Health Care Management And Healthcare Management

The introduction of information systems in health care industry has made enormous development in patient care and satisfaction. The interoperability of the different systems with in a organization is important to achieve effectiveness of the system. The process of developing and integrating the information system is time consuming, complex and costly. This paper is a report submitted by an informatics director to the chief operating officer of an organization proposing a solution to solve the communication problems within the information system.

Healthcare information technology forms a pivotal part of today 's healthcare system. Improved quality of healthcare, patient safety, drastic reduction in medical errors and enhancement of care delivery is possible because of the induction of these solutions in the healthcare delivery environment. Today, healthcare IT solutions are enabling processes like planning, decision-making related to organizational development, strategic planning to drive growth, recruitment of competent personnel, managing employee benefits, payroll, intra-department communication, etc.

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.

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 significant, impactful trend on healthcare organizations (HCOs) is the implementation of technology-based information systems (IS). The systems consist of hardware and software used in gathering and processing data that supports the provision of patient care. There are administrative systems, which have been in place for decades and their usefulness are highly recognized. They track services rendered, billing processes used for third party payers and patients, as well as payroll for employees. Administrative systems are essential for the financial component of a business. More recently, the importance of clinical information systems has moved into the spotlight. They are intended to

The benefit of technology in healthcare can help improve quality of care and reduce adverse events. Kaiser Permanente invested in an electronic medical system to increase positive clinical outcomes. Implementation of the health information system would have three system functions. The first objective was to reduce operating cost by improving staff efficiency, reduce patient’s number of hospital days, and reduce adverse drug events and increase preferred prescription adherence. The second objective was to increase revenue which was accomplished by improving appropriate billed charges, improving coding accuracy for Medicare risk, and increase collections. Decreasing capital expenditures was the final function which was achieved by decreasing

With the rapid growth in technology, many healthcare organizations have embraced the use of healthcare information technologies. As such, the information technology department has various staffs that perform fundamental roles in the information technology-related activities. It ranges from activities of customizing a software to implementing and maintaining a network to ensure effective system backups. In addition, these healthcare information technologies bring about other

Due to astronomical cost that can be associated with the implementation/upgrading current computer system, resistance might stem from the administrative team as well. Implementing new or upgrading information system required a long term financial commitment, and the return of on invested might not be visible in the near future. Additionally, organization barriers are complex, and it will require redesigning the entire workflow process of the entire healthcare organization. Hence, the success of the proposed change might lies with the acknowledgements of these barriers, and buy-in from the administrative

Healthcare Managers' are responsible for the day-to-day activities around and within the organization. In the last year, 80 patients complained about not receiving the annual physical examination. Patients who needed medical exams experienced long wait times due to an understaffing of physicians. During the same time, 20 patients were somewhat satisfied as they were able to access laboratory activities. The current wait for an appointment averages 30 days with a range of 60 to 30 days from initial contact. The problem is physicians are understaffed by 40 % and understaffing causes longer wait times, and patient complaints. For this reason, the health care manager's goal is to recruit medical physicians including nurse practitioners by 6%

Learning from mistakes is not something that is accepted in health care. Near-miss and error reporting is an essential component of safety programs across safety conscious industries. Within health care, though, many physicians are often reluctant to engage in patient safety activities and be open about errors because they believe they are being asked to do so without adequate assurances of legal protection. Having proper health care management could better prevent inevitable human errors from reaching patients. But understanding the root causes of errors requires their divulgence in the first place. By having a solid management of health care some benefits includes surgical

The variation in information needs across any healthcare provider organization forces healthcare information technologies (HIT) platforms, systems, processes and procedures to align its design to support the unique information needs of each department and role. The greater this alignment of HIT systems and technologies to specific administrator, doctor, nurse and lab technician roles, the higher the level of overall systems performance and results attained (Agrawal, Grandison, Johnson, Kiernan, 2007). Just as an enterprise has strategic information needs that help to define the future direction of the business, healthcare provider organizations also have a comparable set of strategic information needs. The administrative roles in healthcare providers need to have a consolidated view of the organization from a cost, quality management, service level, patient recovery rate, patient satisfaction and profitability standpoint as well (Middleton, 2005). All of these factors are often gathered together in a dashboard that administrators often rely on to manage the core areas of their healthcare business (Leung, 2012). Administrator's information needs are also longer term in nature and more oriented towards the development of strategic initiatives that will last several years, requiring

Information technology use in HMHP has been implemented in the past few years. The organization as a whole has gone to a system called EPIC that was at first difficult for staff to get used to but now is an asset to the organization. Advances in information technology have introduced new design approaches that support health care delivery and patient education (Demiris et al., 2008). The electronic medication administration record has made it safer for patients when receiving medications in the hospital because of the checks it uses upon administration. Also, the double verification of medication like heparin and insulin help to reduce errors. Physicians entering their own orders and having electronic notes has also made it easier to carry out orders and know what the plan entails. Information technology has also

The successful implementation and subsequent meaningful use of information technology solutions within a health care organization is a challenging and iterative process. The organization must engage in careful and ongoing strategic and tactical planning to ensure that the implemented technology will ultimately be effective and beneficial for its practitioners, staff, and patients.

Having a single view of the patient and their treatment and recovery plan is invaluable in ascertaining which are the most and least effective tactics in treatment. The 360-degree view of the patient and the many processes supporting them is crucial for increasing the accuracy, effectiveness and performance of treatment programs over time (Blakeman, 1985). Computerized management systems are critical for organizing, analyzing and translating the massive amount of data captured on patients, treatment and recovery processes, and the use of supporting IT systems to optimize patient health and organizational provider performance (Peshek, Cubera, Gleespen, 2010). The ability to aggregate and intelligently use all available data, information, patient-based and process-generated data to deliver higher levels of quality care is possible when computerized management systems are used throughout healthcare organizations.