skip navigation

Medical Records

One primary reason for Group Health Center for Health Studies' (CHS) growth and success has been its ability to study Group Health's member population over time. Center researchers have access to decades of high-quality, computerized data from the Group Health system. They also have access to a wealth of information regarding diagnoses and medical history that's stored in non-computerized medical charts. Together these resources provide an unequalled opportunity for health research and evaluation.

The Center's skilled medical record reviewers abstract data from approximately 15,000 outpatient charts each year. To date, records-based studies with active Group Health members have achieved retrieval for 95 percent of all subjects. With the implementation of EpicCare, Group Health’s computerized information system, many of these reviews involve abstracting information from paper and electronic records.

The Center staff protects patient confidentiality by following the same policies and procedures for handling patient records that are used through the Group Health care-delivery system. In addition, the Center’s Medical Records Research Manager serves on the Group Health Confidentiality and Security Council.

Top