21st Century Healthcare Information Systems - Coursework Example

21st Century Healthcare Reforms 21st Century Healthcare Reforms Health management information systems provide a notable platform for data analysis in the health sector. Use of technology like the cloud computing has brought vital reforms in the health sector across the world. Proper and timely planning is an essential way of approaching and tackling issues that arise in the health sector. Chief Information Officers, (CIOs) are obligated to oversee proper data collection, processing and reporting in the health sector. The high demands for health care services translate to complex data inflow in the medical centers. Proper systems are required to handle and process this data in an accurate manner. The data collected and stored through credible and efficient health management information system is crucial in decision-making. Significant reforms can be associated with the application of this method of data storage and processing. The growing need for such services will demand the health management information systems to improve and adopt computerized platforms. Major Initiatives Associated with Healthcare Reform One of the initiatives of the 21st Century in the healthcare reforms is the diffusion of innovation. Healthcare is a diverse sector that integrates numerous forms of technology in its growth. Reforms are accompanied by innovations that induce change in the sector and also bring improvements. The healthcare sector blends with other forms of innovations that jointly contribute to the growth and efficiency in the sector. Management of the health sector is a broad issue that is largely based on proper planning and incorporation of different problem-solving techniques. Diffusion of innovation means that the underlying issues in the health sector can be addressed from various angles (Yadav & Singh, 2010). Different forms of technology and innovations can address several problems in the management and running of the health sector. The health sector handles huge volumes of both soft and hard copies of data. The 21st Century has seen tremendous changes in the way data is collected, processed and stored in the health sector. The reforms in data collection are aimed at improving accuracy and limit errors in analyzing the information. Diffusion of innovation makes it possible for the health information collection activities to be accurate. The principal intention of incorporating standard techniques that come with the aspect of open-ended innovations is to maintain credibility. Diffuse innovations also call for the health practitioners to operate within the new changes in their respective departments. The initiative has had positive impacts on the health sector over the years. Accuracy in data collection and analysis has improved the way medical problems are handled. Diffusion of innovations has been a remarkable initiative as it has supported positive reforms in the health sector (Poon & Jha, 2006). The rising cases of medical complications in the 21st Century have been relatively suppressed thereby bringing hope to the health sector. Another initiative towards creating reforms in the health sector is the use of computerized medical records systems. Modern health care is largely based on one or more forms of technology especially in handling data. Health practitioners are making tremendous gains in solving both minor and complex medical issues due to the extensive use of technology. The rise of computer knowledge in the 21st century has had a remarkable impact in the health sector through reforms (Tan, 2005). Adoption of computerized medical platforms has, therefore, been a notable initiative in the 21st Century. The third crucial intuitive in the 21st Century is the integrated Medicare and close approach to cost disparities. Planning for a fair and equitable share of the health power of a region calls for a balance in costs and a keen approach to existing disparities. The initiative has gone far in addressing the issue of inaccessibility of health care to some regions or groups of people. It is the role of the authorities to oversee the smooth flow of healthcare services to all persons irrespective of their racial or regional background. Planning for the vast and growing world population demands proper scrutiny of the underlying issues in the health sector. Integrated medical care means that people’s financial power should not be a stabling block in accessing healthcare services. The authorities are required to plan and come up with strategies of leveraging the costs. The integrated Medicare has been a health boosting initiative of the 21st Century in the approach of tackling global medical issues (Chaulagai, 2005). Challenges and Solutions to the 21st Century Trends Planning for the 21st Century healthcare information systems relies on adequate investment. The issue of loss of data in healthcare centers can be overcome by installing credible and well-performing systems. One of the ways to overcome the challenge of design and installation of efficient healthcare information systems is through proper planning. Healthcare sector needs efficient and accurate data-handling systems that meet the needs of the vibrant sector. Health practitioners should also be well trained in the use of the installed systems. Additionally, planning can be improved through employing broad-based clinical consultation support. Crucial; decisions should focus on streamlining the way health information