Tools that help health care professionals and patients make informed care decisions

Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are electronic tools clinicians use to help identify health care priorities for individual patients. This allows them to discuss the most important, evidence-based treatment options at each visit.

Our investigators, software engineers and research staff are pioneers in developing, implementing and evaluating CDSS that are integrated with electronic health records and used to support patient care. We develop evidence-based clinical algorithms that identify opportunities to reduce health risks related to multiple medical conditions, then provide actionable treatment suggestions and reminders for patient and clinician consideration. Algorithms are maintained on a secure web service and updated as new evidence emerges and clinical guidelines change. CDSS provides up-to-date health information to clinicians and patients at the point of care as a foundation for personalized and patient-centered medicine.

We have received more than $40 million in federal research awards since 2004 to develop CDSS related to cardiovascular risk reduction for people with diabetes, prediabetes, serious mental illness, and high blood pressure in teens. We have also developed CDSS tools for opioid use disorder, cancer prevention, cognitive impairment, tobacco and substance use, and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination recommended in dental patients.

These tools have been used at HealthPartners for over a decade and implemented in other health care organizations regionally and nationally.

By developing clinical decision support systems, we aim to:

Identify patients with potential care opportunities for selected health conditions
Prioritize risk factors based on potential benefits to the individual
Help patients and clinicians make more informed decisions
Quickly move new evidence and guidelines into practice
Improve outcomes for people with chronic conditions
Show value and cost-effectiveness
Improve clinician efficiency and patients’ experiences

Learn about our Center for Chronic Care Innovation.

Investigators

Key projects

Using technology to improve early detection and management of cognitive impairment

We will develop and validate a machine learning model to identify patients at elevated risk of a future dementia diagnosis (Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias). We will also develop and validate a web-based and electronic health record (EHR)-integrated clinical decision support system to engage patients and clinicians in conversation about elevated dementia risk, and to give clinicians the confidence and tools to diagnose and manage cognitive impairment.

Supplemental funding will support updates and enhancements to the technological infrastructure.

Helping patients with diabetes manage obesity

Goals of this study are to integrate validated prediction models that estimate the cardiovascular risks and benefits of various obesity treatments into an existing clinical support system. This will help assess obesity-related care provided to adults with type 2 diabetes and BMI ≥35 and increase patient involvement in medical decision-making.

Supplemental funding was granted to assess variations in how clinicians use CDSS in primary care settings, which will help better understand barriers and facilitators using CDSS.

Improving recognition and management of hypertension in youth in a large rural health system

Addressing cardiovascular risk early can have a profound impact on lives. That’s why we are working to adapt an existing, effective CDSS tool. It will be used in Essentia Health, which serves a rural population, to advance implementation science and address a critical need for youth at risk for cardiovascular disease.

Treating opioid use disorder in primary care settings (COMPUTE 2.0)

We developed and piloted a web-based and electronic health record-integrated CDSS to guide primary care providers in diagnosing and treating opioid use disorder. In this study, we will implement the tool in a large, multisite, clinic-randomized controlled trial to evaluate its effect on practice process measures and patient outcomes.

Dental provider human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine study

Training dental providers to effectively promote HPV vaccine (HPV-V) with their patients could prevent future HPV-related cancer of the mouth and throat in those who become vaccinated. This study will develop HPV-V promotion training and tailored scripts to support dental providers in promoting HPV-V. By testing this intervention in a real-world dental setting, this project has the potential to increase HPV vaccination rates, reduce HPV-related cancers, and be a model for other organizations providing dental care.

Key publications

Learn more about our Clinical Decision Support investigators and their publications by visiting Knowledge Exchange.

Clinical decision support