Private and security - Essay Example

Inserts Inserts Privacy and security 30 November Privacy and Security Identity Management The main reasonfor increase in “identity management” by healthcare providers is that there is a strict law requiring that all hospitals that use electronic records keep such records as secure as possible to prevent unauthorized people from accessing patient information (Jonathan).2011 HIMSS Security Survey: Final ReportThe authors support their conclusion that medical practices are “not as advanced” as hospitals in their patient data security practices by pointing out that respondents working in medical practices were more likely to report that their facility did not conduct a risk assessment (HIMSS 21).

In addition, the respondents from the practices were more likely to report that their practice did not use “security tools such as wireless security protocols, e-mail encryption, or mobile device encryption” (HIMSS 21). The conclusion is hardly surprising given the prevailing economic environment. These initiative require financing, hence the reduced economic power of the country affects the capacity of the practices to purchase these services. Sharing data with “other entities such in corporate organization” will fall from 66% to 16% (HIMSS 11-12).

Sharing data with government entities at all levels will average out. There will be a significant rise in sharing data with Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and PHR Vendors. The internal sharing of information will not be necessary since the hospitals will rely on the more secure HIEs even for internal information exchange. This also explains why the use of HIEs will increase. The reason for averaging out of the government- related sharing of information is that the government will streamline its reporting requirements across all levels.

One of the interesting findings of the survey is the percentage of IT budget that goes into IT security (HIMSS 6). It is interesting to note that the amount spent on ensuring that IT systems remain secure is much lower than the overall budget. This means that there is some recognition that security is important. However, the risks do not presently warrant increased expenditure, or there is insufficient appreciation of the risks that the systems face. Life in the ‘Lean’ Lane: Performance Improvement at Denver HealthThere are five key characteristics of the lean culture based on this article.

They include elimination of waste during production and secondly, the maximization of customer value. The third aspect of a lean culture is that the management mandates and plans the lean projects. The fourth key aspect is that the implementation takes place at the floor, by the line workers. The final aspect of the lean culture is that it advocates for a continuous effort, not a one-off exercise, towards quality improvement. The fast track solution aimed at giving low acuity patients quick access to treatment to reduce “door to discharge” time down to 90 minutes, and to reduce referrals to other hospitals to 5% (Harris 2057).

These two issues cost the hospital millions of dollars in lost revenue. The challenges that the project faced included sustainability because it was clear that it was not going to be easy to find physicians who would be willing to treat minor ailments. In addition, there were concerns from the adult urgent care unit that the project ate into their workload. Interpreting results proved to be difficult early on in the process. Works CitedHarris, Meyer. "Life in the Lean Lane: Performance Improvement at Denver Health.

" Health Affairs 29 (NO.11 (2010)): 2054-2060.HIMSS. 2011 HIMSS Security Survey. Survey Report. Denver MA: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, 2011.Jonathan, Leviss. "Identity Management." Ong, K. Medical Informatics: An Executive Primer. Chicago IL: HIMSS, 2011.