is collected. Detailed operational departments should be set up as the data entry sites. The information collected can guide the planners in coming up with the right approach to healthcare issues (Nyamtema, 2010). Planning should also entail acting on the information collected to project for future changes. The healthcare sector is dynamic and changes are inevitable especially due to the rising medical issues. Health complications demand a fast response in the sector that can only succeed with proper planning. It is the role of the health officials to evaluate the performance of each initiative in terms of solving the identified issues. Cost and quality control systems are vital in the planning stage to limit errors in the valuation processes. The healthcare sector relies on timely and proper planning that must have a personal touch with the public. Improvement insights can be got by analyzing earlier performances in different departments. Designing also calls for the use of reliable operational systems that show flexibility in their use (Szydlowski & Smith, 2009). Strategic innovation can also go a long way in overcoming challenges associated with the healthcare reform initiatives. Assessment of the Impact the Initiatives The adoption of complex computerized data recording systems will bring positive impacts on the health information management (HMIS). The health sector is growing at a high rate and huge amounts of data flow in this area on a daily basis. Handling such huge volumes of data requires the information systems to be efficient and accurate. Computerized information systems can handle such kinds of data with ease and in reliable ways. For example, cloud computing that falls under this category is a notable form of data storage and sharing system that guarantees security and accuracy of the data. The initiative of adoption of diffuse innovations and advanced technology will have positive impacts on planning organizational culture (Poon & Jha, 2006). The health management information systems will get to a higher level and capabilities in data collection, analysis, and storage. Integrated Medicare initiative will have both positive and negative impact on an enterprise resource planning system. Integrating the medical care with the existing health services will create a complex system in the sector. Consequently, planning for an enterprise related to the health sector will be a demanding task. Extensive planning techniques will be required in handling such an enterprise. It will also complicate the provision of health services especially in the emergency cases. The current world of healthcare makes use of computers to store and analyze medical information collected from patients (Chaulagai, 2005). Cloud computing has been the recent and more efficient form of a data link and analysis mode being used in the health sector. Health centers can now share and discuss common issues in the health sector through cloud computing. Use of advanced and computerized systems in the healthcare sector will have an impact on the governance and leadership tasks of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Extensive use of advanced information systems will devolve and reduce the influence of the chief information officer. It will also limit the extent of coverage in terms of control in the healthcare sector for the chief information officer. Additionally, Integrated Medicare strategy will neutralize the leadership in the healthcare sector thereby reducing the influence of the chief information officer (Yadav & Singh, 2010). Legislations Influencing the Health Information Management Systems. The implementation of healthcare information management systems can be influenced by regulations put by the government. Rules governing the use of information systems in the healthcare sector are subject to inevitable changes. The ever-transforming healthcare sector faces certain resistance as it targets change and improvement. Regulations and laws put by the authority can limit the implementation of health information systems. The authority may set regulations to restrict the use of complex computing systems in the healthcare sector. There is a growing need for the healthcare sector to venture into detailed data handling systems (Nyamtema, 2010). The government ion the other hand may come up with regulations that restrict the use of such health information management systems. Such hindrances have an influence on the implementation of health information management systems. One of such regulations is the limits pout by the authority on the use of the internet and data sharing. The rising level of cyber insecurity is forcing the authorities to put strict restrictions on the internet users across the world. The healthcare sector is a principal victim of these regulations since it relies on huge data processing and sharing. Use of complex data processing systems in healthcare sector relies on the internet and tertiary links with other computers. The Chief Information Officers in healthcare face difficulties while operating under limited data spaces. The limited use of the internet and surveillance by the authority makes the use of complex information systems hard (Tan, 2005). Such regulations that restrict data use and sharing hamper the implementation of health information management systems. Another regulation is the extent to which one’s privacy is observed and respected. Health centers collect huge amounts of data from patients as they examine