ABSTRACT
This chapter Identifies and defines at least one significant challenge evidence-based medicine addresses for clinicians. It describes the sub-values of the Treatment/Clinical domain. The chapter assesses the role Health Information Technology (HIT) can play in addressing the clinical quality goals of external regulatory bodies. The second domain of the STEPSTM Framework, Treatment/Clinical, is arguably the most critical domain in the STEPSTM Framework. Intimately tied to a healthcare provider's core business, this domain focuses on the positive impact of HIT to facilitate patient care interventions and enhance patient outcomes regardless of the care setting. The past few decades have witnessed healthcare organizations investing heavily in the development of evidence-based clinical guidelines to improve the consistency and safety of patient care interventions. One significant resource to reference when measuring the quality of care delivered by a clinician involves the quality measures category of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Merit-Based Incentive Program.
