Like all technology, the networks that share health care information are ever evolving. As computer networks expand from peer to peer, to local area network and finally to interconnected global networks, so to will health information. As these systems become more connected and robust, health care organizations will be able to develop more robust and useful systems to interact with patients. A truly national health information system will allow providers to better manage disease, collected health information for research proposes and engage patients as participants in their own health. Such a network could help drive health care expenditures lower, but only if the networks are interoperable generate useful information. (Community health information …show more content…
These regional health information organizations are made up of organizations within the same region that agree to share information and to connect and interact with a national health information network. There are a variety of forms that these organizations can be structured, but Thielst (2007) asserts that there are problems with these networks; namely competition, interoperability, patient privacy worries, and auditability. These issues have prevented regional health information networks from forming into a national network and often limited their usefulness to …show more content…
(2008) states that patient centered management systems create infrastructure and communication systems within medical providers and insurers networks to offer applications that enable patient to educate themselves on their health and care process. These systems enables patients to engage with their healthcare providers in decision making and aims to keep health care expenditures low by increasing preventative services and screens. Thielst (2007) states that Regional health information organizations as regional efforts by health care industry stakeholders to improve health care outcome through the use of information technology. Where regional and community health information systems has failed or had limited success, a national system can provide the types of data needed for meaningful patient centered applications. Haux (2006) contends that traditional local or institutional designs of health informatics will be inadequate in the future for a national health system. The interoperability provided by many vendors’ products that meet federal meaningful use certification seem to address this concern allowing significant groundwork for a useful national health information
• Provides a basic level of interoperability among electronic health records (EHRs) maintained by individual physicians and organizations
The federal government has taken a stance to standardized care by creating incentive programs that are mandated under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) of 2009. This act encourages healthcare providers and healthcare institutions to adopt Meaningful use in order to receive incentives from Medicare and Medicaid. Meaningful use is the adoption of a certified health record system that acquires or obtains specified objectives about a patient. The objectives or measures are considered gold standard practices with the EHR system. Examples of the measures include data entry of vital signs, demographics, allergies, entering medical orders, providing patients with electronic copies of their records, and many more pertinent information regarding the patient (Friedman et al, 2013, p.1560).
There are a variety of health settings that provide patient health services. With the use of health services there has to be some type of health information exchange or system that will enable users to exchange data. Today there are networks that do this. Some of these networks are Community health information network (CHIN), Regional health information network (RHINO), National Health Information Network (NHIN) and Health Information technology for economic and clinical health act (HITECH Act). The purpose of this paper is to identify these networks, discuss the relationship among each other and lastly, explain their relationship to formation of a patient-centered management system and electronic health records (EHRs).
Introduction “Health informatics is the science that underlies the academic investigation and practical application of computing and communications technology to healthcare, health education and biomedical research” (UofV, 2012). This broad area of inquiry incorporates the design and optimization of information systems that support clinical practice, public health and research; understanding and optimizing the way in which biomedical data and information systems are used for decision-making; and using communications and computing technology to better educate healthcare providers, researchers and consumers. Although there are many benefits of bringing in electronic health systems there are glaring issues that associate with these systems. The
Health Information Exchange (HIE) was introduced by President Bush in 2004 (Kruse, Regier & Rheinboldt, 2014) so it is not a new concept. HIE is instrumental in gaining overall population health as it can lead to a reduction in healthcare costs, increase patient safety, and increase health outcomes. Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) are a conglomerate of healthcare providers and patients in a region that exchange healthcare information with the goal of delivering quality care to the individuals they serve. This paper will discuss the pros and cons of RHIOs, key challenges in gaining long term viability, and provide ways in which capital is raised to support HIE.
Many new technologies are being used in health organizations across the nations, which are being utilized to help improve the quality of health care. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) play a critical role in improving access, quality and efficiency of healthcare ("Electronic health records," 2014). In order to assist in expanding the use of EHR’s, in 2011 The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), instituted a EHR incentive program called the Meaningful use Program. This program was instituted to encourage and expand the use of the HER, by providing health professional and health organizations yearly incentive payments when they demonstrate meaningful use of the EHR ("Medicare and medicaid," 2014). The Meaningful use program will be explored including its’ implications for nurses, nursing, national policy, how the population health data relates to Meaningful use data collection in various stages and finally recommendations for beneficial improvement for patient outcomes and population health and more.
