Comparing manual and automated coding of physicians quality reporting initiative measures in an ambulatory EHR.

The objective of this study was to compare the completeness and accuracy of Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) quality measure code assignment by manual coding and the automated system. Documentation for 62 PQRI quality measures was built into the electronic health record (EHR) system used in 15 rural ambulatory clinics with 70,000 patient encounters per year. The documentation systems and processes within the ambulatory EHR were standardized so data required for quality measurement would be available as extractable data. Completeness and accuracy of coding was compared between an expert coder and an automated system. Automated coding was significantly more complete and accurate than manual coding for the quality measures examined.