Analysis of the Technology in Healthcare - Case Study Example

Case Study Name Institution Date Abstract An electronic medical 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, which 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. This paper is going to evaluate this system in terms of different aspects. One of these aspects is the functionality of the system. In this case, the paper will do the description of basic functionality of the system. The next area to be evaluated is the description of usability and information architecture of the system. Third, the paper will describe the strategic alignment of the system in terms of the organizational or enterprise objectives. Last, the future state of the system will be evaluated by looking at the way the system can be improved or extended. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Description of basic functional evaluation 5 Description of usability and information architecture 6 Strategic alignment 7 The future state 9 References 10 Introduction Tawam Hospital in the United Arabs Emirates is affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine. It is a 461-bed tertiary health care facility situated in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi. It is also one of the largest hospitals in the country. In 2012, the hospital recorded over 22,000 admissions. The specialties services offered by the hospital include obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, pain management, pediatrics, nephrology, neurosurgery, fertility services, family medicine, urology, surgery, intensive care, emergency medicine, neonatal care and oncology. It is therefore a very busy hospital. 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 (Griffin & Snook, 2006). 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 (Petch, 2008). Description of basic functional evaluation 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 (Skolnik, 2010). 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 (Griffin & Snook, 2006). Therefore, by introducing Electronic Medical Records the hospital boosts efficiency. On of the areas in which the basic functional evaluation of the electronic medical records technology revolves around is the improved efficiency in hospital. Consequently, the improved hospital efficiency lowers the cost of service administration or delivery. This is because savings will be saved through elimination of unnecessary tests and admissions. The basic functional evaluation of the system can also be seen as far as the management of patient information is concerned. It is clear that patient information in hospitals is very vital for any treatment undertaking. Management of the patient information however, can prove an uphill task if it is done manually because many things have to be recorded for each patient. This difficulty necessitates the electronic medical records. This involves an information technology system, which have gained popularity to be in the position of appreciating the need to protect these electronic medical records. Consequently, the electronic medical records can come in the form of medical codes. In this case, medical coding, which acts as the source of the electronic medical records is the process in which the narrative description obtained from the patient is transformed into numerical designation, which is in the form of codes. Once the medical records have been coded electronically, it is only the medical staff and the patient or another authorized person, and not any other individual, who have the right to access the information (Harrison & Coussens, 2007). Description of usability and information architecture From the case study, it was evident that majority of senior nurses are not willing to adopt new practices they tend to be resistant to new technological changes such Electronic Medical Records. This is in line with change management, which supports this view because changes threatens the way things are done and employees will tend to be resistant due to the view that the changes may be a threat to their careers. This was opposite with younger nurses who responded positively to implementation Electronic Medical Records. This is because these nurses were brought up in the computing era; therefore they are not resistant to technological changes. These finding have serious implications to Electronic Medical Records implementation because senior nurses play a critical role in nursing; there, sensitization programs must be adopted to educate nurses on the advantages of Electronic Medical Records. The success of electronic medical records will depend on the quality of data. However, it is clear that entering data into electronic medical records is not an easy task. Poor data entry may compromise the nature of medication received by the patient. Consequently, it is important that before transiting from the paper-based medical records to Electronic Medical Records, it is important to determine the attitude of health care providers towards the use of electronic medical records. This understanding will help in determining the feasibility and effectiveness of electronic medical records in Tawam Hospital (Scott, et al., 2007). Strategic alignment The electronic medical records use is strategically aligned to the objectives of the organization. This is because the adoption of Electronic medical records 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 in case 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 (Skolnik, 2010). 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 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 (Scott, et al., 2007). 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 (Skolnik, 2010). 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 (Harrison & Coussens, 2007). 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. The future state The findings from the study are very beneficial to hospital administrators and head nurses in that it enables them come up with strategies of improving the implementation and improving the attitudes of the nurses in future. Consequently, a number of recommendations will enhance the implementation of EMR in Woolwich area in future. First, sensitization of senior nurses on the advantages of electronic medical records is very important for the future state of the information system in the hospital. Second, the education on the use of electronic medical records is very important in the future to avoid errors in data entry and processing. Last, there will be the need to conduct continuous training on modern information technology to stem resistance in the future. References 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