-click order in Epic “makes it easier for them to meet screening recommendations,” helping more patients get screenings without taking up time during their primary care visits.

“[The reminders were] a low cost, efficient, and effective means to improve [hepatitis] screening, diagnosis, and access to care,” Dr. Konerman said.

Read more at Health Data Management. Epic community members can download this program and have Epic staff install it as part of Epic’s Services.