Prognostics and Health Management of Electronics - Literature review Example

? Lecturer An electronic health record is a computerized way of storing patient information within a database. This method of storage allows the medical records of all patients in the database to be shared through a controlled network of medical institutions. The records are in digital format; require to be embedded to protect the patient’s information. It is thus inferred that, technology has facilitated many changes in the globe. The changes have affected many industries, including the health sector. Technology facilitates the quality of healthcare and enables reduction in errors affecting the institutions revenue. The paper evaluates the views in three articles to determine the probable choice for a small private physician. The articles cover the benefits and the challenges facing the implementation of EHRs. Key points covered include the probability of quality healthcare, and patients’ privacy. Evaluation of the articles results reveal that implementation of medical health records would be advantageous to a private physician. 1. Background, Sponsor and Problem AT& T organization is a very busy public hospital whose main business is to offer orthopedic services. Due to the large number of customers visiting the hospital every day, the medical records for all the patients continue to pile, considering that the same medical information is being filed manually. Because of this, the Front Office Receptionist continues to have a hard time each day trying to manually open the different folders carrying patients’ the files. Being as hard as that, it implies that the delivery of the services in the hospital does not occur in a satisfactory manner (Selg & Rihel, 2007). The problem of doing the service delivery manually in the hospital has had far-stretching effects to both the hospital and the clients. For the hospital, the slow service delivery has constantly jeopardized the customer relations aspect of the organization. This is because when a client visits the hospital and takes the whole day waiting for the staff to retrieve his or her files and go through the records, next time, he or she will opt to a different hospital. For the clients on the other hand, someone with a critical health condition may not be saved just because his or her medical records are lost. Therefore, the absence of efficient medical coding can worsen the conditions of the patient. The problem resulting from the absence of medical coding system in the hospital mainly affects the Front Office Receptionist. This is because the front office receptionist is the person who is responsible for the production of the medical information for the different clients getting into the hospital. There are a lot of consequences if the problem is ignored. By ignoring the problem, it is very likely that the service delivery in the hospital will continue to be slow. The amount of work for the front office receptionist will continue to increase, and become too much for him or her. This means that the receptionist will be straining each day, trying to serve all the clients. This is not healthy for the receptionist. The hospital will generate less than the expected income. This is because it will not serve the clients in a proper rate (Heerkens, 2002). Voice of the Customer Analysis or Market Analysis is also evident as far as this problem is concerned. With the absence of the medical coding equipment in the hospital, the customers continue to complain that they do not receive the services in a satisfactory manner. Some complain that their records occasionally get lost. Others say that they have to queue for long hours before they can be attended to, while other still complain of their medical documents which have been torn or soiled. 2. Practical Outcomes for Client The research method used is the analysis of some case article evaluating the health sector in the United States. EHRs method of storing patient information will assist the medical institutions enhance their control over the revenue. Revenue enables organizations to run their business efficiently and effectively. The health sector faces many challenges in its revenue control due to its unique nature. The medical institutions account for their activities, different from other profit oriented sectors (Kumar, Sameer, & Ken Bauer 120). The adoption of EHRs will facilitate sharing of medical information across hospitals. This will enable the hospital to track the payment and charges associated with the patient. The mode of treatment used incase of referrals is documented together with the patient’s medical history. This enables the physicians to use effective methods to treat the patient other than redundancy in the treatment offered by the previous treatment. The physicians would benefit from using the EHRs by saving their operational costs. Medical errors that may jeopardize the physician’s license can be avoided through computerized maintenance of patient records. Medical errors that are prevented through the records involve documented allergies in the patient’s records. Some patients may have allergies to some medication thus; the records may save the patient's life. For a private physician, the implementation of computerized health records will increase the client base (Kumar et. al. 123). The physician can improve his record of accomplishment through improved healthcare. It can be compared to advertising, whereby the patients recommend the medical institutions to their friend. Implementing electronic medical records will allow physicians to make