Medical and Health Information Technology - Term Paper Example

Medical and Health Information Technology Executive summary The study aims at understanding how Health Information Technology (HIT) and Health Information Systems (HIS) help in enhancing the quality of healthcare. The paper covers the use of HIT and HIS in medical care setting and preventive services. The paper will discuss the benefits of computer-based health care systems and challenges that are encountered in implementation of such systems. The paper will look at prior initiatives and programs that were implemented by the US health institutions. The paper will address the international context of HIT and offer recommendations that should be implemented in order to attain quality care and ensure efficiency in the health care sector. Medical and Health Information Technology Introduction The study will systematically review the available evidence on the impact of health information systems on the quality and cost of health care. According to medical experts, the implementation of Health Information technology (HIT) by the US Department of Health and Human Services has the capability of saving about $ 600 million per annum in costs. The small health care providers still face cost challenges in implementing HIS due to the fragmented nature of the industry and lack of common standards that will ensure interoperability of the systems across numerous platforms and integration with other health care providers (Tan & Payton, 2010). The HIS should be user-friendly and should be adaptable to changes in health information requirements. HIS enables the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) that are essential in providing accurate and timely information during the care delivery process (Adi, 2001). HIT/HIS will ensure secure sharing of clinical date between patients and physicians and facilitate collaboration. The systems reduce the medical errors and ensure effective diagnosis thus improving the quality of health care. Information systems ensure accurate prescription and reduction of costs due to reduced administrative manpower and paperwork. Statement of the problem Healthcare is a fundamental right of every citizen and health care systems are facing increased pressure due to higher demand for quality services. The quality of healthcare determines how we function in the society and failure to administer immediate care or failure to ensure proactive control of infectious diseases can lead to serious health concerns in the society (Tan & Payton, 2010). One of the challenges of the US health care system is the lack of health care information systems that can facilitate the delivery of safe and effective health care to the citizens. Accordingly, there are concerns on the dissemination of evidence-based clinical framework that will ensure consistency and safety in patient care. Health care information technology (HIT) can be harnessed to enhance the quality of health care and ensure evidence-based clinical practices in preventive care. History of the problem The healthcare industry is critical for the US economy since it accounts for about 16 percent of the total US government gross domestic product. In 2007, the US government spent $ 460 billion towards processing, storing and distribution of information thus signifying the importance of organized information storage and sharing in the health care system. The US health care costs are 50 percent higher than those of other industrialized countries and less than 50 percent of the citizens have access to recommended health care due to the high insurance costs. The advancements in information communication technologies in the 21st century necessitated the need for electronic health record (EHR) systems. Furthermore, the demand for quality and safe health care by the population has subjected the available health care systems to pressure since health care practitioners require accurate and detailed information on the patient medical history (Beaver, 2002). The desire to ensure cost-efficiency and improve patient safety requires efficient health care information systems. The health insurance programs have not been able to use EHR data to monitor the health insurance costs of their clients thus opening up gaps for fraud in the health insurance industry. HIT is capable of addressing health insurance gaps by reducing fraud and ensuring higher opportunities for insurance coverage. The systems should be integrated to the numerous health insurance providers such as Medicaid and private providers in order for the insurance companies to monitor the medical expenses of their client and minimize medical insurance fraud (Beaver, 2002). A majority of health care institutions have implemented information systems such as patient data recording systems, laboratory reporting systems, billing systems and medical record keeping systems. The information systems have enhanced the ability of healthcare institutions to improve productivity, cut down costs, enhance patient safety and improve efficiency (Beaver, 2002). Information technology is capable of improving the access, quality and safety of health care since enhanced information collection and dissemination is core to modern health care delivery. The implementation of decision support systems (DSS) by Windham Community Memorial Hospital (WCMH) has reduced overcrowding in the facility and enhanced patient attendance through reducing the patient transfer time from the emergency department to the floor beds. The system has improved patient bed utilization due to improved patient flow due to reduction of the tedious paper work procedures of recording the patient data. Previous research by Bouaud et al (2001) on the impact of HIT/HIS on medical and health care concluded that there are 23.6 percentage absolute increases in compliance among physicians after using the systems (Corley, 2007). Chaudhry et al (2006) research on the same topic found out that HIT results to improved efficiency, low costs and effectiveness in the health care delivery process (Corley, 2007). The research pointed out that the major quality of care involved compliance with evidence-based clinical guidelines such as drug ordering and dosage thus enhancing the safety of patients. In addition, studies on effectiveness of clinical decision support systems concluded that EHR is capable of assessing the specific health risks through use of metrics such as age or vaccination status thus improving the overall response to preventive care (Fontenot, 2006, p. 3). The Affordable Care Act aims at promoting continuous improvement in the health sector through electronic health records that will avail the necessary data that is required for effective treatment protocols, and curbing patient falls. The earlier initiatives such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of the late 1990s led to reduction in costs associated with paper-based medical records such as storage costs and personnel costs. The initiative evidenced that EHRs lead to patient savings since physicians can easily access prior laboratory and diagnosis records (Aziz & Michele, 2009, p.53). Although the benefits of HIT/HIS in the healthcare delivery process are immense, privacy and security of such systems has remained a major concern for many stakeholders. However, recent advancements in computing technologies have demonstrated that HIS standards are capable of securing patient privacy and ensuring integrity of the health records (Adi, 2001). Accordingly, the software platforms should ensure