The emergence of a learning healthcare system.

A learning healthcare system has emerged as a means of addressing the need to move evidence to the bedside in a manner that is meaningful and efficacious. The advent of electronic healthcare records has translated to massive quantities of clinical data; a learning healthcare system coupled with locally derived clinical rules will push practice-based evidence to the point of care where its application will mean improved quality and patient outcomes.

Return on investment imperative: the cost of care calculator for an evidence-based practice program.

The key elements of the evaluation process of an evidence-based practice (EBP) program and the infrastructure needed as identified by a large health care organization. The EBP evaluation program has 2 major elements for measuring success. The first component for evaluation is the impact on the clinical outcomes of care and the second is the fiscal implications of implementing the EBP. This article focuses on the fiscal evaluation component and describes a process to calculate the cost of care compared to before and after implementation of the EBP. The literature to support the care calculations is examined and a cost algorithm is described.