North American And European Healthcare Information Technology Essay

In a healthcare world that operates on stringent budgets and margins, we begin to see the need for a higher capacity healthcare delivery system. This in turn puts pressure on the healthcare organizations to ensure higher standards of patient care, and compliance with the reform provisions. However, these are the harsh realities of today’s healthcare environment, a setting in which value does not always equal quality. The use of technology can help to amend some of this by providing higher capacity care without compromising quality; this can be done with the use of such technology as electronic health records (EHRs). This paper will aim to address how EHRs influence healthcare today by expanding upon topics such as funding sources, reimbursement methods, economic factors, socioeconomic factors, business influences, and cost containment.

The health care field is implementing change within the field. There is going to be more accurate and accessible patient information saved in the systems. A lot of medical offices are implementing an EHR system due to the federal government initiatives. With the EHR many physicians can link and cross treat patients, while the EHR system will be used as a bridge technology while implementing quality care throughout the systems. EHR is intended to ensure patient safety and quality of care. Accuracy is a key and Interoperability is a complex concept with a simple end goal: creating better health for individuals, communities, nations and the world. Interoperability should be treated as a direction rather than as the end point. The hospital

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.

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.

Currently, the topic of interoperability is at the forefront of health data management. While lacking a standard definition of interoperability itself, the National Alliance for Health Information Technology defines it as “the ability of different information technology systems and software applications to communicate, to exchange data accurately, effectively, and consistently, and to use the information that has been exchanged.” Interoperability now stands at the center of health IT’s future, as the success of electronic health records (EHRs) relies upon the exchange of health information. In essence, health information is already interoperable, as providers can write down data on a

The problem is fragmented electronic health records (EHRs) that lack communication and availability. Interoperability does not benefit the patient or the healthcare provider. “In healthcare, interoperability is the ability of different information technology systems and software applications to communicate, exchange data, and use the information

Implementation of Healthcare Information Technology potentially reduces cost yet, remains a continuous challenge. The adoption of improved healthcare infrastructure is compelling and significant barriers remain such as technical issues, cost, concerns about privacy and confidentiality, system interoperability and lack of well trained staff to lead the process (Palvia, Love, Nemati, & Jacks, 2012).

Combined with data analytics, aggregate-level EHR enable examination and development of effective medicines and therapies for chronic diseases (Kohli & Tan, 2016). There are several forces that are driving many of the changes to the EHR including health and safety concerns with the number of preventable deaths from medical errors , a changing society, the internet, with an increasing amount of mobile patients, as well as government response (Gartee, 2011) The response to the IOM report was swift and positive, within both the government and private sectors (Gartee, 2011). The government responded with establishing a position of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to “develop, maintain, and direct the implementation of a strategic plan to guide the nationwide implementation of interoperable health information technology in both the public and private health care sectors that will reduce medical errors, improve quality, and produce greater value for health care expenditures (Gartee,

With the increase in information technology, it has allowed data to be accessed almost anywhere in the world. Gone are the old ways of looking at data such as going to a data resource centers. In the medical world, Health information technology (HIT) open up vast new opportunities to physicians and medical care providers all over the world. The introduction of Electronic health records (EHR) allows healthcare providers to record patient data digitally and can assist in health care delivery. With EHR being readily available, they can increase the health and span of an individual’s lifetime regardless of socioeconomic status. When looking at American health care, the OECD has the US as one of the worst developed health care systems and a large part of it is due to our health information technology. Health care

Some of the forces inside and outside health care that are driving a move toward a greater use of informatics are national forces, nursing forces, healthcare consumer empowerment, patient safety, and cost. The National forces aim is to create electronic health records (EHR), and the creation of national coordination for healthcare information and technology. With the use of electronic health records many patients that have more than one provider will benefit because

U.S. healthcare delivery system is very fragmented. In 2004, health information exchange (HIE) was formulated by President Bush. “The HIE networks has the potential to reduce up to 18% of patient safety errors and as many as 70% of preventable adverse drug events across the care continuum” (Joshua & Larry, 2010). The desire to improve health care quality, efficiency and safety while lowering costs led to a sharp rise in the level of interest and activity amongst healthcare systems in developing regional health information networks (RHINs) or community health information networks (CHINs). Also, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 was signed into law to promote widespread use of electronic medical

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

Medical Information Technology (MediTech) is a privately held company, which holds approximately 19% of the hospital electronic health record (EHR) market share in the United States (Rouse, M). In 2015, the company 's combination of products and service revenues were $475.5 million, and in that year MediTech employed nearly 3,750 workers, as detailed in publicly available financial reports.

As the implementation of electronic health records (EHR) progress nationwide, the concepts of interoperability and health information exchange (HIE) must be discussed. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (2005, p. 2) define interoperability as “the ability of health information systems to work together within and across organizational boundaries in order to advance the effective delivery of healthcare for individuals and communities.” Interoperability is the enabling of two systems, including those that do not share

According to research, there is a consensus among experts that technology “is the most important contributor of healthcare spending increases” (Walker & Norbeck, 2013, para. 6). While technology has made great abounds and benefited healthcare immensely, it is not secret that it is expensive to initiate and to maintain. One factor behind the rise is the wide-spread implementation of electronic health records (EHR). According to Walker and Norbeck (2013), “Installing and implementing