Meaningful Use In Healthcare

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

Healthcare systems are highly complex, fragmented, and use multiple information technology systems and vendors who incorporate different standards resulting in inefficiency, waste, and medical errors (Healthinformatics, 2016). A patient 's medical information often gets trapped in silos, which prevents information from being shared with members of the healthcare community (Healthinformatics, 2016). With increasing healthcare costs, a system needed to be created that would lead to the development and nationwide implementation of an interoperable health information technology system to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare. Introducing the National Health Information Network (NHIN), this organization can be defined as a set of

"Health information technology can be used to study or improve care coordination and its patient-centeredness. More pointedly, HIT provides an opportunity to organize disparate data sources into one cohesive, patient-centered record" (Steichen & Gregg, 2015, p. 34). With its ability to rapidly share health care information such as care plans and discharge summaries, clinical staff can make more timely decisions. Families will also be prompted to be more involved in the patient care due to the availability of current information and resources. There is no doubt that health care is evolving, and technology is creating new ways for us to stay connected, which is essential for successful care coordination.

Hoffman & Podgurski (2011) reported EHR systems will not be beneficial if clinicians do not utilize the system's full potential. Processes within the system need to be evaluated and assessed constantly for potential safety issues. HIT has the capability to do this through thorough testing and re-testing prior to implementation. HIT contributions to a culture of safety can help improve patient care through education, communication and appropriate use of guidelines that endorses approved

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

Health Information Exchange (HIE) is an electronic way for health care providers, patients, and payers to access and securely share medical information. There are data breaches everyday so patient and providers are concerned about the privacy and security of the HIE. Patients fear that sensitive health information related to dire diseases will be disclosed and used against them in decisions related to health insurance coverage or employment according to Mertz (2009, p.1). Providers are concerned that they will be breaking some health privacy laws of different states if they use a HIE. However, in essence as long as the HIE is following the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Privacy and Security Rules then the provider and patients should be safe. This is because HIPPA regulates covered entities such as healthcare providers, health insurers, healthcare clearing houses. They all must follow HIPPA regulations when accessing, using and disclosing your medical information.

In 2013, the HIMSS Board of Directors defined interoperability in health care as having the ability to have different information technology systems and software applications communicate, exchange date, and then use the information that has been exchanged (HIMSS, 2015). Data exchange permits data accessibility between organizational boundaries, while interoperability means health systems have the ability to work together in order to advance the health status of the individuals and communities the system serves. For two systems to be interoperable, they must be able to exchange data that can be understood by a user (HIMSS, 2015). This is extremely important to the goals of HITECH and meaningful use because it aligns with the government standard

The current healthcare is quite complex as healthcare is provided to a number of patient in a number different facilities and providers who do not share the same EMR. So, in other words healthcare is fragmented, however HIE is perceived to solve this problem. As part of the affordable health care reform, HIE have been views as the medium to securely share electronic patient health information across different faculties or providers (Bhansal & Gupta, 2014). Analyzing the statistical use, “in U.S. more than 100 organizations facilitate HIEs among provider organizations, and 30% of hospitals and 10% ambulatory clinics participate” (Rudin, Motala, Goldzweig, & Shekelle, 2014). There are countless benefits of implementing HIEs such as provide coordinated care, which might eventually reduce medical errors and improve patient safety (Bhansal & Gupta, 2014). Additionally, it can also reduce medical costs by avoiding duplicated services. Furthermore, the availability of patient health information especially at the emergency department is perceived to have a positive effect on both patient safety and quality care. However, these HIEs face a number of challenges including “lack of funding, concerns about privacy and security, technical issues, organizational concerns” (Bhansal & Gupta, 2014).

Along with this is a variety of methods to store information. For these reasons, there needs to be multiple security policies and methods that needs to be implemented to ensure that compliance is being met now and for future use. With all of these variables, health care organizations need to make sure they are meeting criteria when it comes to moving this information through these HIE networks including: security management, interoperability, internal and external access control, going hand in hand with access control, patient information and transaction integrity, and central storage (SafeNet, 2015, pg.3).

The future of interoperability has a twofold bearing. Positively, “the seamless exchange of information would improve care, increase operational efficiency and lower costs” (n d, 2017). Interoperability would facilitate care coordination along the continuum of care, enable informatics and advanced analytics within the health sector, (n d, 2017). Negatively, in 2015, the Health Information Technology Policy Committee in its report to Congress, cited the most notable barriers to interoperability as “lack of universal adoption of standard-based EHR systems, complex privacy and security challenges associated with widespread health information exchange and lack of incentive to develop interoperability in the private sector”, (Patil, 2016). To realize

Meaningful use is how medical professionals use EHR technology, to improve quality care, and encouraging patient and family involved meant. Meaningful use is what we use to keep patient’s health information more private and secure. It helps us provide quality and efficient care by providing us with the resources we use for our patients.

Confidentially, Privacy and Security group to the American Health Information Community (AHIC), Services and Capabilities for the (NHIE) National Health Information Exchange

It is imperative to have quality and accurate data that must be validated in order for health care providers to provide quality care for their patients. Accurate data can be impeded or compromised by As a result, not excessive data, measurement instruments are erroneous, “imprecision in terminology, illegibility and inaccessibility of records, and other opportunities for misinterpretation of data.” “..Use of faulty data can have serious adverse effects on patient-care decisions” (Musen, Middleton, & Greenes, 2014). Physicians must have current knowledge otherwise they can inadvertently harm a patient. Systems must not have redundant data and it must also be consistent so that all physicians see the same data in EHRs and thus provide the appropriate care to patients.

Health IT has brought with it lots of new technologies that have been invented to control and disseminate health-related information. The most common type of HIT is an electronic record system that collects, stores, and organizes patients’ data and information. This system, if properly utilized, can go a

Legislation such as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, as part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, in company with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, have forged the framework and foundation for healthcare reform that is deeply rooted in the critical need for HIT infiltration (Buntin, Jain, & Blumenthal, 2010). Healthcare reform initiatives such as the enhancement of quality and efficiency; prevention and tracking of chronic diseases; improvement of public health; reduction of health care costs; interoperability; and, the continuity of care, rests solely upon the infrastructure capabilities of health management information systems (HMIS) that compile information, manage data, track quality reporting, and facilitate the exchange of pertinent patient information (Suter, Oelke, Adair, & Armitage, 2009).