informed health decisions when treating the patient. The cost benefit approach has been used in the journal of revenue and pricing management to justify the implementation of EHRs. The costs associated with using the EHRs relate to the maintenance costs, the cost of the hardware and software to be implemented in the institution, and the installation costs. The benefits derived from the system outweigh the costs. The organization will benefit from reduced transcription cost since in the United States, up to $12billion are used annually in transcription of related expenses. The physician can divert the money saved from transcription expenses to enhance the health facility. The physician will handle the revenue loss in the business through reimbursement coding. Reimbursement from government and insurance firms are accurate when EHRs are used. The entity reduces the cost related to using the conventional chart system. The physician in a private medical institution saves on filing space and cost of maintaining the medical records. The second article by Daniel evaluates the public’s opinion towards the use of EHRs. The increase in technological advances in other sectors, has allowed the public to benefit from efficient services at a reduced cost. Prior studies pertaining technology in the health sector show a low reception to the concept. The growth in information technology sector is anticipated to produce better reception due to the increase in awareness. For a private physician, evaluation of patients’ wants and providing quality health care should be focused on before implementing changes to the entities operations (Jennifer, et al. 922). The public is aware of the merits associated with information technology and its effects on the quality of healthcare. The physician should implement the technology to increase the client base. The research was conducted through telephone. The research targeted the technologically informed members of the public. The result highlight that the public opinion favors information technology. 3. Focus of the Investigation and Proposed Methodology How patient database is created: Life cycle of electronic health record is made up of three stages; they include the following initiation, acquisition, and consolidation stage. Initiation stage Small, industrial ventures, reacting to predictable pain in a diligence, focus on a specific position, for example, patient records and provide it with proprietary software. They try to act in response to distinctive language, makeup, and processes connected to an industry (Petch, 2008). As the responsiveness of their products along with their integrity grows, they influence the understanding they have added serving their established base of clients and apply growing revenues to advance the progress of their product also attempt to extend into the other field of the industry. Acquisition stage: As their sales start to legalize the existence of actual need, entrepreneurs draw attention-large firms that seek to take advantage of materializing market and construct in the lead of their own potentials and product like compatible software, data gathering devices, for example, barcode readers. Acquirers’ complexity draw closer when they attempt to integrate different software that was produced using a distinct language, operating systems, as well as hardware platforms (Danabedian & Gilmore, 2003). Consolidation Is the ultimate stage in which successful firms make conclusions on the residuals in the market or leaving it, and in which only some surviving firms develop into standards for the manufacturing. The reason for dividing database creation into three stages is to enhance efficiency, traceability should complications arise, and for security purposes. 4. Aims and objectives Aim To develop a electronic health records to do code the medical records of the patients in the hospital with the aim of easing the work of front office receptionist in busy hospitals by being able to effectively use the application to achieve accurate and convenient keeping of records. Objectives To acquire all the requirements for the task of medical coding To code all the manually recorded data into electronic forms To interpret the coded data To apply the coded medical records in the practical settings 5. Scientific Outcomes From the journal of revenue and pricing management, it is evident that the implementation of electronic health management would favor the growth of private medical institutions. Private physicians would provide quality healthcare to the patients. Record keeping would become efficient, and the entity would minimize the losses incurred due to reimbursement coding. It is also evident that the cost associated with implementation of EHRs is low compared from the benefits that can be derived from them (Kumar, et. al. 123). Daniel’s article revels that 77% of the participants interviewed has basic knowledge concerning the use of technology in handling the patient’s information. The research also shows that a large percentage (78%) of the patients prefer the use of EHRs. Most of the respondents believed that the implementation of EHRs would reduce the cost of medical care. American respondents that believe electronic medical records would lower the cost of medical care constitute 59% of the sample. The research shows that most patients prefer the use of electronic medical records (Jennifer, et al. 933). Implementation of EHRs has its demerits in that the client’s privacy is bleached in case hackers retrieve the user’s information. The articles show the dangers associated with EHRs and the government’s efforts to reduce the risks. The article further shows that the benefits derived from information technology outweigh the demerits (Jacques 453). The survey conducted in the editorial, annals of internal medicine shows that only 14% of the U.S' hospitals implement computerized record keeping with the figure dropping to 3% in all practices. Although the implementation of computerized health records has numerous benefits, its implementation needs to be enhanced, to realize benefits (Baron 698). 