...Name: LaCarol Barnes Assignment Topic: ONC Goals and Objectives Introduction The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, coined the ONC, is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The office was created in 2004 via an Executive Order and reinforced by the implementation of the HITECH Act of 2009 (Health and Human Services). The purpose of the ONC is to assist the nation in the implementation, exchange, and progressing information technology in healthcare (Health and Human Services). In 2011, the ONC released its first Federal Health IT Strategic Plan. This plan required changes secondary o the implementation of the Affordable...
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...adoption of the Electronic Health Records. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, have created a new timeline which is in reference to the implementation of meaningful use for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, ONC, also has proposed a better approach to update their, the ONC, certification regulations. One of these major changes is the timeline extension given for stage 3 from stage 2. CMS and ONC both feel that more time is needed to better structure the program and its requirements. The program has three stages. Stage 1 is the approach to the program’s participation. Stage 2 is the exchange of the health information. Stage 3 focuses on the improved outcomes. The goal and purpose of the extension is to focus all efforts on enhanced patient engagement, interoperability, and health information exchange in stage 2 and to utilize data from stage 2 to “inform policy decisions” for stage 3, as stated by Robert Tagalicod, Director of CMS’ office of eStandards and services. Stage 2 will continue throughout 2016 and stage 3 will commence in 2017 for the providers that have successfully completed at least 2 years in stage 2. This decision came about after many discussions and conversations the CMS and ONC have had with consumers, providers, health care associations, EHR developers, and other stakeholders in the healthcare industry, as was stated by the CMS and ONC. Many stakeholders and...
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...Certified Electronic Health Record Technology is an EHR that is demonstrated the technological capability, functionality, and security requirements required by the Secretary of health and Human Services (Weiss, I). The Certified Health Record Technology is strictly implemented, and has received certification by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). In order for an electronic health record to be certified it must meet certification criteria by CSM and ONC. Certified Electronic Health Record must be able to store data in a structured format, provide benchmarks to help improve care, Electronic Health Record must provide all functionality and security. Also, meet ONC certification and requirements for CMS and EHR incentive programs (Weiss,...
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...Having accurate and timely information available to medical personnel is critical in providing quality healthcare. With the increased demand of mobilizing health care information, health information exchanges (HIEs) were established. The healthcare information exchange was designed to allow patient information be electronically accessible across an organization, region, community or hospital system. (1) The initial concept of HIE was to reduce cost of patient care, improve speed, quality and safety of medical information. (2) Background Over the past few year’s health information technology landscape has experienced rapid change. In the 1990s Regional and community Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) were created in many states. These RHIOs are the building blocks in developing a national network. The Office of National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology was created in 2004. The ONC is currently collaborating with RHIOs in an effort to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the exchange of health information. (4) Since there are multiple exchanges, varying standards and architecture, the ability to establish uniform data and transmission standards has been difficult. Thus the ONC is still in the process of collaborating working on developing standards and compliance monitoring programs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has supported state and regional coordination of health care IT systems for years...
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...Interoperability in Healthcare Creating an interoperable health care system that would allow the use and exchange of information to providers and consumers across different care settings has become essential. This was the main focus in “The Quest for Interoperability in Healthcare” article. In order for the U.S. to get on board the National Coordinator for Health IT, came up with a Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap for providers. The Coordinator claimed that the quality of care, cost and access would be impacted positively. Molly McCarthy, the author explained that in all of her roles within the healthcare industry interoperability was always a problem that had to be faced. In addition nurses, physicians and patients all have to deal with this same reoccurring problem. The article also goes in depth about how medical devices and information technology are critical to a patients monitoring and care. Clinicians with interoperable devices within their facility have a higher quality of care due to enhanced up to date information at their fingertips. Secure access to this information technology is not only available to the clinicians and medical personnel but also to patients. They can easily access this information through their smart phones and conveniently review treatment plans and medication etc. In addition better clinical decision are made resulting in better outcomes and a decrease of healthcare spending. Interoperable technology is an innovation that is vital to transforming...
