The Main Advantages of Electronic Medical Information - Essay Example

Running head: PROS AND CONS OF COMPUTERIZED MEDICAL INFORMATION Pros and Cons of Computerized Medical Information First Middle initial and Last name Course Name and Number Instructor’s Name July 24, 2011 Table of Contents I Pros and Cons of Computerized Medical Information 1. Pros…………………………………………………………………….3 2. Cons……………………………………………………………………4 3. References……………………………………………………………..6 II Investigating the Local Health Care Operating Environment 1. The Woman’s Hospital of Texas………………………………….……8 2. Memorial Herman Healthcare System…………………………………8 3. Texas Children’s Hospital……………………………………….……..9 4. References……………………………………………………………..10 Pros and Cons of Computerized Medical Information Computerized medical information system has given a new face lift to the way medical information of patients is collected, stored and accessed. Although this system offers numerous benefits, it comes with some serious flaws as well. Implementing and using computerized medical information have therefore proved to be especially challenging. Pros: 1. Storage capability for long duration: One of the main advantages of electronic medical information is its ability to store a large amount of data for a long period of time. This helps address the issues concerning maintenance of huge piles of paper records in health care organizations. Example: After studying the record keeping mechanisms: electronic and paper-based, it is very evident that a paper based record keeping system will need considerable amount of space to store the medical records of all the patients that visit the health care organization. The paper records can also get lost or damaged as they are stored for a long period of time. On the other hand, the storage capacity of an electronic medical record system is enormous and there is minimal possibility of loss or damage of these electronic medical records. 2. Accessibility of data from remote locations: Due to the electronic nature of data, one can access a patient’s information from a remote site. This is an advantage especially when the patient and provider are located away from each other. Doctors can look at the patient record and provide their input almost instantaneously. Example: The University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Care has initiated a system which integrates a web-based diabetes management system with the electronic health record of patients to monitor diabetes of more than 1000 patients (Harlan, 2011). Patients upload data from their blood glucose meters from their home of from out patient offices of the University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital. This data is easily added to their medical record and the providers can access them from their office. This initiative is expected to improve long term diabetes management of the patients and enable collaboration among an interdisciplinary team of doctors, nutritionists, endocrinologists, health educators and family members. Cons: 1. Privacy: One of the major issues that arise with using computerized medical information is the concerns about privacy. Adequate confidentiality can not be ensured for individual records because of the very nature of the electronic data. In fact, according to a news report published in the LA times, roughly 150 people (which includes nurses, X-ray technicians and billing clerks) have access to at least a part of the patient’s medical records during a hospitalization, in addition to the 600,000 payers, providers and other entities who are involved in processing the provider’s billing data (Foreman, 2006). Patient information, which is considered ‘protected health information’, is covered under the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act in the United States. However, there are many loopholes in the process of recording and accessing computerized medical information that needs to be addressed. Example: In one particular case, a star baseball player was checked into a New York City hospital for a shoulder injury. As part of the hospital procedures and medical care, the player had to undergo several medical tests and procedures. With the help of the software that was used to make patient care and provision comfortable and convenient, it was reported that nearly 7000 people peeked into this patient’s medical information (Charette, 2006). Although some people may have accessed the information for genuine need of patient care, it is well evident that a majority of those people who accessed the information were breaking the regulations as stated by HIPPA. 