Electronic Health Care

This article describes The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act’s (HITECH) “meaningful use” objective to create a nationwide system of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in order to improve patient safety, quality of care, privacy and security. The authors point out that during the first two years of an EHR implementation, clinicians and hospitals must meet certain requirements in order to qualify for federally funded incentive payments totaling up to $107,750 per clinician. This incentive is meant to ease the financial challenges smaller practices might face as the United States works toward a more technically collaborative information care system, EHRs promise to provide.

Frisse, M. E. (2009). Health Information Technology: One Step At A Time. Health Affairs, 28(2), w379-w384. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.28.2.w379

The growth of health care activities since then has truly encouraged patients to reach for information outside the confines of patient and physician interaction. Revolutionary new technology such as cell phones and computers, as well as the development of the Internet and social media sites, has served as where a vast majority of the public finds current knowledge for their problems.

Health care spending across the nation has increased exponentially. In response and attempt for resolution, the government looked to health information technology (HIT). Research suggests, the rising expenditures of health care was due to high-cost advanced technology and prescription drugs, redundant tests and procedures, and inefficient healthcare administration (Yaraghi, 2014). The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 was implemented to enhance overall health care quality, efficiency, and safety, increase access, decrease health care costs, and to provide a platform for the private exchange of health information electronically (“Health IT”, 2016). The

Introduction: Technology is a constantly changing and evolving field. Those changes can be used to make the lives of people easier in every single way. With the creation of computers and the internet we have been applying technological changes in the health care world for years now. Patients can access their records with a few swipes at their keyboard and share records with other providers. In addition, providers can share reports with each other just as easily.

Advances in modern technology surrounds us in our day to day lives, allowing conveniences and efficiency at our fingertips. Great strides have been made over the years with technology, and the healthcare industry along with many other industries have adopted this new way of functioning; electronically. The effects of technology have come to the forefront in where our government has acknowledged the benefits and opportunities. “The promise of Health Information Technology for improving quality and safety of health care while reducing costs has caught the eye of policy makers and other leaders in health care” (Hersh, 2006). It deeply affects how we connect, interact, and communicate internally and externally, but also gives us a sense of control on how we engage ourselves to the innovative software and systems.

Since consumers are becoming more involved with their healthcare decisions, organizations and providers must adapt to consumer requisites and utilize independent resources to ensure the viability of their businesses. In 2008, a study reported that 81% of internet users and 66% of adults utilized online health information as a source for health related issues (Ha & Yun, 2011). Some examples of online health information resources comprised of search engines, organizational websites, and governmental agencies that participate in health related issues (Ha & Yun, 2011). By accessing health related information, consumers empower themselves with knowledge to assist in healthcare decisions and wellness management (Ha & Yun, 2011). As a result of consumers becoming better educated about healthcare, administrators must explore internet resources in order to maintain quality and services that is expected by consumers, and maintain the reputation of the organization.

In today’s time, the Internet is really altering the way us Americans intermingle with the healthcare system. The Internet is making consumers more desirable to use it, in hopes for more opportunities. With the help from the Internet, telemedicine is becoming one of the best cultivating advanced technology in healthcare right now. Telemedicine can be defined as the use of medical information that is exchanged from one site to another (americantelemed, 2012). This process utilizes technology and digital communication in order to help patients’ progress. Important aspects of telecommunication include video, email, mobile devices, and more. So, in a nutshell telemedicine allows patients to communicate with their assigned physician about any

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was put into place following the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 and was designed to foster the acceptance and purposeful use of health information technology. With the creation and implementation of a national health care infrastructure related to the electronic health care record system among providers, a revision of the current law was necessary and inevitable. “Although HITECH may be viewed narrowly as legislation to stimulate the adoption of health information technology, it is better understood as an essential foundation for our broader efforts to restructure health care

Over the past decade, virtually every major industry invested heavily in computerization. Relative to a decade ago, today more Americans buy airline tickets and check in to flights online, purchase goods on the Web, and even earn degrees online in such disciplines as nursing,1 law,2 and business,3 among others. Yet, despite these advances in our society, the majority of patients are given handwritten medication prescriptions, and very few patients are able to email their physician4 or even schedule an appointment to see a provider without speaking to a live receptionist. Electronic health record (EHR) systems have the potential to transform the health care system from a mostly paper-based industry to one that utilizes clinical

Upgrading our documentation to information and informatics comes with many advantages for the health care team to improve quality and safe ty improvement. Also, the use of technology such as telehealth, telenursing and videoconferencing are on the rise, and will be embedded into our communities and nursing organizations so that we can reach people around the country who do not have accessibility quality health care. Using technology to educate patients and families about credible websites, and how to search for pertinent information that is relevant to his or her health is a priority. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary emergency rooms visits. These actions foster communication and minimize anxiety

There are number of barriers that explain the slow implementation of online communication in clinical practice. Health care financing and policies are based on traditional methods of communication. Reimbursement policies remain largely based complexity of face-to-face visits. Phone consultations are generally not directly reimbursed. Similarly, with the exception of a few demonstration projects, most payers are not adopting policies that directly pay for online patient-physician encounters. Additional organizational challenges include technical and operational issues. Building a web-based patient portal and integrating it into day-to-day patient care activities is a complex endeavor.

The future trends in health care are limitless. From using applications that perform EKG’s to robot-assisted surgery, the rapid expansion of technology applications in health care is astounding. Advancing technology also pushes the boundaries of health care in its ability to integrate health care information. The integration of health care information is critical to the effective, efficient delivery of quality care in a now fragmented health care system. This paper will assess how the internet or any new forms of electronic communication can be used as an external delivery source of communicating patient-specific information, address the impact of distance delivery on health care, how these communication issues impact health care today and

In recent times, healthcare has been revolutionized by technology. Modern healthcare relies heavily on a number of electronic gadgets. These gadgets can take the blood count of a patient to keeping them alive through heart-lung machines. Telemedicine has now come into its own. The delivery of healthcare and exchange of data across vast distances through the transfer of basic patient information such as CT scans, MRI pictures, ultrasound studies and pathology reports have become acceptable everywhere. Marketing professionals in the healthcare sectors adopt novel ways of reaching out to patients by using technology. Internet marketing is also popular, as websites enable patients to locate physicians

Information and communication technology has been adopted and implemented within various sectors of the economy. This is attributed to the benefits of technology in facilitating organizational activities and processes and its use in meeting the changes which characterize the modern society. The health sector is one of the industries which have significantly implemented technology. The health sector’s technological applications have been achieved within health information systems. The implementation of technology in this sector has resulted into both positive and negative implications on health