HIM Systems Characteristics and Needs Assessment 4

HlthCare Deliv Hlth Informatic

HIM Systems Characteristics and Needs- Assessment 4

Healthcare has changed dramatically, and it keeps on changing. It’s a diverse field that is not just hospitals and physicians. Healthcare includes serval different facilities, services which includes skilled nursing homes, home health care agencies, rehabilitation clinics etc. When it comes to making decisions in healthcare informatic, it’s important that administrators consider how external information technology environment and how it fits. Technological developments in healthcare continue to improve the quality of life. Technology has had a significant impact on different practices in healthcare professionals. "Future technological innovation is going to keep transforming healthcare, yet while technologies drive innovation, human factors will remain as one of the stable limitations of breakthrough" (Thimbleby, 2013). The paper will evaluate the current health informatic external environment and explain how integration decisions aligns with the environment.

Current Health Care Information Technology (IT) Environment

 Health information technology is a term used that describes the technology and infrastructure used to analyze records and share any patient health data. Health record systems, paper, and electronic, personal health tools such as smart devices and apps and communities to share and discuss information are some technologies (The Importance of Health Information Technology in Developing Areas, n.d.). Health IT offers better care for patients as well as help attain health equity. It supports the process of recording any patient data to improve the delivery of the care. It allows the analysis of this information for healthcare practitioners and the ministry of health or government agencies (The Importance of Health Information Technology in Developing Areas, n.d.). Health IT increases the safety of the patients, minimize medical errors, and provides a better interaction between the patient and healthcare providers.

            Having affordable medical record software is very paramount in low and middle-income countries. The OpenMRS community helps with meeting the needs of developing and supporting the Open Medical Record System, an open-source electronic health record platform (The Importance of Health Information Technology in Developing Areas, n.d.). It is designed mainly for low resources environments and also free. With the use of Health IT, the quality of healthcare delivered improves by giving accurate patient records as well as letting doctors understand the medical history of the patients much better. 

HIM Systems Fit into the External Health Care Technology Environment

The prediction for successful healthcare information systems (HIS) implementation is excellent, which expects to increase legibility, decrease medical errors, shrink the cost, and boost the quality of healthcare. Healthcare information technology (HIT) implementers and promoters continue to espouse these benefits as opportunities for the transformation of the healthcare sector (Ngafeeson, 2014). Nevertheless, some challenges are issues arising from the very nature of healthcare information to the problems that deal with healthcare information technology as well as their users. With the healthcare information system changing and continues to evolve, it offers unique opportunities as well as challenges; they both cut through technological, organizational, and human factors. 

Healthcare information systems (HIS) expects to save money and generate organizational profitability through efficiencies, cost-effectiveness, and safety of medical deliveries. HIS is likely to decrease expenses that are related to record-keeping as it meets the privacy regulation standards and improving workflows, practice management, and billing (Ngafeeson, 2014). It is also likely to permit automated sharing information with the provider, minimize office visits, and hospital admissions. It's been said that information technology (IT) in the healthcare systems leads to increased profitability and quality products as well as services. "The Institute of Medicine (IOM) study had reported that an estimate of 98,000 people died in the U.S. hospitals each year from medical errors 's alone" (Ngafeeson, 2014). It has been predicted that 50% of errors could be reduced over five years if existing technological know-how it was implemented. With a list of solutions to these issues, the IOM unequivocally stated the use of health information technologies such as e-prescription is a key solution, which health information systems role in increasing legibility and medical error reduction and show to be a potential benefit.

The interrelatedness of HIT throughout an Organization

Health information technology is being looked at as one of the key elements to streamline the process of providing healthcare to improve quality and harness cost. The health information technology for economic and clinical health HITECH defines HIT as hardware, software, integrated technologies or any other related licenses, intellectual property, etc. There's is a consensus on the outdoors to HIT  as the use of devices for the management of information ensuring that it is available to the right person at the right time and place (Zeng, Reynolds & Sharp, 2012). When it comes to HIM and HIT professionals, the delineating line between the two has been blurred by the convergence of their functions and reporting structures in the electronic healthcare environment (Zeng, Reynolds & Sharp, 2012). There are three areas of expertise that have become the point of the convergence which are, maintaining confidentiality' and security of the patient's data, maintaining and using data and information, and terminology asset management (Zeng, Reynolds & Sharp, 2012). 

With the convergence of the functions between both HIM and HIT, both groups can work together to take a wide range of roles in the electronic healthcare environment. "Acker, Adair and Sweeny, listed job titles for the merging roles related to HIM and HIT, which are joint educator or trainer, project manager, workflow analyst for clinical systems, etc. (Zeng, Reynolds & Sharp, 2012)." In the healthcare industry, it is undertaking a change by aligning HIT with the delivery of care to improve quality, control cost, and enhance the efficiency of the systems. The plan is to build national health information infrastructure, which will allow health information to share between providers, consumers, and payers in a patient-centric manner. These infrastructure changes are taking place on three frontiers, which are; providers are incentivized to use electronic health records in places such as inpatient and ambulatory medical practices.  Second, local and nationwide health information exchange (HIE) systems are being built by providers, payers, and other health information users in order to access the real-time health information of different patients (Zeng, Reynolds & Sharp, 2012). Third, consumers are being encouraged to adopt personal health records (PHR) is a tool to manage their longitudinal personal health information and be able to share it with providers and other people that are involved in their care easily.

