An Evaluation of COSTAR at the North (San Diego) County Health Services Organization, with Emphasis on the Medical Records Component

摘要

This study reviews and evaluates a selected set of costs and benefits associated with an automated medical record system at the North County Health Services organization in North (San Diego) County, California. The focus is on the various sets of tasks in which a medical records department might engage. A framework for comparing varying levels of medical record automation is suggested and demonstrated, as is a framework for reviewing benefits in the context of overall organizational activities and functions. The automated system, called COSTAR, is found to be more costly than conventional (manual) ambulatory medical record systems, but less costly than hospital medical record systems for comparable sets of tasks. COSTAR, furthermore, provides an unusually comprehensive array of information tools with which to support an organization's medical and management activities.