VA Tracking Files Aid Care, Study Shows

Health providers that adopt computerized records and tracking systems do a better job of getting patients the care they need than those that don’t use the electronic files, a study suggests.

The study, which appears in today’s issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that patients in the Veterans Affairs system -- in which doctors nationwide have electronic access to old treatment notes as well as recent X-rays -- received 67% of the recommended care for their conditions.

Patients in a comparison group of non-VA facilities, some with insurance and some without, received just 51% of the care recommended.

Most non-VA hospitals, doctor’s offices, health maintenance organizations, public health clinics and other facilities trail the agency in the use of electronic access to patient histories, the study’s authors said.

The electronic files track patient care and can alert doctors if a recommended procedure -- an annual exam or a flu shot, for instance -- has not been done.

The study involved 1,588 men over age 35.