Ethical Considerations For Electronic Health Records

and save patient data such as allergies, health history, lab results, health center visits in the electronic health record (EHR) and securely communicate these records with other health entities and governmental agencies (Oracle, 2010). With the ultimate ambition being the establishment of a more effectual, patient centered health care system that decreases provider’s administrative expenditure, improving coordination of care among providers and increasing patient’s participation in their own health care (Galbraith, 2013). This article will supply a synopsis of the meaningful use program, the connotations of its core standards and present proposals for further measures.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the electronic health record mandate. Who started it and when? I will discuss the goals of the mandate. I will discussion will how the Affordable Care Act ties into the mandate of Electronic Health Record. It will describe my own facility’s EHR and what steps are been taken to implement it. I will describe the term “meaningful use,” and it will discuss possible threats to patient confidentiality and the what’s being done by my facility to prevent Health Information and Portability Accountability Act or HIPAA violations.

Electronic health records can provide many benefits for providers and their patients, but the benefits depend on how they 're used. Meaningful use is the set of standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Incentive Programs that governs the use of electronic health records and allows eligible providers and hospitals to earn incentive payments by meeting specific criteria. The goal of meaningful use is to promote the spread of electronic health records to improve health care in the United States. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act provides the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) with the authority to establish

Meaningful used is defined as the set of standards by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) incentive programs that governs the use of the electronic health record (EHR) and allows eligible providers and hospitals to earn incentive payments by meeting specific criteria (Baker, 2013, p. 607). This paper will provide an overview of the Meaningful Use program and an analysis of the implications for nurses, nursing, national health policy, patient outcomes and population health associated with the collection and use of Meaningful Use core criteria. This paper will include an overview of Meaningful Use, Analysis, Meaningful Use recommendations and Conclusion.

Meaningful Use is the improvement of the way we deliver healthcare with the use HER. Several areas of patient care can be improved including how engaged the patient’s family can be in the healthcare process, better outcomes in the clinical setting and the empowerment of the patient to see more than they could in a paper chart.

According to the HITECT ACT definition, 'meaningful use ' is the use of a certified EHR technology in a way that is "meaningful". This concept rest on 5 main pillars:

The American health care system is in the midst of a paradigm shift as it transitions away from a paper documentation system towards a total electronic world. The electronic health record is revolutionizing the way health care practitioners, organizations and patients utilize patient information resulting in more efficient and accurate care, which implies better patient outcomes. In an effort to expedite the adoption of the electronic medical record, the United States government implemented an act entitled Meaningful Use which outlines three stages required by all health care systems and providers. The United States government provided financial incentives to ensure that these stages were met. It is imperative that the health care leaders are familiar with the requirements of Meaningful Use and create a timeline to ensure meeting all expectations. This paper will address the history of meaningful use implementation, meaningful use goals, and careful considerations for the health care leaders.

Over the next decade, significant advances were made on the technology front, and in 2009 president Obama signed into law The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). The HITECH Act introduced the concept of “meaningful use” as a way to

According to the ONC, “meaningful use” means that certified EHRs are used to improve efficiency, safety, and quality; to reduce health disparity; to engage patients and their families; to improve coordination of care; and to maintain privacy and security of health information (“How to attain,” 2013). The vision was that compliance with the meaningful use requirements will ultimately result in, among others, improved clinical health and population health outcomes (“How to attain,” 2013).

Aforementioned, in 2011 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services EHR incentive program for meaningful use was started. According to Gialanella (2015), this particular program was initiated as a direct result of a federal policy that was passed in the year of 2009, called the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The purpose of Meaningful Use stated Chin and Sakuda (2012) to “better the health of patients, better healthcare in general, and better the value of healthcare”. Based on the ideas of Chin and Sakuda (2012) the concept was considered as the 3Bs to be “societal, ethical, and fiscal imperatives”. With the implementation of electronic health records, CMS considered this to be as act of meaningful use of which was set to” improve and reduce the major line of demarcation in healthcare, as well as

The concept of Meaningful Use (MU) was created as a result of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the included Heath Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). The goal of MU is to enhance healthcare safety, efficiency, and quality; decrease disparities in the provision of healthcare; increase individual’s involvement in their care; improve continuity of care; enhance public and population health; and promote the protection and privacy of personal health information. The implementation of MU is to occur in three stages ("Meaningful Use: Introduction," 2012).

Meaningful use refers to a set of criteria for the EHRs are used provides must meet in order to receive incentive payments. The impact of your role as a medical assistant is to help reduce health disparities. Meaningful use sets specific objectives that eligible professionals and hospitals must achieve to qualify for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Incentive Programs. Meaningful use has 3 stages. These objectives will evolve in three stages over the next five years: 2011-2012 is Stage 1 Data capture and sharing, 2014 Stage 2 Advance clinical processes, and 2016 Stage 3 Improved outcomes.

The Inner City Clinic is experiencing problems with medication prescribing errors and seeks a resolution to this problem through use of electronic medical records and registration medication reconciliation. The Institute of Medicine reports in the work entitled "Preventing Medication Errors" that the "average hospitalized patient is subject to at least one medication per day. This is reported to confirm previous research findings that medication errors represent the "most common patient safety error." (Barnsteiner, nd, p.1) Medication reconciliation is described as follows:

Legislation such as the Health Information Technology for Economics and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act promoted meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) to provide better patient outcomes (CDC, n.d.). Meaningful use is regulated by CMS and National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and is based on five goals including: improving quality, safety, efficiency and reducing health disparities, engage patients and families in their health, improve care coordination, improve population and public health,

Prior to the Information Age, medical records were all stored in folders in secure filing cabinets at doctor’s offices, hospitals, or health departments. The information within the folders was confidential, and shared solely amongst the patient and physician. Today these files are fragmented across multiple treatment sites due to the branching out of specialty centers such as urgent care centers, magnetic resonance imaging, outpatient surgical centers, and other diagnostic centers. Today’s ability to store medical records electronically has made it possible to easily send these files from one location to another. However, the same technology which can unify the fragmented pieces of a patient’s medical record has the ability to also create