The Specific HIM Needs of a Hospital

HIM professionals are vital to the day to day operations management of health information as well as electronic records (EHRs). Also, ensuring that the information of a patient and records are accurate, complete as well as protected. They work on the classification of diseases and treatments, ensuring they are standardized for clinical, financial, and legal uses in healthcare (Health Information, 101, n.d.). HIM professionals care for their patients by caring for their medical data. HIT professionals mostly focus on the technical side of managing health information, working with software and hardware use managing and storing patient data (Health Information, 101, n.d.). Health informatics (HI) is described as how health information is technically captured, transmitted, and utilized. It mostly focuses on information systems, informatics principles, and information technology, which applies to the continuum of healthcare delivery. There a several different unique Health Information Management (HIM) needs in a hospital such as;

  • Results from the lab – blood test, urine test
  • Clinical information such as nurses, physicians, and many other health professionals notes on patients
  • X-rays and other procedures
  • Public health informatics-public health- and biosurveillance-based

Procedures and Practices for Securing Sensitive Health Information

Data security in health care organizations is becoming a concern and comes in a variety of forms. It can include cases such as criminal hackers stealing protected healthcare information or an employee viewing a patient record without authorization. These two incidents are very different from each other but have one thing in common, which is bot data breaches, which can be very costly. there are many different practices for securing health data such as,

Protect the network: There many different methods for hackers to break into healthcare organization's networks, techniques such as segregating networks so that hackers don't have access to data stored throughout the organization.

Educate staff members: employees are sometimes involved in healthcare data breaches, whether its from negligence or malicious actions. Training employees on what’s does and doesn’t constitute a HIPA violation. Advice on choosing secure passwords.

Encrypt portable devices: data breaches have occurred due to portable computing or storage devices containing protected health information was lost or stolen. Encrypting all devices that may have patient's information is away to avoid any information being hacked, which includes laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Also, provide a strict policy explaining carrying data on an unencrypted personal device.

Secure wireless devices: healthcare providers should make their router and other components are up to date, network passwords are secure and constantly changed and block unauthorized devices from getting any access,

Implement physical security controls: providers must make sure that file cabinets and doors are locked, and cameras and any other physical security controls are used. Also, secure IT equipment by locking server rooms and cable locks or other devices to keep laptops and desktop computers attached to office furniture.

Write a mobile device policy: as healthcare workers using personal devices to do work, creating a device policy that governs what data can be stored and what apps can be installed.

Delete unnecessary data: having a policy mandating the deletion of patients and other information that’s no longer needed. Regularly auditing the information that’s being stored to know what’s there and can identify what may be deleted.

Vet third parties’ security: diligently vet the security of cloud computing vendors and other third parties they contract with to prevent any risk.

Patch electronic medical devices: many IT security threats healthcare organizations face can affect other companies, monitoring tools, and other medical devices being hacked, which can keep any software on those devices patched and up to date to minimize any vulnerability to prevent hackers.

Data breach response plan: it's not all the time an organization can prevent every possible IT security incident, but developing a plan of action ahead may prevent when a breach does occur.

System Integration Recommendations

System integration is the process of merging the components of varying health information systems. It combines various health computing and software applications within a healthcare organization and between two or more healthcare organizations to coordinate (Health Information System Integration, 2019). Here are some best practices to achieve successful results.

  • Patient focus: meeting the needs of patients rather than those of healthcare providers. Patients will actively resist every feature meant to improve their health status and communication with their healthcare provider if the providers fail to concentrate their efforts on patient satisfaction (Health Information System Integration, 2019).
  • Effective technology: having high caliber technology can be critical for patients when accessing their information anywhere in healthcare and communicating with providers. With a quality, health information system can improve communication and information workflow between users (Health Information System Integration, 2019).
  • Leadership: having strong leadership is needed. A good leader can bring different organizational cultures together, ensuring that training and incentives are in place to facilitate the successful adoption of information systems.
  • Structure and oversight: newly integrated healthcare systems information needs new governance structures. All stakeholder groups, as well as healthcare providers, must participate in achieving diversified governance. Accountability and structure for decision-making must be developed (Health Information System Integration, 2019).

Conclusion

Healthcare has changed dramatically, and it keeps on changing. It’s a diverse field that is not just hospitals and physicians. Healthcare includes serval different facilities, services which includes skilled nursing homes, home health care agencies, rehabilitation clinics etc. When it comes to making decisions in healthcare informatic, it’s important that administrators consider how external information technology environment and how it fits. Technology has had a significant impact on different practices in healthcare professionals.

Reference

10 best practices to secure healthcare data. (2013, April 16). Retrieved from https://www.healthcarebusinesstech.com/best-practices-to-secure-healthcare-data/

Health Information, 101. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ahima.org/careers/healthinfo

Health Information System Integration. (2019, August 29). Retrieved from https://www.microhealthllc.com/about-us/health-it/health-info-integration/

The Importance of Health Information Technology in Developing Areas. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://openmrs.org/2017/07/the-importance-of-health-information-technology-in-developing-areas/

Laws and Regulations Governing the Disclosure of Health Information (2014 update). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://bok.ahima.org/doc?oid=300245#.XmgSuh9KgdU

Ngafeeson, M. N. (2014). Healthcare Information Systems Opportunities and Challenges.

Retrieved from

https://commons.nmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=facwork_bookchapters

Zeng, X., Reynolds, R., & Sharp, M. (2012, October 8). Perspectives. Retrieved from https://perspectives.ahima.org/redefining-the-roles-of-health-information-management-professionals-in-health-information-technology/ 

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