The use of electronic health records has the capacity to cut down on the number of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations, and also to improve early diagnosis in primary care, two studies suggested.

In one U.S. study of patients with diabetes, implementation of electronic health records in a large integrated health system was associated with 28.80 (95% CI 20.28-37.32) fewer ED visits and 13.10 (7.37-18.82) fewer hospital admissions per 1,000 patients each year, according to Mary Reed, DrPH, of Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, and colleagues.

Building a strong foundation in primary care-based medical homes is vital to furthering delivery and payment reforms, health policy experts said here Friday.

"If you have strong primary care, you can improve health outcomes, you can lower per capita costs, and you can increase equity," said Melinda Abrams, MS, vice president of the Commonwealth Fund in New York City and director of its Patient-Centered Coordinated Care program.