Electronic Health Records: an Overview of eClinicWorks - Report Example

? Electronic Health Records: An Overview of eClinicWorks Client Inserts and E-mail address Insert of 4th October Outline I. Overview and objectives of the technology. II. Makers of the technology III. Requirements for running the technology a. Hardware b. Software c. Network d. Information IV. Maintenance and support requirements V. Key Stakeholders VI. Business processes VII. Value/Benefits VIII. Opportunities for improvement a. Business opportunities b. Technical opportunities Declaration I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination. I further pledge that I have not copied any material from a book, article, the Internet or any other source except where I have expressly cited the source. Signature ________________ Date: ____________­­­____ Electronic Health Records: An Overview of eClinicalWorks Overview and Objectives of the Technology Historians describe this dispensation as the information age. The reason for this is that in the current dispensation, the most influential force driving economies and societies is information. New technologies have made available systems that have changed the enterprise of information management. In the field of healthcare, there are applications that are making available information about patients to healthcare providers who have access to the information management system. This internet based technology is called an Electronic Health Record (EHR). According to HIMSS (2011) an EHR is “a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting”. It integrates information about a patient and make it available to all healthcare provides who have access to the system. It therefore improves service delivery to patients because it makes available a consolidated health history. An application of this system in use by some hospitals and healthcare providers is the eClinicalWorks Electronic Health eXchange (eEHX). This application “facilitates interoperability between clinical systems in community-wide projects” (eClinicalWorks, 2011). This means that it connects health service providers such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists and therapists, in a virtual community who then have access to the patient’s medical history on demand. Developers of the Technology eClinicalWorks is both the brand and company name. The company has several products under the eClinicalWorks brand. The products the company developes are as follows: Unified EMR/ PM system, eClinicalWorks Patient Portal, eClinicalWorks Electronic Health eXchange (eEHX®), eClinicalWorks P2P, eClinicalMobile(®) and eClinicalMessenger(®) (eClinicalWorks, 2011).. These products link various users who work with the eClinicalWorks to provide and receive healthcare services. The American company posted profits of over 150 Million dollars in the last financial year (eClinicalWorks, 2011) Operational Requirement for eClinicalWorks The eClinicalWorks system is a web based service that utilizes normal tools used for internet access. The needs are as follows; a. Hardware All web based systems require hardware in order to operate. The hardware required includes computers, routers, hubs and a means of internet connectivity. Connectivity refers to the traffic bearing medium which may be cable based or may use wireless technologies. In addition to these, the systems also require dedicated servers. The company owns servers which provide the services that its clients use. Large clients may also use their own servers to enhance their services and capacity. An important feature of the eClinicalWorks is that the company backs up all the data stored in its systems. b. Software eClinicalWorks provides software to enable clients to use their services. eClinicalWorks is the largest firm that offers Software as a Service (SaaS). The software provided run on both Windows and Linux operating systems. In addition, the company provides an application server that a user installs on their computer. The company gives its clients the “Option of deploying eClinicalWorks via on-demand SaaS or on-premises client/server model” (eClinicalWorks, 2011). It supports both SQL and MySQL server options making it possible for clients to use whatever systems they have already installed. c. Network For its purposes, eClinicalWorks runs on conventional internet networks. The company uses HTTPs-based communication platforms, thereby making the systems more scalable and reliable while supporting remote access (eClinicalWorks, 2011). In order to secure the information in the eClinicalWorks system, the company uses secure XML technologies which also improve the speed of internet connection. d. Information The information in the system is put in by end users. The company provides a platform for data input and retrieval while the health service provides provide the data that completes the system environment. These are the basic requirements needed to operate on the eClinicalWorks platform. It is clear that there is nothing new in the system and it can fit in any facility that has web capabilities. This makes it very scalable. Maintenance and Support Requirements The genius behind the success of the eClinicalWorks is that it does not create an additional layer of expenses and service for the clients above their normal IT costs. It rides on already existing infrastructure to deliver services. The software provided by the company does not need any specialist knowledge or technical expertise to operate. This makes in very easy for the company to offer services to a large number of clients. The only maintenance required is software upgrades. Outside of that, the costs a user incurs are similar to the costs they would have incurred when operating their IT equipment normally. Key Stakeholders The eClinicalWorks company is privately owned. The list