2. Enormous start-up cost: Another major concern with regards to electronic medical information is that the start-up cost is extremely high. In addition to the equipments that need to be put in place to record and store medical information, a lot of effort goes in to convert all existing charts and medical documents into electronic form. Also, the cost of training the staff to become familiar with the systems that have been put in place also requires a significant amount of time and money. Example: Richard Baron, an internal medicine specialist from Philadelphia shared his experience of how the new electronic medical information system caused months of frustration and inconveniences (Charette, 2006). During the transition, when they moved from a paper based system to the electronic system, they faced challenges like the patient records were not updated, technical difficulties with the software which required troubleshooting. During this time the patients and the providers may feel frustrated with the delays and inconveniences caused. References Charette, R. N. (2006). Dying for Data. IEEE Spectrum. 43(10), 22–27. Foreman, J., 2006. At Risk of Exposure. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/26/health/he-privacy26/2 Harlan, D., 2011. Remote Health Monitoring Helps Patients Manage Diabetes. University of Massachusetts Med Now. Retrieved from http://www.umassmed.edu/news/research /2011/managing-diabetes.aspx Running head: INVESTIGATING THE LOCAL HEALTH CARE OPERATING ENVIRONEMENT Investigating the Local Health Care Operating Environment Student’s First name, Middle initial and Last name Course Name and Number Instructor’s Name July 24, 2011 Investigating the Local Health Care Operating Environment The Woman’s Hospital of Texas The Woman’s Hospital of Texas is a for profit acute-care hospital located on Fannin Street, Houston, Texas. It is a 332-bed teaching hospital and serves women and their children from the Greater Houston area. It operates through a network of six neighborhood physician satellite offices called The Woman’s Place. The services offered include obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics, plastic surgery, podiatry and mammography. Linda B. Russell is the CEO of the Woman’s Hospital of Texas and John F. Irwin is the chief of Surgery at the hospital. The main website of the hospital is http://womanshospital.com/home/ There is also a link on the main website which provides more information about pricing estimates and information about service cost and billing process for uninsured and uninsured patients: http://womanshospitaloftexas.patientfinancialresource.com/CustomPage.asp? PageName=PEI_Un_InsDecision Memorial Herman Healthcare System The Memorial Hermann Healthcare system is the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas and serves the greater Houston community. It operates through 11 hospitals that vary from teaching hospital to Level I trauma center and Sports Medicine. The hospital also operates the Life Flight® air ambulance program as well as the city’s only burn treatment center. Dan Wolterman is the President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. The hospital provides services of more than $300 million annually to serve the needy and offers community benefit programs, including an award-winning network of public school-based health centers. According to the Better Business Bureau a (2009), this hospital made a total income of $3,200 million dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. 84% of their total expenses were used for programs while 16% were used towards administrative expenses. The main website of the hospital is http://www.memorialhermann.org/ Texas Children’s Hospital The Texas Children’s Hospital is one of largest pediatric hospital in the United States located on Fannin Street, Houston, Texas. This not for profit hospital has 639 beds and serves infants, children and adolescents. The hospital provides more than 40 medical and surgical outpatient services to the children and specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of rare disorders. According to the Better Business Bureau b (2009), this hospital made a total income of $1,573 million dollars for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009. 82% of their total expenses were used for programs while 18% were used towards administrative expenses. The hospital attends to nearly 2 million patient visits in a year. It participates in nearly 400 research projects and receives more NIH research funding than any other pediatric hospital in the nation (Baylor College of Medicine, n.d.). These projects include testing of medications to improve the quality of life for patients with HIV infection and AIDS, muscular dystrophy and other genetic disorders, development of treatments through human gene therapy etc. The President and Chief Executive Officer of the hospital is Mark A. Wallace. Dr. Mark Kline is the Physician-in-Chief, Dr. Michael A. Belfort is the Obstetrician/ Gynecologist-in-Chief and Dr. Charles D. Fraser is the Surgeon-in-Chief. The main website of the hospital is http://www.texaschildrens.org/ References Better Business Bureau a. 2009. Memorial Herman Healthcare System. Retrieved from http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/houston/health/memorial-hermann-healthcaresystem-in-houston-tx-15273 Better Business Bureau b. 2009. Texas Children’s hospital. Retrieved from http://www.bbb.org/ charity-reviews/houston/health/texas-childrens-hospital-in-houston-tx-15501 Baylor College of Medicine. n.d. Affiliated Hospitals. Retrieved from http://www.bcm.edu/ about/affiliates.cfm Read More