Database In The Healthcare Industry: Database Analysis

Health information management, also known as HIM, has been acknowledged as an allied health profession since 1928. HIM is a profession dedicated to the effective management of patient information and healthcare data needed to deliver quality treatment and care to the public. The original objective was to elevate the standards of clinical recordkeeping in hospitals, dispensaries, and other healthcare facilities (Sayles, 2014). Today HIM is known as the American Health Information Management Association or AHIMA. It still holds similar underlying purposes: to ensure the quality, confidentiality, and availability of health information across diverse organizations, settings, and disciplines (Sayles, 2014). HIM plays a critical role in the successful implementation of electronic health records and ensures that providers, healthcare organizations, and patients have access to the right health information when and where it is needed while maintaining the highest standards of data integrity, confidentiality, and security. It ensures compliance with legal mandates, but it has proven to be a challenge with the constant change in legislation and regulatory environment. Past surveys suggest that HIM plays some type of importance in accordance to HIPAA privacy and security compliance. In a 2006 AHIMA survey, members were asked about the progress of their organizations’ privacy and security compliance efforts. Margret Amatayakul & Mitch Work discuss those results in a 2007 journal article

The advancement in technology has rapidly transformed the world today, and the increase in the number of web-enabled devices has completely changed peoples ' lives especially the way they communicate. Electronic Health Record system, which is a digital copy of a patient’s medical history is one of the revolutionary ideas that have come with this advancement. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are instantaneously updating records that are patient-centered designed with the aim of providing real-time information to the authorized users (Cohen, 2010). It contains all the patient’s information that is in the hand of the medical providers including their medical history, treatment dates and types, immunizations conducted to the patient and their dates, radiology images and all the laboratory results from the tests conducted in the past. All this information is held in a digital format and can only be updated by authorized users who are stationed in the medical facilities. Electronic records are designed to make it easy for different health providers and organizations to share patients’ information which streamlines their operations since all the necessary information and history can be accessed from any location at any time.

Examination of the types of database systems that are available and how health care facilities utilize these different types of databases is the topic of this report. Giving more detail on the different types of architecture of databases and data structure will follow.

Along with the new technologies applying in healthcare, the documentation processes and storages also change from paper charts to computer-based electronic health records (EHR). Many healthcare organizations currently maintain patients’ health records in both formats of paper and electronic. The combination is known as hybrid health record system, which is used to assist in different methods that patients’ information is collected. Hybrid health records (HHR) contain specific patients’ health information. HHRs are stored manually and electronically in multiple places. Current patients’ health records usually contain both digital documents and handwritten notes. Patients’ data are electronically stored, such as laboratory, radiology tests,

It is important to understand the history of how the healthcare industry decided to embrace the use of computer databases. Typically healthcare was often the last to employ new technology; especially when it came to assembling and disseminating data. As a Director of HIM (Health Information Management) it would be beneficial to remember this as there will undoubtedly be some resistance when attempting to implement new and improved systems to track everything from patient outcomes and laboratory tests to prescriptions and medications.

One of the main components of a database is characters. Characters are letters, numbers and punctuation marks. You are using characters when you are typing a sentence for example. Another main component would be fields. Fields separate data in defined fields. When data is being entered even if you don’t have an answer for all fields a space is still left but it would be blank. If you have ever seen an excel spreadsheet that would give you an idea of how data is lined out into different fields. Records are a main database component as well. Records are a group of fields that are about one thing. An example would be social security numbers in a database of patients. Each patient would have a social security number and each social security number is in a field. That field would have the same information which is that patients social security number even though every ones is different and there would be many listed depending on how many patients was in the database. Gartee, R. (2011).

Health care providers as well as nurses must keep track of all pertinent patient information and failure to do so leads to detrimental effect on the patient's life. CIS clinical information systems are "large, computerized database management systems that support several types of activities that include physician order entry, result retrieval, documentation and decision support". CIS is intended to replace medical records department of a hospital or any other medical institution. Physicians and clinicians can safely and quickly access information, order medication and treatments and implement appropriate care. CIS will hopefully improve productivity, increase quality care and reduce costs across the organization.

It has only been within the last five years that health information management (HIM) has experienced exponential changes, due to the healthcare reform. The electronic health record (EHR) is connected to health information exchanges and other systems of interoperability. The timely completion of charts, coding and release of information (ROI) has become much more efficient with the electronic record. Traditional HIM functions will just be transformed and will always be an integral part of successful patient care. Professionals must be flexible and willing to adapt and even generate change. As Health Information Technology continues to evolve, so will the roles

A HIM professional is trained in the most up-to-date health information and technology, they are trained to work in any healthcare setting, are vital to daily operations, management of health information, and electronic health records. The job of a HIM professional is to ensure that patient records are accurately kept, complete, and private. Being a skilled HIM professional tells an employer that a person is organized and will have the right information on hand when and where it is needed while maintaining the highest standards of data integrity, confidentiality, and security. Becoming a HIM professional means that the professional is versatile and has the skill set to incorporate clinical, information technology, leadership, and management

Implementation of Healthcare Information Technology potentially reduces cost yet, remains a continuous challenge. The adoption of improved healthcare infrastructure is compelling and significant barriers remain such as technical issues, cost, concerns about privacy and confidentiality, system interoperability and lack of well trained staff to lead the process (Palvia, Love, Nemati, & Jacks, 2012).

Currently, the healthcare industry only spends 2% of gross revenues on health information technology, while the banking industry spends upwards of 10%. However, the Veterans Healthcare System is one of the largest integrated systems in the world. One hundred fifty-five hospitals and eight hundred clinics rely on one electronic health system (Gupta & Murtaza, 2009). Implementing information systems in hospitals is more challenging than elsewhere because of the complexity of medical data, data entry problems, security and confidentiality concerns and a general lack of awareness of the benefits of Information Technology (Boonstra et al., 2014). The newly implemented system must be reliable from the onset as patient care does not cease in the meantime. Technology has the potential to streamline current practices and reduce costs, however, hospitals must consider the potential risks and consequences of a poorly implemented project and agree that failure is not an option. Good project planning and management can assure success of Electronic Health Record

The organization is using traditional ways of storing business information that is in papers and registers. The information is growing exponentially and tracking the patient’s information is time consuming. To improve business and to effectively streamline the business hospital needed a database.

Health information management, or HIM, is a career in the health profession which obtains, analyzes, protects, and maintains accurate and vital medical information, in both digital and traditional formats, to provide quality healthcare. Health information managers must be diligent in keeping information accurate to ensure that providers, patients, and other healthcare administrators receive correct information. This data is not just important; it’s essential, which is what makes health information managers so vital to the health care industry.

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.

Inevitably, health information systems (HIS) affect both patient care and documentation. Consider the following scenario. A patient with hypertension schedules routine appointments with his primary care physician. At every appointment, the nurse documents the blood pressure reading along with the most updated list of medications that the patient is currently taking. After