The patient care component: patient-centered horizontal integration in a vertical world.

摘要

This paper describes the structure and operational properties of the Patient Care Component, a patient care data system developed by the Indian Health Service to support primary care in a multi-site, decentralized, health care organization. Sharing the same technology base as the Department of Veterans Affairs Distributed Hospital Computer Program, the system requires a minimal level of investment in technology compared to alternative approaches and is in operation at 140 sites. The Indian Health Service and historical aspects of the system are described briefly; the paper focuses on the design objectives for the system and lessons learned from development and several years of operational experience.