Home

Integrated Health Care • Patient Registry

The patient registry is a clinical tool employed by the clinical care manager to track patients with identified mental health needs throughout their treatment. The registry contains patients' scores on the mental health assessment tool, as well as a record of each contact that the primary care physician and care manager has or attempts to have with the patient. It is an essential element of collaborative care.

There are several ways to do a registry. Each has its own merits.

Paper
Patient treatment outcomes can be tracked with a paper tracking system. Researchers and clinicians have used this type of system in past and current settings. Paper tracking has many advantages, including limited set-up cost and ease of use. Even if a clinic chooses to use an electronic or web-based registry, the paper version is a useful back-up to have on hand.

A sample paper-based patient registry reporting form (PDF) is provided here.

Electronic
Another option for patient tracking is use of an electronic database like Microsoft Excel®. Advantages of this type of system include its limited upfront investment in programming and its capacity to show aggregate patient data. Another advantage of an electronic database is the ability to program range checks that can help identify patients needing more attention. In addition to Excel®, electronic database tracking systems have been developed using Microsoft Access® and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants, like Palm Pilot®).

A sample patient registry in Microsoft Excel® is also provided.

Web-based
A web-based patient registry can require significant upfront investment in programming and hardware (i.e. web server), but may be worth the investment for large and geographically dispersed clinic systems. It also requires reliable web access.

The advantages are numerous. Care managers and other collaborative care team members can log on to the secure site from any computer with internet access and input or view patient data. A web-based tracking system can be programmed with range checks so that care managers cannot inadvertently enter information that is outside the possible range. It also helps reduce missing data by requiring that certain fields be completed. One of the greatest advantages of a web-based system is that multiple sites can use the system simultaneously and their data can be monitored centrally. This allows for quick identification of care managers or clinics that are lagging behind and may need additional attention. Similarly, a web-based system is capable of producing dynamic, 'real-time' reports from the database that allow for close monitoring of program outcomes.

The Hogg Foundation has worked with Dr. Unutzer and his University of Washington colleagues to develop a web-based patient registry for the Integrated Health Care Initiative. For more information about the web-based registry, please contact Dr. Laurie Alexander, 512-471-5041, laurie.alexander@austin.utexas.edu.

Grant Program • Links & Resources • Patient Registry • Patient Education • Recent Research • Glossary