System A & A Case Study

You alluded to one of the keys in computerized physician order entry (CPOE) use and provider buy-in in your response – training. In my experience with two EHR implementations in the long term care setting, I observed major issues with the order entry component of the software. I can certainly understand why physicians and nurses are reluctant to use computerized order entry. Further, the order entry systems I have seen are time consuming and difficult to navigate.

The healthcare industry is in the midst of a major change from paper based medical record keeping to electronic medical record keeping. As part of the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was passed (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, 2014). HITECH is the U.S. Government’s first major contribution to the change from paper to electronic health information technology by setting meaningful use incentive program for Medicare and Medicaid providers that met certain requirements. Healthcare professionals that meet the meaningful use criteria will be awarded financially, and those that don’t meet the 2015 guideline will be penalized. We live in an electronic world of instant access to information and by adopting health information technology we give providers better and easier access to more information which in turn allows them to make a more informed diagnosis and treatment plan for the patient. The electronic health record (EHR) is part of the new information technology. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (2014.), EHR’s provide many benefits such as improvement in the quality of patient care; improvement in the coordination of patient care; more accurate diagnosis and better outcomes; a higher level of patient participation in their own care; and cost savings for the practice

Electronic retrieval of patient demographics, allergies, current medications, complete medical history, diagnostic and radiologic results, etc. occurs by clicking a few buttons. Electronic patient charts provide quick and easy access to physicians, hospitals, independent labs, and pharmacies. EHRs allow simultaneous access by independent providers and allow a collaborative effort for health care management of the patient. “EHRs are the next step in the continued progress of healthcare that can strengthen the relationship between patients and clinicians”. (Electronic Health Records Overview, 2011)

Giving the facts from the Real-World Case by purchasing the same EHR system as Community Hospital, physicians have confidence that they will have better control of care over their patients. In addition, they will be able to write orders, advise medications and also have the capability to get into the providers EHR systems while covering in other specific areas of the hospital. For this reason, some pros of the EHR consist of better patient care, better-quality care coordination, upgraded diagnostics and patient outcomes and the applying of a computerized physician order entry; this allows in the decrease of transcript mistakes related to poor writing on behalf of the physicians for either procedures or prescriptions. (HealthIT, 2015) Regrettably, there is also a downside, as not all areas of the hospital, such as the Physical Therapy unit, Nurse’s station and Nutrition department are ready to engage with the new technology.

By evaluating, comparing and calculating the best fit of three different EHR vendors illustrated in Appendix B, Durity, LLC, will purchase the Epic electronic health record system to replace its ancient paper-based system. The essential categories that an EHR enhances are interoperability, safety/security, quality/reliability, efficiency, and communication. According to Pennic (2014), “Epic continues to dominate the EHR market for hospital and health systems with 37% of users…”. Furthermore, Pennic (2014) reported, “For many physicians, “ease of use” determines their overall perception and experience with the EHR, affecting patient interactions and time spent documenting”.

Implementing to electronic medical records has many benefits such as reducing medical record errors, accuracy, having medical record access immediately, reducing medication errors and improving patient care. Monetary incentives are given to providers who demonstrate meaningful use. For those who do not, they face reduction in reimbursement amounts. “In 2017, reduction in reimbursement is 3%.” (National Center for Medical Records, n.d.)

Moving to an EHR can be difficult and the advantages may be unclear and the disadvantages may seem immense. The EHR is an electronic version of a patient’s medical history, maintained by the provider over time, and includes all administrative, clinical data relevant to that persons care under a particular provider, including demographics, diagnosis, progress notes, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, lab and radiology reports. (CMS.gov, 2011). The principle object here is

The challenges of integrating diverse healthcare standards, intranet and Internet communications, patient and consultant accessibility to EHRs and internal business systems require an exceptionally mobile, intuitive and secure platform. EMR and EHR software are designed to integrate electronic health records into healthcare businesses to provide HIPAA compliance. However, to meet or exceed these requirements and offer patients, medical staff, insurance providers and outside consultants access to EMRs and EHRs, healthcare businesses need a robust communications platform to connect these stakeholders. The benefits of offering Web access to health records include better patient care, cost savings and efficiencies, better coordination between medical service providers and greater patient participation in his or her own care.

Electronic Health Records (EHR) are changing the way health care is delivered to patients, not just how patient medical information is stored. In the recent past, patient-doctor visits consisted of handwritten multiple medical forms to be completed, and most times duplicated. There were several areas of concern with past patient record keeping, omission of important care information, medical interventions and prescribed medication were missed in certain cases, erroneously prescribed or duplicated and records were lost or misplaced. EHR facilities and improves the quality of care by refining access to patient record by multiple health care providers and the patient; better decision support; reporting occurs in real time and is legible which

In Stage 3, enhancements to the UMUC Family Clinic business process will be proposed by recommending HIT (health information technology) solution, consisting of a certified EHR (electronic health system)/EMR (electronic medical records) system. Once this system is implemented, it will immediately improve the current process. Customer complaints are high, and the focus is on the long wait times and redundant processes when a patient arrives to be checked in. Moreover, some nurses are not readily available, because they are preoccupied with other administrative duties within the practice. Inconsistent record keeping practices lead to additional time searching for patient records. A HIPPA violation may be detected if a patient’s record is misfiled or lost; henceforth, creating a need for supplemental time and possible duplication of another medical record may be required. This process can be greatly improved by the HIT solution using a terminal loaded with the EHR solution. This will allow patients the ability to enter all of their health record information upon their arrival and that information will be instantly available to the nurses and doctors. This process will also give the patient the opportunity to validate the information and make any necessary changes (benefit information, addresses, phone numbers, and medications).

The largest United States initiative to date that is designed to encourage widespread use of electronic health records is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act was signed into law as part of the “stimulus package.” The purpose of this paper is to review and summarize the literature on the benefits and drawbacks of Electronic Health Record systems in light of the changes anticipated from this policy initiative. Much of the literature has focused on key Electronic Health Record functionalities, including computerized order entry systems, health information exchange, and clinical decision support systems. Our paper describes the potential

There are several challenges involved in successfully implementing the meaningful use of EHRs. Among the most significant barriers are the high expense involved in upgrading current EHRs to meaningful use compliant EHRs, the computer literacy of medical staff, interoperability and the effective exchange of data for coordinating care between different facilities, and patient privacy and security of their medical information. An additional significant hurdle is the computerized physician order entry (CPOE) criteria. A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medicals Informatics Association found that half of the hospitals that failed to achieve meaningful use cited the primary reason as failing to effectively implement

Achievements in public health and technology have created growth in the health care industry. Significant advances in prevention as well as declines in death rates have created a need for a more sophisticated system of record keeping. While monitoring the health of the nation, planning and developing better health services, and delivering effective and efficient care is now more important than ever. The need to manage patient data has increased as well. Moving from a world where paper records are kept in file cabinets, to implementing a system where documents are stored and maintained on computers and accessed through EMR systems is a complicated procedure for a large system, let alone the smaller independent practices that still

The second article gleans light on one of the most impressive features of the EHR the computerized provider order entry (CPOE). This feature allows healthcare providers the ability to place patient orders electronically. Deciphering physicians’ notes was riddled with possible errors. The purpose of the CPOE is not only to reduce medical errors due to handwriting, but to reduce costs as well. How successful has the function of the CPOE been in hospitals? Are medical errors reduced and is there a cost savings realized by the hospital.

Creation of patient portals that allow the patient anytime access to everything from scheduling an appointment with their physician, to results and correspondence from their physicians, to complete access to their EHR, has given patients far more control over their health care than