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• Online messaging delivers follow-up care for depression

  Online messaging can deliver organized follow-up care for depression effectively and efficiently, according to a randomized controlled trial of 208 Group Health patients that the Journal of General Internal Medicine e-published March 2011.
• ‘Teaching’ computers to read doctors’ notes promises gains in research efficiency

  “Natural language processing” (NLP) is a computing function Group Health Research Institute is testing and using to target mentions of specific words and phrases in this free text by parsing human-language sentence structure. As the accuracy of NLP is perfected, this technology can supplement skilled chart abstraction and may provide faster access to larger, richer bodies of data.
• Time to raise how many mammograms radiologists must read?

  Changing policy could make screening for breast cancer more accurate
• Screening mammograms catch second breast cancers early

  More women are surviving longer after having early-stage breast cancer, but they are at risk of developing breast cancer again: a recurrence or a new cancer, in either breast. Annual screening (a.k.a. “surveillance”) mammography has long been standard for these women, but only scant evidence on screening outcomes supported this practice. In the February 23, 2011 Journal of the American Medical Association, the most comprehensive relevant study to date shows yearly mammograms do detect second breast cancers early.
• Team-based approach to patient care shows success in fight against depression with diabetes, heart disease

  In a randomized controlled trial, testing a primary care intervention called TEAMcare, nurses worked with patients and health teams to manage care for depression and physical disease together, using evidence-based guidelines. The result for patients: less depression, and better control of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol and improved quality of life.
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  Group Health, ITHS launch free health literacy e-course

  Group Health, ITHS launch free health literacy e-course
• Incentives studied to align care, coverage, and wellness

  The effectiveness of Total Health, a unique benefits program for Group Health Cooperative employees, is the subject of a four-year study that the federal Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently funded. It’s part of a trend to integrate care, insurance, and wellness programs and base them on research findings. The goal is to help people stay healthier and control health care costs.