Tobacco Use Registry

Creating a Tobacco Use Registry

A tobacco use registry is a master list of all patients with evidence of active tobacco use in their EHR. A registry can automatically pull data from patient records (e.g., social history, CPT codes, diagnoses) to identify patients who may be using tobacco.

Although a tobacco use registry is not required, it can be useful in implementing and evaluating comprehensive tobacco treatment programs. A registry can trigger tobacco intervention. It has the advantage of not relying on a single indicator of tobacco use or a single workflow.

A tobacco use registry also facilitates proactive outreach efforts by maintaining an up-to-date roster of patients to engage in tobacco treatment. The same registry can prompt outreach in many forms (e.g., text messages sent with appointment reminders, mailings, EHR portal messages, EHR-prompted outreach at the point of care, telephone outreach).