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...Software for Health Records MediTouch EHR Electronic Health Record Software HSM 330: Health Services Information Systems Devry University September 12, 2013 Compare & Discuss Electronic Software for Health Records An electronic health record or EHR is a concept defined as a collection of electronic health information about individual patients or populations. Once an EHR system is installed and staff are trained in its proper use, retrieving and updating patient clinical records is performed substantially faster and with fewer errors. In most cases, this allows health care providers to finish patient charting more quickly, and to do so while with the patient, increasing accuracy and completeness of the record. This can result in an increase in scheduled visits per hour with no lessoning of patient care quality. Also, by reducing the burden of administrative work, it allows a healthcare provider to concentrate more on the patient and less on paperwork. By definition, an EHR system is a record in digital format that is capable of being shared across different health care settings. In some cases this sharing can occur by way of network-connected, enterprise-wide information systems and other information networks or exchanges. EHRs may include a range of data, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal statistics like age and weight, and billing information. There...
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...selection and decision-making process An electronic health record or EHR is a concept defined as a collection of electronic health information about individual patients or populations. Once an EHR system is installed and staff are trained in its proper use, retrieving and updating patient clinical records is performed substantially faster and with fewer errors. In most cases, this allows health care providers to finish patient charting more quickly, and to do so while with the patient, increasing accuracy and completeness of the record. This can result in an increase in scheduled visits per hour with no lessoning of patient care quality. Also, by reducing the burden of administrative work, it allows a healthcare provider to concentrate more on the patient and less on paperwork. By definition, an EHR system is a record in digital format that is capable of being shared across different health care settings. In some cases this sharing can occur by way of network-connected, enterprise-wide information systems and other information networks or exchanges. EHRs may include a range of data, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal statistics like age and weight, and billing information. There is much variety of health record software available for medical records. Sharing patient charts and medical information with other health care providers is also made substantially easier...
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...A. Analyze three current federal government programs related to health informatics by doing the following: 1. Evaluate how each current program is impacted by licensure, certification, or accreditation standards. 1. The Electronic Medical Record and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT). 1 2 2. The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT). 3 3. HL7 –Health Level 7 4 (1)The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) was formed in 2004 to promote and oversee the adoption of interoperable electronic health records in the US within a 10 year period or by 2014. 1 Currently my employer, St. Mary’s Medical Center has begun an initiative moving towards the Electronic Medical Record and MPI – Master Patient Index. In 2005, the US government funded a nonprofit group, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). This group was created to develop a set of standards for the EHR and supporting networks. They were also to certify vendors who met these standards. The CCHIT is approved by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body.3 They have been performing this certification since 2006. This certification was independently developed but includes a thorough inspection of the electronic health record for interoperability, security and integrated functionality...
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...A. Analyze three current federal government programs related to health informatics by doing the following: 1. Evaluate how each current program is impacted by licensure, certification, or accreditation standards. 1. The Electronic Medical Record and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT). 1 2 2. The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT). 3 3. HL7 –Health Level 7 4 (1)The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) was formed in 2004 to promote and oversee the adoption of interoperable electronic health records in the US within a 10 year period or by 2014. 1 Currently my employer, St. Mary’s Medical Center has begun an initiative moving towards the Electronic Medical Record and MPI – Master Patient Index. In 2005, the US government funded a nonprofit group, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). This group was created to develop a set of standards for the EHR and supporting networks. They were also to certify vendors who met these standards. The CCHIT is approved by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body.3 They have been performing this certification since 2006. This certification was independently developed but includes a thorough inspection of the electronic health record for interoperability, security and integrated functionality meeting...
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...Electronic Health Records: Impacts on the U.S Healthcare Industry Blake Redco 28 Feb 2016 Abstract The patient health record, serves “to recall observations, to inform others, to instruct students, to gain knowledge, to monitor performance, and to justify interventions” (IOM, 2014). Beginning in the latter half of the 20th century and continuing through present-day, patient health records have increased in use and function. A significant portion of patient records, treatment history, and medication data are still stored in paper format however, and full transition to digital formats is likely decades away, or may not be achieved for many more years to come. This text will examine the modern electronic health record (EHR), and how it impacts, and is impacted by, the U.S. healthcare industry in political, technical, and economical environments. The focus on how and why the transition process is occurring, and the challenges therein, will be prevalent throughout examination of the three environments. This is a subjective description, although not comprehensive exploration of factors surrounding the HER, and is not to be taken as criticism or advocacy of any component of U.S. health care policy and/or practices. In each of the environments described below, efforts have been made to provide considerable and timely data, as well as references to influential industry literature and legislation. However, due to the dynamic nature of policies and mandates, technologies, and financial...
