A shared-computer medical record information system purchased by hospitals from the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities (CPHA) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a nonprofit computer center. Information flows into the system through a discharge abstract completed by the hospital medical record department on every discharged patient. The patient information is displayed back to the hospital in a series of monthly, semi-annual, and annual repeats which compare its average lengths of stay, number and types of tests used, and autopsy rates for given diagnostic conditions with those of other hospitals of similar size and scope of services (good example of process measures).
The prototype hospital discharge abstract system. PAS is a program offered to hospitals by the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities (CPHA). It uses abstracts of hospital medical records from enrolled hospitals as input to a database, and provides hospitals with indexes of their medical records and statistics on hospital performance. The database is also available for computer research on hospital activities, epidemiology, and health care studies. PAS offers case mix management information and other services to member hospitals.