5. Proposed Evaluation Analysis and comparison of documentation standards: The proposed evaluation strategy must comply with the set standards. Comite Europeen de Normalization: This standardization is in Europe and it is set by the European Committee for Standardization, which is the officially competent organization of the European. In the healthcare position, Comite Europeen de Normalization standards are recognized for medical strategies, (Harrison & Coussens, 2007). Healthcare service provider also uses European standards, such as the EN ISO 9000 administration standards to confirm their organization. Some healthcare professions are now crucial in European standards the professional necessities for service to patients (Harrison & Coussens Ch, 2007). Health level seven standards: This standard is based in the United States of America. Unlike Comite, Europeen de Normalization, Health level seven have different versions. It is dominantly used in North America and Europe. Health level seven specifies several flexible standards, guiding principle, and styles by which different healthcare structures can correspond to each other. Such guiding principles or data standards are a set of regulations that permit information to be forwarded and processed in a systematic and consistent way. These information standards are meant to permit healthcare institutes to share easily clinical information. Hypothetically, this aptitude to exchange information should help to reduce the trend of medical care to be geographically separated and highly variable, (Danabedian & Gilmore, 2003). Health level seven also creates document, conceptual and application standards. Lastly is the American society for testing and materials, which originated from the America Chapter of the International Association for Testing and Materials of 1898. The organization is not profiting based, it offer voluntary services. The American society for testing and materials has six principles, which include standard test method, standard specification, practice, terminology, guide, and standard classification. It is dealing majorly with surgical implant specifications. The role of accreditation bodies is to help in setting national standards: Accreditation is the procedure through which a free and legalized organization certifies the quality system and capability of the health institutions on the line of predefined standards. It is carried out on a regular basis to enhance keeping of standards and dependability of outcomes created to sustain clinician reports. These bodies also assist in development of accreditation programs; they clarify areas to be covered by accreditation standards, and identification of customers. 7. Project Plan Rationale Electronics Health Records are sets of software applications planned to improve the cost of safety and patient protection. It offers a graphical user interface, which allows improved entering to essential clinical information, direct entry of data by clinicians and additional users, and clinical decision support tools at the tip of care. Electronic health record is generated within the set up of a hospital or any health institution. It helps in data entry, maintenance, and efficiency in data retrieval. It entails the following information, patient demographics, improvement notes, precedent medical information, tribulations, important signs, immunization, laboratory information, plus radiology information (Petch, 2008). Electronic health record computerizes and rationalizes the doctor’s workflow. Electronics health records have the capacity to create a whole record of a clinical patient encounter and sustaining other care related operations either directly or circuitously through the interface concurrently. The operations can be evidence based pronouncement support, quality administration, as well as outcomes reporting. 8. Schedule Draft proposal Identification of the sponsor Sponsor interview Collection of funds Initiation stage Consolidation stage Recording of data Data analysis Final report writing 9. Gantt Chart References Bidgoli, H., 2004, The Internet encyclopedia, Volume 1. New Jersey, N J: John Wiley and Sons Danabedian, M., & Gilmore, G., 2003, Spacecraft Thermal Control Handbook: Cryogenics Volume 2 of Spacecraft Thermal Control Handbook, David G. Gilmore. New York, NY: Aerospace Press. AIAA Griffin, D. and Snook, D., 2006, Hospitals: what they are and how they work, Volume 10. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Harrison, M. & Coussens, Ch., 2007, Global environmental health in the 21st century: from governmental regulation to corporate social responsibility: a workshop summary. New York, NY: National Academies Press: Petch, M., 2008, Prognostics and health management of electronics. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons Scott, T., Rundall, T. Vogt, T. and Hsu, J., 2007, Implementing an electronic medical record system: successes, failures, lessons. New York, NY: Radcliffe Publishing. Skolnik, N., 2010, Electronic Medical Records: A Practical Guide for Primary Care, Springer Verlag. New York. Read More