AAFP Joins MMS Effort for Continuity of Care Record

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Richard P. Gulla
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Waltham, Mass. – August 14 --  The ASTM International, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and Massachusetts Medical Society announced today that the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has joined the effort to establish a standard for the Continuity of Care Record (CCR), which will enable healthcare providers to base future care on relevant and timely patient information.

The joint effort of ASTM, HIMSS, and Massachusetts Medical Society to improve medical care and patient safety was first announced in May. The addition of the AAFP, the only medical society devoted to primary care, brings the endorsement and involvement of a major medical association representing nearly 95,000 physicians nationwide.

The Continuity of Care Record is an ongoing record of a patient’s care that should be created or updated at the end of every healthcare meeting between patient and provider, whenever it is anticipated that a new provider or caregiver will need to be aware of changes in a patient’s diagnosis, condition or treatment plan. The record would be available for review by the next provider, no matter what or where the setting may be. The patient also may request a CCR printout to provide valid and current information for another healthcare provider.

“We want to end the situation where doctors must either start from scratch or act blindly because they don’t have the patient’s relevant past history, allergies, or the details of medications,” said Thomas E. Sullivan, M.D., president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, the organization that initiated the development of the CCR standards, and co-chair of the ASTM workgroup developing the standard.

“The CCR should be viewed as a continuously updated mini “Patient Summary,” with essential data elements oriented toward referral from one clinician to any other,” said Sullivan.  “There is an added optional role for the patient as both the vehicle of the information transport as well as the “driver” in certain cases. Continuity of care from one setting to any other and streamlining the process to achieve it are at the heart of concept. We are very pleased to have the assistance of the AAFP to refine and promote this concept even further.”

David C. Kibbe, M.D., AAFP Director of Health Information Technology, said “We’re excited to be helping in the development of this important document standard for portability of key clinical information, one that is both simple and elegant. The Continuity of Care Record is not an electronic health record, nor is it a clinical repository. But as an XML document standard, it will act as a bridge between these sources of information, and serve the interests of the clinicians who need a patient's health information in real time, and the patient's or family members' desire to have up-to-date health data in their own possession at all times. The key here is the collaboration of patients and their family physicians and other clinicians to improve the quality and safety of care.”

The CCR will provide both information portability and convenient accessibility because of the design itself.  Those attributes are important to both the health care provider and the patient. Demographic information, allergies, a medication list, and summary of care provided, plus a short care plan with recommendations for the next step in patient care, are included in the CCR. The CCR contains most of the relevant information that is necessary when a patient is seen by a healthcare provider.

HIMSS is working with ASTM International, the Massachusetts Medical Society and the AAFP to further consensus-building and promotion efforts for the standard, said Pat Wise, HIMSS director of EHR Initiatives.  “The Society is involved in this and other collaborative efforts within the industry to bring stakeholders together for the adoption of the universal electronic health record.”            

The new standard is being developed by the standards development organization ASTM Committee E31 on Health Informatics, which is chaired by Peter Waegemann, CEO of Medical Records Institute. Waegemann said “The sponsorship of the AAFP will bring the family physician community into the project. This is an important step in our effort to create a CCR that appeals to all provider domains.”

“The AAFP’s early endorsement of this effort demonstrates its importance to primary care and will assist greatly in assuring that essential elements are included in the CCR,” said Claudia Tessier, Executive Director of MoHCA and co-chair of ASTM’s CCR workgroup.

Medical and professional societies and other key stakeholders are now providing input into the project through consensus meetings, workgroups, and document review. The final standard should be balloted and confirmed before the end of 2003.

Founded in 1898, ASTM International is a not-for-profit organization that provides a global forum for the development and publication of voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems, and services. Over 30,000 individuals from 100 nations are the members of ASTM International, who are producers, users, consumers, and representatives of government and academia. In over 130 varied industry areas, ASTM standards serve as the basis for manufacturing, procurement, and regulatory activities. Formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM International provides standards that are accepted and used in research and development, product testing, quality systems, and commercial transactions around the globe.

HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) is the healthcare industry's only membership organization exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology and management systems for the betterment of human health. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., and other locations across the country, HIMSS represents more than 13,000 individual members and some 150 member corporations that employ more than 1 million people. HIMSS shapes and directs healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems' contributions to quality patient care. Visit www.himss.org for more information. HIMSS. The Source for Healthcare Information.

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with more than 18,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the physicians and patients of Massachusetts. Founded in 1781, the MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. The Society owns and publishes The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal Watch family of professional newsletters, and AIDS Clinical Care, and produces HealthNews, a consumer health publication. For more information, visit  www.massmed.org.

Founded in 1947, the American Academy of Family Physicians represents more than 94,300 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical specialty organization devoted solely to primary care. Visit  www.aafp.org for more information about the AAFP.