Health Information Exchange Essay example

1. Fill in the table below with the results from the monosaccharide test experiment, and your conclusions based on those results.

Electronic health records can lessen the disintegration of care by refining care coordination. The use of electronic health records will deliver providers with accurate information. This is especially important for those that see multiple specialists, and enable a smooth transition between care settings and receive treatment in emergency

Health Information Exchange (HIE) has become a major component in today’s healthcare. Health information exchange provides a secure way for providers to appropriately access and electronically share a patient’s medical information. Therefore, reducing duplicate testing, minimizing medication errors and providing a link among electronic health records (EHR) in order to provide quality healthcare.

Electronic health records (EHR) are health records that are generated by health care professionals when a patient is seen at a medical facility such as a hospital, mental health clinic, or pharmacy. The EHR contains the same information as paper based medical records like demographics, medical complaints and prescriptions. There are so many more benefits to the EHR than paper based medical records. Accuracy of diagnosis, quality and convenience of patient care, and patient participation are a few examples of the

Health Information Exchange (HIE) supports both transferring and sharing of health related information that is usually stored in multiple organizations, while maintaining the context and integrity of the information being exchanged (HIE, 2014). The goal of health information exchange is to expedite access to and retrieve clinical data to provide safe efficient, effective, equitable, timelier patient-centered care (HIE, 2014). HIE “provides access and retrieval of patient information to authorized users in order to provide safe, efficient, effective, and timely patient care” (HIE, 2014).

An Electronic Health Record is a computerized form of a patient’s medical chart. These records allow information to be readily available to authorized providers during a patient’s encounter with the healthcare system. These systems do not only contain medical histories, current medications and insurance information, they also track patients’ diagnoses, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images and lab tests/results (source). The fundamental aspect of EHRs is that they are able to share a patient’s information quickly across service lines and even between different healthcare organizations. Information is at the fingertips of lab techs, primary care physicians, pharmacies, clinics, etc. The

I would like to bring an important matter to your attention that is not only affecting the health of the citizens of Colorado, but is incurring significant cost to the local government and risk to the health care industry in this state. The health care industry in Colorado is experiencing challenging issues with sharing vital health care information between affiliated and unaffiliated medical practice providers. Hokenstrom indicates that “as patients tend to move between specialty providers it is not uncommon that their health information can become lost in transit or forgotten originating facility. This inability to share information frequently results in duplication of efforts and cost to the patient. Not only does this impede efficient and timely care, but carries a high degree of risk to the patient.” In sum, there are solutions to help resolve these issues. Dr. Mendelson, Dr. Bak, Dr. Menschik, and Dr. Siegel have expressed in their research on Imaging Informatics that “barriers to internet transfer of information remain a constant concern, however, surmounting these concerns is not unattainable.” The University of Chicago issued a study of five states who worked together to extend their Health Information Exchange (HIE) program in a collaborative effort to share data between Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, and Oregon. There were several common challenges identified to include: 1) limited understanding of HIE; 2) sustainability of the program; and 3)

Health Information Exchange is the electronic movement of healthcare information amongst organizations according to the national standards. HIE as it is widely known, serves the purpose of providing a safe, timely, and efficient way of accessing or retrieving patient clinical data. Health Information Exchange allows for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other vital healthcare professionals to have appropriate access and securely share vital medical information regarding patient care. Health Information Exchange has been in efforts of developing for over 20 years in the United States. In 1990 the Community Health Management Information Systems (CHMIS) program was formed by the Hartford Foundation to foster a development of a centralized data repository in seven different geographically defined communities. Many of the communities struggled in securing a cost-effective technology with interoperable data sources and gaining political support. In the mid-1990s a similar initiative began known as the Community Health Information Networks (CHINs) with the intention of sharing data between providers in a more cost-effective manner. In 2004, the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research Health Information Technology Portfolio was funded $166 million in grants and contracts to improve the quality and safety to support more patient-centered care. This was the beginning of the progress we have seen in HIE today. Health Information Exchange devolvement serves the purpose of improving

Health information technology (HIT) involves trading of health information in an electronic format to advance health care, reduce health expenditures, improve work efficiency, decrease medication errors, and make health care more accessible. Maintaining privacy and security of health information is crucial when technology is involved. Health information exchange plays an important role in improving the quality and delivery of health care and cost-effectiveness. “There is very little electronic information sharing among clinicians, hospitals, and other providers, despite considerable investments in health information technology (IT) over the past five years” (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014, p. 1).

The Health information exchange or also known as HIE is the sending of healthcare-related data electronically to facilities, health information organizations and government agencies according to national standards. The goal is to be able to access and retrieve data more efficient, safer, and to improve the quality of care and patient safety and reduce healthcare costs.

“An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users.” (healthit.gov) The EHR mandate was created “to share information with other health care providers and organizations – such as laboratories, specialists, medical imaging facilities, pharmacies, emergency facilities, and school and workplace clinics – so they contain information from all clinicians involved in a patient’s care.” ("Providers & Professionals | HealthIT.gov", n.d., p. 1) The process has proved to be quite challenging for providers. As an

Health information management involves the practice of maintaining and taking care of health records in hospitals, health insurance companies and other health institutions, by the use of electronic means (McWay 176). Storage of medical information is carried out by health information management and HIT professionals using information systems that suit the needs of these institutions. This paper answers four major questions concerning health information systems.

This decreases the chance of medical errors, in that current treatment plans are accessible, and therefore interactions from an additional treatment plan are predictable, enabling the provider to choose the best plan with the least unwanted interaction. As well, the access to diagnostic tests and laboratory tests through HIE, allow all disciplines to previously ordered tests and the results. This decreases the duplication of orders, as well, as limits the patient to the risks associated with the tests. The greatest benefit of HIE is continuity of care. Through HIE, providers can provide continuous care, which is cost effective and delivers a greater quality of care. “Continuity of care improves the uptake of preventive care, enhances adherence to therapy, and increases patient and physician satisfaction; as well, there is increasing evidence that patients' health status and chronic disease outcomes are improved with continuity of care” (Rosser & Schultz, 2007).

Many people are not aware of what professionals are responsible for in the fields of Management Information Systems and Health Care Information Systems or what well-paying jobs are available in those fields. Some people know a small of information about them but do nor do they understand why someone would want to major in these fields. This information obtained research of these fields will help the reader become more familiar help you become more familiar with what they are, what they do, the career choices they can provide, and how these fields is very dominate in today’s job market.

Electronic health records (EHR’s) have many advantages, but there are plenty of disadvantages. EHR’s were created to manage the many aspects of healthcare information. Medical professionals use them daily and most would feel lost without it. Healthcare organizations were encouraged to adopt EHR’s in 2009 due to the fact that a bill passed known as The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act). “The HITECH Act outlines criteria to achieve “meaningful use” of certified electronic records. These criteria must be met in order for providers to receive financial incentives to promote adoption of EHRs as an integral part of their daily practice”, (Conrad, Hanson, Hasenau & Stocker-Schneider, 2012).