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... “Technology to compute information has roughly doubled every 14 months between 1986 and 2007” (Rundio & Wilson, 2010 ). Health IT has changed the ways of communication and documentation. Informatics in healthcare has helped to increase the efficiency of our healthcare system. By moving away from hand written medical records, information has become more organized, more manageable, and much more easily accessible. Advancements in technology have allowed organizations to become more productive and more cost effective. Informatics has helped organizations in reducing their staff needs, ultimately saving them money. As healthcare IT continues to advance, patient safety, quality of care, and costs will continue to improve, and privacy and security will continue to be the goal for all electronic information. The use of electronic health information to improve the quality of care requires the exchange of electronic health records, which increases the need for security and privacy. Because of this, it was essential to establish collaborative governance guiding health information technology infrastructure (Rundio & Wilson, 2010) . The Health IT Patient Safety Action and Surveillance Plan addresses the role of healthcare informatics within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services promise to patient safety. The objective of the plan is to use healthcare informatics to make care safer and to continuously improve the safety of health IT (“HealthIT”, n.d.). The Health IT...
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...Healthcare Law and IT Brittany Technology is constantly evolving and advancing. As the healthcare industry becomes more electronic the laws protecting patient health information also need to evolve to cover the ever changing technologic advances. The concerns of protecting patients’ private healthcare information have grown as the use of electronic medical records has become more prevalent throughout the industry. In the 1960s computers began being used for generalizing human behavior. A physician established the idea of the Electronic Medical Record (Srinivasan, 2013). Unfortunately, the usage of electronic medical records did not become more mainstream until two decades later. (Srinivasan, 2013). As the use of EMRs became more prevalent healthcare information technology has played a “pivotal role in improving healthcare quality, cost, effectiveness, and efficiency,” (Srinivasan, 2013). However, the use of healthcare information technology has brought up concerns about privacy and protection of patient health information. In 1996, the Health Information Privacy and Accountability Act also known as HIPAA was passed. This was the first federal law regulating the privacy of health information. HIPAA was “designed primarily to modernize the flow of health information” (Solove, 2013). While at this time medical records were still in paper form, it was clear that health records would become digital in the future. (Solove, 2013). In the early years of HIPAA...
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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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...C156 Advanced Information Management– Task 1 A2. Analysis of Technology Two organizations migrating to a common health information system would need a system that meets current regulatory requirements, meets the needs of the combined organization and their practice environment. The implementation of a common health information system would require an interdisciplinary group of forward thinking innovators, and an interoperable electronic medical record system that includes standard nursing terminology. The technology needed in this scenario that would make this combination successful consist of network security measures to ensure security of protected health information under the federal requirements of HIPPA and HITECH. The use of emerging technology such as cellphones, tablets and remote technology should also be included in the discussions of creating a telehealth system that would accommodate both of the combining organizations. Telehealth not only includes communication between patients and healthcare providers, but also communication between healthcare providers in both of the combining organizations. Video conferencing can save healthcare providers time and money by allowing them to collaborate with one another without being physically near one another. A3. Identification of Team The interdisciplinary team on the project committee will consist of four team members. Team member A would be the project team lead in which I would nominate myself...
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...Health Care Law, Regulations and Policy HCS/545 November 23, 2015 Health Care Law, Regulations and Policy Health Care law and legislation came about to define the scope of acceptable practice of clinicians, while protecting the public’s individual rights. Miller and Hutton states “Law can be defined as a system of principles and processes by which people who live in a society attempt to control human conduct to minimize the use of force in resolving conflicting interests.” When creating laws, conflicting interest often takes into consideration the basis ethical principles that includes autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice to name a few. Laws, particularly health care laws are often in the form of a statutes, such as the nurse practice act, that serves as a guidance for nurses to know what defines and limits our practice. As such, the law also regulates how statures must be enforced. Administrative agencies, such as the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services under the auspices of the Health and Human Services, have created rules and regulations to enforce statutory laws. When we look at laws in nursing and other industries, it is an extension to address ethical issues that universally affects our society. Health care agencies are mandated to adhere to the rules that are created by regulatory agencies that can come in the form of laws, regulations, or codes, and are enforced through controls that make sure that these rules are adhered...
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