of its stakeholders includes clients and other parties who offer support services their system. The company categorizes the stakeholders into two groups; customers and partners. Customers include “physician groups, hospitals and communities, health centers, regional extension centers and the Department of Health (DOH). When it comes to partners, the company collaborates with a wide range of affiliates that include, “back office and payment solutions providers, clearinghouses, laboratories and manufacturers of technology devices” (eClinicalWorks, 2011). Other partners include direct payers, e-prescribing service providers and medical devices manufacturers and suppliers. eClinicalWorks states that it has involved itself in these partnerships in order to provide its clients with a wider variety of solutions (eClinicalWorks, 2011). Business Processes The eClinicalWorks portfolio of software solutions does one basic thing. It makes available information about patients to health service provides. This makes it possible for the service provides to provide evidence based care because they can access a patient’s full medical history. Specifically the services enhance the following business processes. First of all, eClinicalWorks makes it easier for doctors to carry out diagnostic services because they have access to patients’ full history. This includes all health institutions patients have accessed, drugs dispensed, allergies, rate of access to health care services among others. This improves the quality of information the doctor has and in effect it improves the quality of services that the doctor can render. Pharmacists also can see the drugs a patient is already taking hence they can tell whether there are issues relating to allergies, incompatibility or any risk of poisoning. Other business processes that the eClinicalWorks supports are those that require communication between different users. In this case, a doctor can communicate with a doctor who has treated a particular patient to compare their views on the patient. It also enables doctors to interact with specialists who are part of the eClinicalWorks network. All these interactions improve the quality of healthcare that patients receive. Value/Benefits The benefits of the system include e-referrals for patients and continuity of care records (EaseMD, 2011). E-referrals make it possible for a doctor to refer a patient quickly and efficiently. This is very useful when the case requires specialist attention. Other benefits of the system observed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2011) include “reducing the incidence of medical error by improving the accuracy and clarity of medical records”. The systems allow patients to edit their records so as to remove any erroneous information or to clarify on points that may not be clear. In addition it helps by “making the health information available, reducing duplication of tests, reducing delays in treatment and patients are well informed to take better decisions” (DOH, 2011). Since the system connects hospitals and laboratories, the patient does not need to undergo the same tests in a different facility because of inaccessibility of records. This saves time and also makes it very easy for a patient to get a second opinion whenever they need one by simply providing the second doctor with the data obtained from laboratory tests. Finally, the system helps in “reducing medical error by improving the accuracy and clarity of medical records” (DOH, 2011). There are cases where patients loose their lives because a doctor treating them is not aware that they have a certain underlying condition. For instance, if a diabetic patient is involved in an accident the emergency staff will use emergency procedures to save their lives. If the emergency personnel realize that the patient is diabetic, they will choose medication with that in mind. This eliminates the risk of complications arising from lack of knowledge on the doctor’s side. Opportunities for Improvements One clear business opportunity open for eClinicalWorks is geographical expansion outside of America. Since the product does not require separate hardware, it can run on existing systems. In Europe, there is a ready market for the product. Patients will enjoy better services if they can access their records, not just in America but also in Europe. Apart from Europe, Asia is also a promising market for the service. With rising standards of living in both India and China, the demand for healthcare services will skyrocket. The eClinicalWorks has great potential to change the way people access healthcare services in these countries. Technical Opportunities On the other hand, the company needs to improve access via cell phones. This move is especially important as a market entry strategy in the developing world. The people in these countries rely on cell phones for many transactions. An application that will enable then to use it for medical records will be a welcome addition that will also change the way people access healthcare. References DOH. (2011). Electronic Health Records: Overview. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from Deparment of Health and Human Services: https://www.cms.gov/ehealthrecords/ EaseMD. (2011). easeMD Systems: Improving Physician Workflow. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from eClinicalWorks Electronic Health eXchange (eEHX): http://www.easemd.com/hospitals/ehx.php eClinicalWorks. (2011). eClinicalWorks Electronic Health eXchange. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from eClinicalWorks : http://www.eclinicalworks.com/products-electronic-health-exchange.htm HIMSS. (2011). EHR: Electronic Health Record. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from Health Information and Management Systems : http://www.himss.org/ASP/topics_ehr.asp Read More