Did you ever think about how much time is spent on computers and the internet? It is estimated that the average adult will spend over five hours per day online or with digital media according to Emarketer.com. This is a significant amount; taking into consideration the internet has not always been this easily accessible. The world that we live in is slowly or quickly however you look at it: becoming technology based and it is shifting the way we live. With each day more and more people use social media, shop online, run businesses, take online classes, play games, the list is endless. The internet serves billions of people daily and it doesn’t stop there. Without technology and the internet, there would be no electronic health record. Therefore, is it important for hospitals and other institutions to adopt the electronic health record (EHR) system? Whichever happens, there are many debates about EHR’s and their purpose, and this paper is going to explain both the benefits and disadvantages of the EHR. Global users of the internet can then decide whether the EHR is beneficial or detrimental to our ever changing healthcare system and technology based living.
Unfortunately, the quality of health care in America is flawed. Information technology (IT) offers the potential to address the industry’s most pressing dilemmas: care fragmentation, medical errors, and rising costs. The leading example of this is the electronic health record (EHR). An EHR, as explained by HealthIT.gov (n.d.), is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. It includes, but is not limited to, medical history, diagnoses, medications, and treatment plans. The EHR, then, serves as a resource that aids clinicians in decision-making by providing comprehensive patient information.
“An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users.” (healthit.gov) The EHR mandate was created “to share information with other health care providers and organizations – such as laboratories, specialists, medical imaging facilities, pharmacies, emergency facilities, and school and workplace clinics – so they contain information from all clinicians involved in a patient’s care.” ("Providers & Professionals | HealthIT.gov", n.d., p. 1) The process has proved to be quite challenging for providers. As an incentive, the government began issuing payments to those providers who “meaningfully use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology.” (hhs.gov) There are three stages that providers must progress through in order to receive theses financial incentives. Stage one is the initial stage and is met with the creation and implementation of the HER in the business. Stage two “increases health information exchange between providers.” ("United States Department of Health and Human Services | HHS.gov", n.d., p. 1) Stage three will be the continuation and expansion of the “meaningful use objectives.” ("United States Department of Health and Human Services | HHS.gov", n.d., p. 1) The hospital, where I work, initiated the HER mandate many years ago. In this paper, I will discuss the progression and the challenges that my hospital encountered while implementing the EHR mandate.
Nirel, N., Rosen, B., Sharon, A., Blondhiem, O., Sherf, M., Smuel, H., et al. (2010). The impact of an integrated hospital-community medical informaiton system on quality and service utilization in hospital departments. International Journal of Medical Informatics , 79, pp. 649-657.
Provides a basic level of interoperability among electronic health records (EHRs) maintained by individual physicians and organizations
Health information opponents has question the delivery and handling of patients electronic health records by health care organization and workers. The laws and regulations that set the framework protecting a user’s health information has become a major factor in how information is used and disclosed. The ability to share a patient document using Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is a critical component in the United States effort to show transparency and quality of healthcare records while protecting patient privacy. In 1996, under President Clinton administration, the US “Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)” established national standards for the safeguard of certain health information. As a result, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 or (HIPAA) was established. HIPAA security standards required healthcare providers to ensure confidentiality and integrity of individual health information. This also included insurance administration and insurance portability. According to Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), an organization must guarantee the integrity, confidentiality, and security of sensitive patient data (Heckle & Lutters, 2011).
The new healthcare technology that is spreading nationwide it the EHR programs that are being implemented and updated in healthcare organizations. Government policies are in place for societies protection and privacy, it also helps to create a place where healthcare information can be utilized to its fullest potential. ONC authors’ regulations that set the standards and certification criteria EHRs must meet to assure health care professionals and hospitals that the systems they adopt are capable of performing certain functions (HealtIt, 2015).
The present environments for healthcare organizations contain many forces demanding unprecedented levels of change. These forces include changing demographics, increased customer outlook, increased competition, and strengthen governmental pressure. Meeting these challenges will require healthcare organizations to go through fundamental changes and to continuously inquire about new behavior to produce future value. Healthcare is an information-intensive process. Pressures for management in information technology are increasing as healthcare organizations feature to lower costs, improve quality, and increase access to care. Healthcare organizations have developed better and more complex. Information technology must keep up with the dual effects of organizational complication and continuous progress in medical technology. The literature review will discuss how health care organizations can provide effective care by the intellectual use of information.
To better understand the roles needed to enhance the public health infrastructure; one must first know the purpose of a health informatician. An informatician is a person who studies or work in the field of informatics. According to the American Medical Informatics Association Inc., “Public Health Informatics is the application of informatics in areas of public health, including surveillance, prevention, preparedness, and health promotion. Public health informatics and the related population informatics, work on information and technology issues from the perspective of groups of individuals” (2016). In order to build a solid infrastructure