IHC doctor standardizes treatment

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Nov 22, 2005 | by Dave Anderton Deseret Morning News

A Utah doctor is featured in the Nov. 21 issue of Business Week magazine for a standardized approach in treating patients.

Dr. Brent C. James, vice president for medical research at Intermountain Health Care, uses data and networks in finding the best way to treat a particular disease, then tries to get every doctor to use the best practice, according to the article.

According to James, standardization means fewer mistakes and lower costs. In fact, the article says, inpatient costs at Intermountain Health Care are 27 percent lower than the national average.

"The real secret, though, is how Intermountain uses the data from those systems to continually re-evaluate and redesign care," the article says. "Teams of doctors use the electronic medical records of every Intermountain patient to periodically review the approaches the institution takes in treating diseases. . . . James' trick: Get doctors involved in the process of coming up with approved ways of treating them, so they won't rebel when asked to use a single therapy."

The article also mentions IHC has changed the way it administers drugs, slashing "so-called adverse drug events to 203 a year, from 570."

"Intermountain is one of America's most tech-savvy health-care organizations," the article says. "It has poured $106 million into info tech since 2000, helping it make the American Hospital Association's list of the 100 most-wired hospitals and health systems for six straight years."

James and IHC were cited as examples of what Business Week calls the "Web Smart 50," showcasing the smartest ways to use the Web.

E-mail: danderton@desnews.com