The Viability of Google Health - Essay Example

Medical Records: Case Study Questions Name: Institution: Lecturer: 1) What Concepts illustrated in the chapter in this case? Who are the stakeholders involved? The chapter takes a critical look at electronic health records, their adoption and use across healthcare system. The chapter also assesses the viability of Google Health. The major health stakeholders highlighted in the chapter are physicians, medical executives, the patients and the technology company. The physicians are the main implementers since they deal with the patients on a one on one basis. Medical executives are charged with the implementation and supervision of the system, whereas the technology company (Google) is the developer of the system. 2) What are the problems with America’s current medical recordkeeping system? How would electronic medical records would solve the problem? The majority of the medical records used are paper-based; this makes accessing these bulky records strenuous and difficult. Effective and seamless communication between the various departments dealing with patient care is not possible in this maze of documentation. The billions of medical documents generated daily make it an uphill task to access them systematically and to share them among practitioners (Odom-Wesley, Brown, & Meyers, 2009, p. 21). The paper-based records are not shared in real-time. The bulky and scattered paper-based information cannot be seamlessly shared throughout all the departments in a hospital or even to other organisations such as laboratories, pharmacies, emergency facilities, researchers and employers. This hiccup can easily be solved by electronic records system (Odom-Wesley, Brown, & Meyers, 2009 p. 21). Electronic medical records are updated, and can be shared in real-time making them effective tools in patient care. The real-time medical treatment histories and records are easy to disseminate in a systematic manner. The electronic data provided can also be easily be analyzed. This makes it easy to streamline provider workflow (Rinehart-Thompson & Harman, 2006 p. 53). By keeping patient’s electronic medical histories, medical errors are drastically reduced. Access to records is eased because Electronic Health Records (EHR) eliminates the need for physical transporting, checking and filing of charts. Some systems even allow remote access to charts; the practitioners can be off-site and still be able to securely access patient records. By reducing storage space and inventory the much needed physical space within the hospital is freed up. The reduction in waste translates to improved quality of patient care since there will be efficiency in service delivery, records will be accessed easily etc (Odom-Wesley, Brown, & Meyers, 2009 p. 22). 3) What management, organisation and technology factors are useful in the creation and development of electronic medical records? Implementing EHRs is no small feat; it is a complex technological undertaking. The integration of the electronic system involves all the sectors of the organisation. The system should not be limited to a few of the staff but should be used by all the staff as they interact with patients. This means all personnel should be trained on the use of the system for it to be successful. Choosing the right vendor is important. With many software vendors available, the selection of the right vendor will translate to good software. Lessons must be learned from other industries in which complex organisation-wide adoption of software has occurred. This will help the implementers. Minimize risks (NIST; 1995:5. Par2) A good EHR is as good as the processes that it supports. If the technology is not well-supported and designed, the hospitals can pump money in a system that is complicated and still creates more waste. The implementers must identify and eliminate waste in the EHR process for it to be beneficial. 4) What are the pros and cons of electronic medical records? Are concerns over digitizing of records valid? During routine checks or emergencies, practitioners can access preventive health records easily. If a patient is due for a particular test, a medic can easily know this through the EHR system and make the appropriate appointment. With an EHR system, the medical care providers can capture the patient’s diagnosis together with the level of service that shows what was done to the patient at each phase of his/her treatment. Use of hospital equipment, diagnostic testing, and hospital staff among others is easily captured with such a system. This makes billing of patients accurate; this makes sure that the patient gets real value of his money and the hospital is fully compensated for the service provided. On the other hand, the set-up cost of EHRs is often a deterrent. This makes it difficult for many small practices to invest in the system. The software maintenance costs, training costs all add up to exorbitant costs making it difficult for smaller clinics. Patient privacy is also an issue in electronic medical records. The patient’s record can be exposed. Consumers must be aware of the system’s controls for them to have full confidence in the system. The benefits of EHRs are considerable and far outweigh the disadvantages. To take full advantage of EHRs the hospital must evaluate the system before implementation. Evaluating workflows and identifying waste before implementation of a new EHR system will aid in smooth implementation, boost communication, and finally increase adoption. 5) Should people entrust Google with their medical records? There is genuine concern about entrusting deeply personal medical information to an organisation that received a failing grade in privacy. Important private information will move out of a person’s control since the data can be shared between practitioners and also Google Company can access the data. Information such as medical history can be used negatively by prospective employers and insurers. This can be prejudicial to a patient applying for an insurance cover or even employment. The information is a potential goldmine for Google Company as it can sell the hundreds of genomes and health records. Genomes records are arrived at after analysis of patients such as breast cancer patients and analysis of the predisposing factors per age, sex and even race. Even though selling of such information is illegal, it may be beneficial in the long-run since statisticians will be able to obtain more data than traditional researchers. They will be able to compile and compare from the data for research purpose (Greene, 2011.82.par 1). All in all, as much as there is privacy concerns the health records are more beneficial and must be implemented. The concerns about privacy can be countered by Google setting up controls in the system to guarantee record privacy. 6) Features to include in designing electronic health records. The medical record is a communication tool that supports quality patient care. Systems should be designed with the preservation of patient confidentiality in mind. The developers should make sure that only authorized personnel can access the information. The process of controlling system access should be foolproof. Adding a biometrics identifier scan feature can make the system more secure (Greene, 2011.82.par 3) The system should be designed to avoid hacking threats or manipulation or destruction of information by internal or external users. Full security program must be designed by the system developers and an audit trail put in place. References Odom-Wesley, B., Brown, D. & Meyers, C. L. (2009). Documentation for medical records. Chicago: American Health Information Management Association.pp.201-247 Rinehart-Thompson, L. A. & Harman, L. B. (2006). Privacy and confidentiality. In L.B. Harman (Ed.), Ethical challenges in the management of health information. 2nd ed. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett.pp.46 National Institute of Standards and Technology Computer Security Division. (2014). An introduction to computer security: The NIST handbook. U.S. Department of Commerce. Gaithersburg: NIST; 1995:5. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-12/800-12-html/index.html. Accessed July 11, 2014. Greene, A. H. (2011). HHS steps up HIPAA audits: now is the time to review security policies and procedures. J AM Health information Association. http://www.ahimajournal-digital.com/ahimajournal/201110?pg=61#pg61. Accessed July 11, 2014. Read More