their health conditions. Complex data is collected and stored in the healthcare centers on a daily basis. The data collected contains sensitive and personal information of the patient’s life or health condition. The health practitioners are obligated to secure the information without leaking it to unauthorized persons. The authority can come up with a regulation that limits the storage and sharing of the information collected from the patients. Such a regulation can make it hard for the health practitioners to make reference to a patient’s health information (Szydlowski & Smith, 2009). How CIOs Assess the Merits of the 21st Century It is the obligation of the Chief information officer to ensure that the laid out initiatives perform and give the required results. The initiatives should be aimed at improving the status of the health care by operating within the mission statement. One of the ways to access the initiatives is to evaluate the extent to which the mission statement aligns with the goals of the healthcare services. The mission statement should point out the intended achievements in the healthcare sector. The Chief Information Officer can also assess the merits of the initiatives by evaluating the already met targets. The healthcare sector should cater for the demands of the public and stick to the mission statement (Poon & Jha, 2006). The strategy of the healthcare sector can also guide the Chief Information Officer in accessing the merits of the initiatives. The initiatives should follow the laid down strategy and stick to the vision of the healthcare sector. Possible Global Trends in the Adoption and use of HMIS. Future global use of Health management information systems will have to change in response to the increasing demand for quality medical care. Complex computing systems will have to be installed to handle large amounts of health data. The next five years will see a transformation in the use of health management information systems. Such changes will be brought by the need to make the health sector competitive in meeting the needs of health care seekers. Health issues are also becoming complex in terms of illnesses and physical body complications. The complex nature of health issues will require the health information management systems to be revolutionized. More efficient and accurate computerized health management information systems will be required to meet the global health needs. The world population is continually growing and this translates into an increasing demand for health care services. Consequently, the health management information systems will have to be updated and increased in order to match the growing population (Tan, 2005). Computerization of health management information systems will have to be catered for in the next five years. Upcoming health related services like family planning needs an accurate system in the health care sector. Such demands will bring huge transformations in the health sector especially in the manner data is handled and processed. Better trained and qualified health care providers will be required to raise the standards of the health management information systems. Complex computerized data handling systems will have to be put to cater for the huge data in the health sector. There will be an increased need for an intergraded system that can handle varied forms of health-related data. Standard systems will have to accommodate cloud computing platform as a way of improving the data processing services. There will also be a terminal connectivity between systems that handle related data in the health sector. Standard systems will also revolutionize towards networking and linking different data outlets (Yadav & Singh, 2010). In conclusion, health care is a broad sector that undergoes continuous changes in response to global medical demands. The 21st Century has had tremendous healthcare reforms geared towards improving the sector and addresses the rising medical health issues. Collection and processing of information in the health sector rely on accurate and efficient systems. Chief Information Officers are obligated to oversee proper handling and use of medical information collected from various sources. Healthcare centers face difficult challenges in handling complex data relating to patients’ health and retrieving it for future use. Health management information systems (HMIS) are processes of data input, recording, storing and processing. References Chaulagai, C. (2005). Design and implementation of a health management information system in Malawi: issues, innovations and results. Health Policy and Planning, 20(6), 375-384. Nyamtema, A. (2010). Bridging the gaps in the Health Management Information System in the context of a changing health sector. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 10(1), 36. Poon, E. G., Jha, A. (2006). Assessing the level of healthcare information technology adoption in the United States: a snapshot. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 6(1), 1. Szydlowski, S., & Smith, C. (2009). Perspectives from nurse leaders and chief information officers on health information technology implementation. Hospital Topics, 87(1), 3-9. Tan, J. (2005). E-Health Care Information Systems: an Introduction for Students and Professionals. John Wiley & Sons. Yadav, K., Singh, S. (2010). Evaluation of computerized health management information system for primary health care in rural India. BMC Health Services Research, 10(1), 310. Read More