integration of the networks and interconnectivity in order to ensure sharing of data among the various stakeholders involved in the health care system. The system should combine numerous applications such as imaging information management system for cardiology, pharmacy information system, laboratory information system, and orthopedics information system (Tan & Payton, 2010). International context Computer-based health information technologies have transformed delivery of health care services through improving safety, quality and efficiency of the care delivery process. The importance of health information technology is evident across the globe since it has played an essential role in electronic health records, open access systems, telemedicine, and health management information. The patients are the primary beneficiaries of health information technologies since such systems increase the efficiency of healthcare delivery and improve the patient safety across the globe. HIT is capable of providing personalized patient health records and messages that are automatically send to the patients as reminders for due dates of clinic attendance. The HIS facilitates communication between the physicians and patients thus improving the health care outcomes due to cordial relationships and individualized communication (Tan & Payton, 2010). The importance of HIT goes beyond the hospital setting since disasters such as the Hurricane Katrina evidenced how delays in gathering and disseminating information can lead to higher number of deaths and loss of property. In this case, lack of proper information dissemination caused excessive suffering of injured victims in New Orlean’s health facilities as medical responders did not understand the extent of the problem. Stakeholders The major stakeholders involved in the implementation of health information technology and health information systems include the public health agencies, consumers, heath insurance companies, healthcare providers, patients and physicians. The patients are the primary beneficiaries of patient safety and efficient care administration. The physicians will benefit from reduced workload, fatigue and reduction in cases of poor diagnosis and prescription. The healthcare providers will benefit from reduction in costs while healthcare insurance companies will be capable of minimizing fraud (Beaver, 2002). Policy The liberalization of the health sector paved way for the implementation of sophisticated health care information technologies by the private sector providers in order to minimize costs and ensure efficiency in healthcare delivery. Effective health information systems enable physicians to make informed decisions and enhance patient safety. For instance, the Primary Care Information Project (PCIP) spearheaded by the New York City Department of Health has leveraged HIT systems in the promotion of primary care and a higher proportion of the uninsured patients have adopted the electronic health records. In 2011, PCIP went further to create Hub Population Network that was tasked with collection and analysis of medical data in order to make it available to affiliated providers. The program provides EHR data that enables HIV testing and influenza vaccination for the high risk groups thus demonstrating how HIT is useful in health surveillance and improvement of the preventive care. The federal policies have attempted to ensure enhanced information collection and sharing in the health care system through numerous initiatives. The Healthcare Information Technology Standards Program (HITSP) was formed in partnership with the private sector in order to provide standards-based resources that will meet the business and clinical goals for information sharing among the health care organizations (Corley, 2007, p. 9). The HITSP resources mainly focus on the interoperability of the systems and aim at ensuring uniformity of information sharing in order to meet diverse needs. The Interoperability Specifications that were issued in 2006 have the capability of sharing laboratory results, ambulance care and emergency department records to public health agencies and offer the ability to seek customer permission for sharing medical histories (Corley, 2007). Recommendations The literature review on health information technology (HIT) has facilitated the understanding of the relationship between use of health records information systems and the quality of patient care. There is need for implementation of standardized reporting on medical research so as to facilitate data collection and dissemination of new knowledge on evidence-based clinical practice. The US Department of Health and Human Services must spearhead the implementation of health information systems that will help in disease surveillance and notification of disasters. Accordingly, the healthcare facilities must implement integrated system that enables sharing of medical information among various departments with the organization. The system should consider the information inputs and outputs of different departments such as radiology, emergency, laboratory and pharmacy departments. The health insurance firms must collect demographic data of their clients such as the income levels and age and also integrate their systems with the available health information systems in order to facilitate assessment of eligibility for coverage and determine the appropriate premiums depending on the medical histories of their clients. Modern HIS should be implemented in the administrative functions of health facilities in order to improve the efficiency of activities such as patient scheduling, consultation, retrieval of past medical records, online prescription, tracking patient appointment and billing. Conclusion The quality of US health care will determine the quality of life in the society and thus implementation of HIT/HIS will enhance the effectiveness of deliver of evidence-based healthcare. HIT collect, analyze, store and facilitate the retrieval of medical records that are useful facilitating prompt and accurate administration of care in health facilities. The US is currently proposing the implementation of e-Health care system that will offer decision support that will enhance effective utilization of resources, improve productivity and ensure quality health care. The US citizens will be the primary beneficiaries of improved healthcare delivery process while the government will reduce costs incurred in financing manual based systems. The systems will facilitate monitoring of health risks and ensure appropriate preventive care thus reducing the possibility of disease outbreaks. Accordingly, the data will facilitate medical research and evidence-based clinical practice. References: Adi, A. (2001). Effective Healthcare Information Systems. New York: Idea Group. Aziz, J and Michele, C. (2009). ‘The impact of health information technology on the quality of medical and healthcare: a systematic review’, Health Information Management Journal, vol 38, No 3, 2009. P 53. Beaver, K. (2002). Healthcare Information Systems.2nd Ed. New York: CRC Press. Corley, J. (2007). ‘Health Care Information Technology Standards Improve Networks and Quality’, South Carolina Business, June 2007, p 9. Fontenot, S.F. (2006). ‘The Affordable Care Act and Electronic Health Care Records: Can Technology Help Reduce the Cost of Health Care?, Health Law. 2006. Tan, J & Payton, F. (2010). Adaptive Health Management Information Systems: Concepts, Cases and Practicals. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Read More