Health Information Technology For Economic And Clinical Health

In 2009, the U.S. Government passed The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (Mangalmurti, Murtagh and Mello 2060). The HITECH Act authorizes grants and incentives to promote the “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHR) by providers (2060). The effect is a high commitment to a technology-led system reform, urging a renewed national commitment to building an information infrastructure to support health care delivery, consumer health, quality measurement and improvement, public accountability, clinical and health services research, and clinical

In response to the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (Reconciliation Act), collectively referred to as healthcare reform” (); Wishard-Eskenazi Health of Indianapolis, Indiana has begun to make milestone changes to meet the requirements of the healthcare reform. Being a leader in today’s technology which began thirty years ago with development of one of the nation’s first electronic medical record and continues to excel in the healthcare informatics technology today continues to use this technology in quality improvement initiatives, support for future technology research and improving the quality care of the patient.

Health rule challenges continue, even as October 1, 2015 looms. Individual insurance benefits fluctuate as employers scramble to control costs, making it increasingly difficult for hospitals and physicians to stay on top of diverse policy provisions and exclusions. Myriad new regulations and mandates for providers and employers also means more responsibility for paying for health care services falls into the hands of patients. Large medical groups and care facilities rely on next generation revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions and medical billing software to automate their workflow and improve reimbursement rates. However, smaller practices and ancillary service providers may still be in the dark about emerging technology and tools to help them control costs without compromising care.

The high cost of healthcare continues to rise and many in the United States are optimistic for health information technology to reduce and improve our current situation. Health IT encompasses a broad array of new technologies designed to manage and share health-related information. When properly implemented, these systems can help coordinate patient care, reduce medical errors, and improve administrative efficiency. Therefore, implementing a Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) will help the National Health Information Network (NHIN) achieve their goals in improving quality of care for the citizens of the United States. Thus, in order for the health IT to deliver on its promise, several obstacles must be overcome.

One of the biggest impacts on the healthcare industry is the transition from a fee-for-service model to a value-based payment model. This transition is emphasizing the importance of utilizing data captured electronically in EHRs, HIEs, and other clinical and business systems to improve patient care. Payers are implementing payment incentives and penalties based on performance in defined quality and safety metrics through programs such as Blue Cross’ Pay for Performance (P4P) or CMS’ Value-Based Purchasing (VBP). These programs, along with other factors, are resulting in a growing that utilizes data analytics and business intelligence to provide healthcare leaders and physicians with insight into their quality and safety metric status.

Athenahealth is an organization which understands that in today’s health care market, organizations can become overwhelmed with overly wasteful and disorganized administrative systems. Athenahealth is aware that these outdated systems can sometimes impede quality of care. However, their organization strives, as a single entity, to address these concerns by becoming the nation 's premier health care systems provider and empowering patients to be as actively involved in their care as they want to be. Their open technology platforms readily support improvement by providing consistent innovation and encouraging others to become a part of their mission. Their company is tirelessly developing new tools and services for the benefit of everyone involved with the health care field.1

The health care sector is impacted by numerous changes and challenges, such as increasing need for health care provision, changing demands from patients or rapidly evolving technologies. In the context of evolving technologies, the developments occur not only in the actual provision of the medical act, but also at the level of the complementary operations, such as health care information management.

Since the mid 1990’s, a predominant concept of healthcare is the iron triangle of care, consisting of three competing issues: quality, access, and cost. (Carroll, 2012). William Kissick, who introduced the model, suggested that if you improve one or two of these issues areas, it comes at the expense of the third. If quality of care is increased, it comes at the expense of access or through increased cost. If access to care is improved, it is at the expense of quality or increased cost. If an institution is successful at cost containment while providing care, it is at the expense of quality and/ or access. (Kissick., 1994, p.13). Despite this deeply ingrained concept, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) viewed the use of Health Information Technology (HIT) in the nation’s healthcare delivery as a resource to promote quality and access while potentially decreasing overall cost. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2003). (Page 175 of Delivering Healthcare in America) In efforts to promote the use of HIT, AHRQ provided five goals of implementation that would best impact the healthcare provided throughout the federal and private healthcare systems. These goals, when applied to the federal

“Go Paperless and Get Paid” is how the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) presents the incentives for electronic health records. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. Department of HHS) distributed more than $160 billion dollars to “improve and preserve health care, health information technology, community health, and prevention initiatives” (United States Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2014e). Likewise, the ONC offers “Health IT Adoption Programs” through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, seeking to advance the American health care delivery system and to improve patient care through an unique investment towards health information technology (HHS, 2014d). Additionally, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reward eligible hospitals and professionals with monetary incentives as they implement, adopt, or upgrade and demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology (HHS, 2014b). The Electronic Health Records Improvement Act (H.R. 1331) introduced by the United States House of Representative Diane Black is a bill to further improve the nation’s health care adoption of health information technology.

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.

Trends indicate the administrative complexity in the U.S. health care system requires that American hospitals employ far larger staffs to handle billing requirements (Anderson & Squires, p. 1-2). Furthermore, despite enormous innovation and investments in technology, the U.S. is failing to achieve improvements in life expectancy. The return on investment has been low; therefore, examination into other methods to increase quality of care, and decrease costs has become compelling. The U.S. has known for quite some time that health care costs, and therefore spending have gotten out of control. There have been several Presidents who have unsuccessfully attempted to help alleviate the nation of this issue. However, with the implementation of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, we have begun to notice a positive trend, in the said decline in spending. There have been methods implemented to begin helping providers and organizations monitor their progress, reward them for proper adherence, and now there are

Improvements in the efficiency and quality of care delivered by the U.S. health care system is largely dependent on reforming the way that care is supported, reimbursed, and delivered to patients. Hospitals and their constituents must plan for and ensure efficiencies in processes and practices while maintaining the highest quality of care. The Accountable Care Organization model, which Hallmark Health System follows, is an example of a delivery system reform that fosters greater coordination of care while concurrently aligning financial incentives to encourage organizations to deliver more efficient care. For example, a Lean process was initiated by the organization to identify methods to streamline workflow processes. This process views all

Some alcohol and drug abuse records were inadvertently left accessible via the internet. Fifty patients were affected.

The health care industry is one of the most dynamic and delicate industries in the U.S. having experienced healthy and substantial changes for the last thirty years most of which have aimed to improve health care management and services delivery to the patients. The changes have enabled the integration of technology into the industry such as in the area of informatics, science and research and payment services and clinical treatments. The health care sector has introduced various changes to address disease and health care management such as the Modernization Act of 2003, the Patient Protection Act and Affordable Act, which aim at improving health provision and most

The road to patient-centered care was paved with the passing of the HITECH act, which authorized incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid to clinicians and hospitals when they use EHRs privately and securely to achieve specified improvements in care delivery. If providers do not become meaningful users of EHRs by 2015, penalties will be triggered through reduced Medicare payments. These provisions aim to create a nationwide electronic health system that is efficient and secure to improve health outcomes and lower the cost of healthcare. To accomplish these goals, the federal government allotted $19.2 billion of funding to promote the adoption and meaningful use of interoperable health information technology and electronic health records (EHRs).