Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research has been awarded $600,000 to study heart disease prevention and management using the electronic medical records of 175,000 Hawai'i residents.

The award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will allow researches to look at care patterns for heart disease prevention methods, patient outcomes and costs. The agency is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and supports research designed to improve healthcare for Americans.

"With an integrated care system like Kaiser Permanente's, researchers can tap vast quantities of electronic data with KP HealthConnect to improve quality of care, reduce death rates and lower costs," said Thomas M. Vogt, the study's principal investigator, in a press statement.

"Electronic medical records enable us to examine data of an entire population in ways not previously possible by analyzing the total medical care experience to determine what works and what does not."

Kaiser implemented its electronic record system in Honolulu in 2004. The system allows easier access to patient data compared to papers kept in files.

Researchers hope the two-year study begins producing findings next summer as they examine the records to see if using a particular approach to care produces better results for patients.

The Honolulu study is one of seven using Kaiser's record system. Researchers will look at heart disease prevention methods and how doctors approached care in terms of weight management, high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes management.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has a budget of about $270 million, about 80 percent of which is awarded as grants and contracts to researchers. Information from the research is used to help patients, doctors, health system executives and policymakers make better decisions about healthcare services.

Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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