Table 1.

A sample rule from Partners HealthCare Systems illustrating the parameters compared for submitted CDS content.

Parameter	Definition	Example Rule (Partners HealthCare)
Clinical Objective	Goal to be met by rule	• Diabetic patients with evidence of renal disease should be prescribed an ACE inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin II receptorblocker (ARB).
Clinical Category	Disease Assessment, Treatment, or Prevention	• Prevention (diabetic nephropathy)
Inclusion Criteria	Criteria that qualify an individual patient for a particular CDS rule	Include the patient if: • Patient has history of diabetes mellitus OR diabetes mellitus type 1 OR diabetes mellitus type 2 OR diabetic ketoacidosis • Patient >18 years old • Microalbumin/creatinine ratio > 30 •No ACEI and ARB on medication list • ACEI and ARB not on allergy list
Exclusion Criteria	Criteria that disqualify an individual patient for a particular CDS rule	Exclude patients with: • Type I Diabetes mellitus • Problem list entry contains a family history, “rule out,” “risk of,” OR “negative” modifier
Value Threshold	Cut-off point in measured value for laboratory or other tests, or for time of overdue tests or examinations	Include patients with: • a microalbumin/creatinine ratio <30
Message Displayed	Message displayed to a user when a particular CDS rule is activated	• Display the text: “Patient with DM, microalbumin/creatinine ratio ≥30 and not on ACEI, ARB.Recommend ACEI or ARB.”
Recommended Treatment or Action	Action recommended by a particular CDS rule	• Suggest an ACEI or ARB