Frequently Asked Questions

What is PECS?
The Patient Electronic Care System (PECS) is a software program specifically aimed at supporting the adoption of the Care Model in the care of patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, depression, cancer, and preventive service needs. In PECS version 1.2.7i and 2.1, the chronic conditions of asthma, cardiovascular disease, depression, and diabetes are included, as well as cancer screening and follow-up.

What is the background related to registries and the Care Model used in the Health Disparities Collaboratives?
Clinical Information Systems (CIS) is one of the six components of the Care Model (originally developed by Ed Wagner, MD, MPH, at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement). The CIS component is crucial for the support of the other five components of the Care Model, and should perform the following functions:

• Provide a comprehensive and accurate picture of a patient's health status to the primary care provider including chronic diseases, vitals, medications, lab results, vaccinations, screening results, and recent health-related events.
• Summarize the latest evidence-based guidelines indicating the appropriate care for each patient.
• Generate a list of patients in need of care e.g. visits, lab tests and referrals so appropriate care can be scheduled for these patients.
• Generate summary statistics of individual patients and subgroups of patients. This feature serves as a key tool for managing and improving the health status of a defined population of patients.
• Generate summary statistics to assess health disparities among subpopulations according to age, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance coverage, and other variables. This information serves as a tool for improving the health status of key subpopulations through various means, including the design and implementation of culturally competent interventions.

How was PECS developed?
PECS was developed by The Aristos Group, Inc. through a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The PECS patient-centered structure is based on the single condition registries used in the first few BPHC sponsored collaboratives (DEMS, HEMS, and CVDEMS). An Advisory Group of clinicians from health centers around the nation also provides ongoing input on clinical design issues. The Aristos Group, Inc., incorporates this input into the product design of PECS.

Who is able to acquire PECS software for free?
The following organizations can obtain PECS royalty-free: Section 330-funded Community Health Centers, Migrant Health Centers and Programs, School-Based Health Centers, Public Housing Health Centers, ISDI Networks and other publicly funded community health centers, federally qualified health center look-alikes, National Health Service Corps free-standing sites and free clinics that are actively engaged in the National BPHC Health Disparities Collaboratives.

If my health center is a BPHC grantee and we participate in a BPHC-sponsored Collaborative, are we eligible to use PECS?
Yes, health centers that participate in a BPHC-sponsored Collaborative and that report monthly to a Health Disparities Cluster Director may access PECS.

How can my organization get the PECS software?
PECS version 1.2.7i is available through your HDC's lead Cluster Primary Care Association staff, and PECS version 2.1 will be available beginning in May 2004. Please visit the PECS Users Group website at www.pecsusers.net and navigate to the Support area to contact your IS Specialist by geographic region. This IS Specialist will provide you access to a website from which the PECS software can be downloaded. Each health center will be given an organization-specific key code to license PECS upon installation.

What technical support is available for PECS?
Collaborative IS Specialists employed by state and regional Primary Care Associations will be available to assist with technical expertise and registry use issues. Note that technical support is provided only to health centers currently participating in the Health Disparities Collaboratives.

If my organization is not BPHC-funded, how can we purchase PECS?
Please contact The Aristos Group, Inc. Sales Department to discuss options for acquiring/purchasing PECS: sales@aristos.com
Phone: (425) 483-7346

What are the Minimum System Specifications needed to use PECS?
Due to the n-tier design of PECS 2.1 and the move to SQL server from Access, the minimum specs for PECS 1.2.7i are slightly different from the minimum specs for PECS 2.1. Below are both sets of specs. For further information about PECS 2.1 installation and setup, see the 'Getting Started with PECS 2' document.

Minimum specifications for PECS 1.2.7i:

Minimum specifications for PECS 2.1: