...Factors in Implementing an IT System in Health Facilities Cynthia Jones Professor Ilisher Ford HSA315 Health Information Systems Strayer University February 3, 2016 CRITICAL FACTORS Critical Factors in Implementing an IT System in Health Facilities Health Care Organizations Reluctant to Implement HER One reason some healthcare organizations have been reluctant to implementing electronic health records is the cost. These systems aren’t cheap ,vendors charge 40,000 to install an electronic record system and 10,000 to 15,000 maintenance annually. It is a hassle and costly to hire staff to enter data and comply with rules and regulations. Another reason some healthcare organizations have been reluctant to implementing electronic health records is privacy. This is a big issue, perhaps the greatest vulnerability of electronic health systems. The system can be hacked into and misused, invading patient’s privacy, revealing sensitive information that...
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...I. MEDICAL RECORDS THEN AND NOW A. Paper-Based Medical Records VS. Electronic Medical Records B. Benefits, Potential Problems and Cost of the EMR II. HEALTH CARE PRIVACY LAW A. HIPAA 1.What is HIPAA? 2. HIPPA Privacy & Security B. HIPAA and EMR III. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO PROTECT PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY/ PRIVACY? A. Why Should Patient Privacy Be Afforded Privacy Protection Regulation? B. Patient Privacy Within EMR IV. SPANNING THE MILES Intranet & Extranet Software & IM/IT CONCLUSION GLOSSARY REFERENCES Introduction: Healthcare companies all over the world are slowly recognizing the benefits on an EMR. Although EMR’s were implemented over 30 years ago but as of 2006 fewer than 10% of hospitals were utilizing the system. In 2009 the he U.S. Department of Health and Human Services enacted a privacy rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in an attempt to protect the privacy of patients medical records. But one question still arises; “Does the EMR actually protect patient privacy and what are the regulatory ramifications in the US on EMR implementation?” In this paper I will address EMR, patient privacy and the regulatory ramifications of EMR implementation. Literature Review The literature shows that there is still a lot of concern with how functional, regulated and private the EMR is. In the article “Determinants of Success of Inpatient Clinical Information Systems: A Literature Review”, written by MJ...
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...IMPROVING PATIENT WAIT TIME IN THE DOCTORS OFFICE Tracey Rentas Old Dominion University Health Informatics CHP485 Dr. Ann Marie Kopitzke February 28, 2014 IMPROVING PATIENT WAIT TIME IN THE DOCTORS OFFICE This paper focuses on the improvement of patient wait times in a physician’s office. While there is more than one cause of long wait times in the doctor’s office the main purpose of interest within this paper is a consumer’s perspective on long wait times, the use of paper based systems, and the importance of updated technology such as electronic health records (EHR) to reduce patient wait times. Long wait times to see a physician in a doctor’s office is a problem that seems to be increasing and lowering patient satisfaction as a result. One of the top consumer complaints across the board is long wait times in the doctor’s office. Whether patients are talking about their primary care physician or their dentist, nothing frustrates people more than showing up 15-30 minutes prior to their appointment only to wait an hour or more to be seen (Downing, 2013). Long wait time to see a physician is becoming more of an exercise of frustration and it seems to be getting worse. It’s getting to the point where one might as well clear their entire day because between getting to the physician’s office, waiting for a very long time to be seen, and finally seeing a doctor, and then driving back home, it’s already a good half of your day down the drain. Often the worst part of a doctor’s...
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...Communication & Information Technology Stephanie Heydon Axia College of University of Phoenix Health Care Communication Strategies HCS/320 Paul Wing February 21, 2011 Communication & Information Technology Many changes have occurred within the health care system. The biggest changes occurring within this system have been in communication and technology. Before these changes, hospitals and health care facilities kept their medical records in an area the size of a library. Now, these same medical records can be housed within a single computer. Health care communication technology is a way for providers to better manage and improve on how health care information is stored and transmitted to another provider or facility. The new technology that will allow providers to do this is EMR’s (Electronic Medical Records). Electronic Medical Records (EMR’s) is a form of patient record keeping without all the paper. The goal of this technology is to improve efficiency, management, reduction of paper and better access to patient care. Electronic medical records serve as a solution for the need of quick access to patient health information. These EMRs contain an accurate account of a patient’s history along with doctor’s notes. Electronic medical records are also kept up-to-date as each encounter in entered as soon as the patient sees the provider. EMRs have only been in existence for a little over 20 years in Western health care systems. By 2001 only 17% of US physicians had implemented...
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...business to predict the challenges they may face when implementing a new system to better their business. It is also a step done to help plan for the project, making the implementation phase go as smoothly as possible. A system analysis is taking a system the business is going to use to better their organization and breaking it down to see how it can better the business and what problems need to be fixed before implementing the system. It also predicts the cost of the system and the money it will save the business that is using it. The system I am going to be using is the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) into small rural health care facilities. This particular one is for D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital. D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital is a 49 bed community hospital who are located in Brewton, Alabama. D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital decided they wanted to take a shot at implementing HER to make their organization more modern and up to date on technology that is being used nationwide. Not only will it benefit their patients, but also the workers, and the organization as a whole. D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital realized they needed and EHR system when they started using the bar code medication administration system. Up until the point they realized they need an automated system, they always used the traditional paper version of medical records. They used system analysis to take a look at their current paper medical records that were being used and they wanted...
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...an Electronic Health Record (EHR) for a healthcare workplace. This paper will address the purpose of a needs assessment and factors that need to be considered in the needs assessment. Additionally, this paper will explore the types of data that need to be collected and how and where that data can be accessed. This paper will also describe who should be consulted and the rationale why. Finally, this paper will include how the information from the needs assessment could be organized and presented to upper management. The purpose of a needs assessment is to “determine the gap between the organization’s current state and the overall needs of the organization” (Hebda & Czar, 2013). Specifically an informatics needs assessment will assist in selecting the electronic health record that will fit the needs of the organization. This involves putting together the data and information important to the organizations goal (Sewell & Thede, 2013). A needs assessment is an excellent tool for a facility to determine how to move from where they are to where they want to be. Several factors need to be considered when conducting a needs assessment. It is important to determine who has identified the need for an electronic record and to get their input. Did the request or interest come from the medical unit staff, administration, outside vendors, etc.? The next factor is to identify the type of health record that is in current use. Is there an electronic health record in place...
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...Health Information Technology (HIT) is becoming increasingly useful and implemented more frequently by health care providers throughout the United States. This technology may include Electronic Health Records (EHR) or Electronic Medical Records (EMR). The shift towards implementing Electronic Health Records has a significant influence on the quality of care provided by health care providers; however, some providers still stick to the basic paper documentation due to skepticism and disregard the benefits to adopting new technologies. Many questions arise when a health care provider is interested in adopting EHR’s, such as why adopt EHR’s? What are the benefits of EHR’s in relation to paper documentation? What steps need to be taken in order to adopt and implement EHR’s? What barriers will be encountered during the decision making process and how will these barriers be addressed? A health practice interested in adopting and implementing an EHR system must establish priorities, identify potential risks and how to avoid or overcome these risks, outweigh the pros and cons, set goals, and adhere to strict guidelines to ensure adopting a successful system. The terms Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are often used interchangeably by health care providers when in fact there is a subtle difference between EHRs and EMRs. Electronic Medical Records and Electronic Medical Records are both digital versions of a patient’s medical history and information;...
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...Electronic Health Records and the Benefits of Going Paper-less U.S. health care industry is the world’s largest but also one of the most inefficient informational enterprises. It has been estimated that approximately $1.7 trillion are spent every year in healthcare within the U.S. Thus, many organizations still use the old procedure of storing medical records on paper. Hillestad et al. (2013) declare that storing records on paper can be inefficient when it comes “to coordinate care, measure quality, or reduce medical records” (p. 1). Also, with the use of the old method, healthcare professional may lack the necessary information about costs or quality, which often impedes them from making the best decisions regarding patient care. As the implementation of electronic health records (“EHR”) continues to be weak within organizations, it is important to address some of the most common barriers health providers face when it comes to acquiring such system. The main focus of this paper is to discuss the advantages that this information system provides to its users. Some potential advantages of HER include improvement of efficiency and effectiveness of: health care providers, decision making ability, availability of records, coordination of care, and cost savings just to mention a few. . Electronic records are known as another form of patients’ paper charts. It is believed that with the adoption of electronic health medical record systems those who adopt them will be greatly benefited...
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...Business Research Report Benefits of an Electronic Health Record Assessment Code: RWT1 Student Name: Student ID: Date: Mentor Name: Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 5 Research Findings 5 Opportunity for Financial Incentives 5 Improved Quality of Patient Care 6 Increased Productivity and Efficiency 7 Recommendations 8 Conclusion 9 References 11 Executive Summary The benefits of successfully implementing an electronic health record are both vital to the future of our business as well as rewarding. The purpose of this report is to clearly demonstrate the need for implementation of an electronic health record and provide explanation of the benefits available to us with successful implementation. . The three main benefits I will be presenting research on are the financial benefits of an electronic health record, the ability to provide better quality patient care and the opportunity to increase productivity and efficiency through implementing an electronic health record. There are significant financial incentives for implementing an electronic health record and meeting Medicare and Medicaid’s requirements for meaningful use. Eligible providers can earn up to $44,000 through the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and up to $63,750 through the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. There are three stages involved in meeting meaningful use the first stage consists of data capture and sharing, the second involves advanced clinical...
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...Improving Local Health Care Demetrice Armwood Harold Griffin, Ph.D. HSA 520 – Health Information Systems February 28, 2013 Improving healthcare at the local level is a very slow process. With all the new technology that has evolved, it has yet to reach the smaller practices and clinics on the local level. New technology has been created to eliminate the problems associated with accessing patient medical records, duplicating services, data organization, order entry and many other problems one may face in the healthcare industry. In my most recent conversation with a Licensed Practical Nurse at the local health department in Northeastern North Carolina, I was astonished to learn that this region, serving 12 counties, is still currently using paper file folders for recordkeeping of all of patient medical records. Although they have begun the process of seeking to move toward an electronic health records (EHR) application system, it is a very slow process as they are currently keeping records on both paper files and the newly EHR system. By implementing the EHR system, access to medical records will be available to all persons involved with caring for each patient while alleviating the endless paper trail associated with medical records. Garets and Davis (2006) report that many people in the healthcare industry and the government confuse the terms electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic health record (EHR). Garets and Davis (2006) proposed...
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...who choose which hospital to see when in need of proper medical attention. By proper, one means professional and safe practices. An electronic health records system offers both, professional and safe practices. Implementing this system will make a patient feel better about the care they receive in such hospital. Simply because all their information will be available when they need the care. This can make things easier for the patient. With the use of this system, their allergies and medications can easily be tracked, this will advance their medical care. Also, this idea will help patients avoid unnecessary, and costly treatments. When a patient is ill, he or she might...
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...provide quality health care while containing cost. Technological advances offer one-such solution to cost containment, though, adoption of Information Technology (IT) in the health care industry remains low despite overwhelming evidence that the use of electronic medical records (EMR) has improved staff efficiency, increased preventative care measures, and decreased medical errors thus lowering healthcare cost (Childs, 2009). Even in an environment that is rich with evidence-based innovations, diffusion of successful electronic medical records remains a problem in the healthcare industry. This paper will explore the implementation of transitioning to an EMR in a specific facility. Implementation of an Electronic Medical Record The change initiative in this scenario is implementation of an EMR. In 2004, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology was developed as a part of the Department of Health and Human Services. In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law, the goal of this act was to create new jobs and spur economic activity and invest in long-term growth (U.S. Government, 2012). The Act had a plan to achieve goals by providing $787 billion that would offer tax cuts and benefits for many working families, fund entitlement programs, such as unemployment benefits, and offer federal loans, and contracts (U.S. Government, 2012). After the Act was signed, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (HIM)...
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...According to Managementstudyguide.com (2008-2012), implementing change is “the manner in which an organization should develop, utilize, and amalgamate organizational structure, control systems, and culture to follow strategies that lead to competitive advantage and a better performance.” (para. 1). Within an organization, change is implemented in phases. These phases includes the “disbursement of abundant resources to strategy-essential activities, creating strategy-encouraging policies, employing best policies and programs for constant improvement, linking reward structure to accomplishment of results, and making use of strategic leadership” (Managementstudyguide.com, 2008-2012). This means that the process of implementing change within an organization does take a management team who is willing to follow the correct protocol to ensure implementation was successful. There are checkpoints which are designed for checking to make sure the process of change was implemented correctly. So, making sure that mild stones are meet within the implementation process does evaluate the process and ensure that the organization is on the right track so the change can be sustained over an extensive period of time (Cliff Notes, 2012). Methods Used to Monitor Implementation of the Proposed Change Furthermore, the methods used to monitor implementation of change in the health industry are vast. Specifically, for Chartres-Pontchartrain Mental Health Clinic in New Orleans’s metropolitan area, that...
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...NURSE – 8210- TRANSFORMING NURSING PAPER: MEANINGFUL USE PREPARED BY: ZAIDA RUIZ PROFESSOR: MURIELLE BEENE November 11, 2015 The health care system needed some structure. Needed to speak the same language and have a common goal, “the Patient.” The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) invested a large amount of money for promotion and use of the informatics technology. Today Medicare and Medicaid are following the same footsteps. They are awarding incentives for the use of Electronic Health Records. However, what is the urgency? Why are they even willing to penalize the non-participant? Patient safety is the answer. The meaningful use was created seeking the quality of care safety and reduction of disparity. The meaningful use wants patient information to be electronically documented in a database system that interconnects to any other health database regardless geographical location. Meaningful use recognizes that making such a drastic change from paper to electronic documentation is very costly. There are many Issues still present that prevent some institutions from implementing EHR. One of these issues is the financial part that entails. It cost too much to implement EHR’s this is the voice of hundreds of owners of health institutions. Removing the old system from every floor, every station and every office is very costly. On top of that having the employers and employees train on how to use the EHR system is also very absorbent. Acquiring...
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...Selecting an Acquiring Information System Shere'e Edwards HCS/483 February 27, 2012 Professor Marc Magill Selecting and Acquiring an Information System The process of selecting and acquiring an information system for an organization involves many activities such as planning and gathering a special team to carry out the project, which can be a huge task for a health care organization because of the installations, testing, redesigning, and other changes. Furthermore, there is a need to train, data changing, and new procedures to write (Wagner, Lee, & Glaser, 2009). There is a lot of detailed work to implement in order to have and accept a new system for all to use in an organization. This paper will provide a briefing on process for selecting and acquiring an information system, how the organization’s goals drive the selection of an information system and what roles each of the organization’s stakeholder’s play in the selection and acquisition process. Outline an approach for evaluating and selecting a new system. After it has been planned on paper it will be time under the leadership of the physician or a system champion who is well respected in the organization to design a work team (Johnson, 2006). He/she will assign key individuals for this project such as a Health Information Manager, nurse manager, and the office manager etc. The doctor will determine his/her team by identifying their...
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