The Federal Agency For Healthcare Research And Quality

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.

“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.

1). The IHI initiated this new framework of care because chronic health issues have become a global dilemma that has placed larger demands on healthcare systems, along with the aging population and longevity (IHI, 2016a). Other countries health systems outperform the United States in quality and cost in providing services for their citizens (IHI, 2016a). In order to meet the growing need for healthcare systems performance and to accommodate more enrollees through the ACA, healthcare providers and organizations must change their approach in providing healthcare for the public.

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), is legislation aimed at the adoption and “meaningful use” of health information technology. CMS was authorized to establish incentive programs for eligible Medicare and Medicaid providers who adopt, implement, upgrade, or “meaningfully use” certified electronic health records (EHR). The term “meaningful use” is an acknowledgement that improved health care is not the product of technology but a method to exchange and use health information to support clinical decisions at the point of care.

The ARRA includes the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which pursues to improve American Healthcare and patient care through an extraordinary investment in Healthcare IT (HIT). The requirements of the HITECH Act are precisely designed to work jointly to provide the necessary assistance and technical operation to providers, enable grammatical relation and organization within and among states, establish connectivity in case of emergencies, and see to it the workforce is properly trained and equipped to be meaningful users of certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs). These computer software products are designed collaboratively to intensify the footing for every American to profit from an electronic health record (EHR) as part of a modernized, interrelated, and vastly improved grouping of care delivery.

Article was written by people with extensive experience in health care, pediatrics, and public health. Jessica Anker, Lisa Kern, Erica Abramson, and Rainu Kaushal, all of them are members of Weil corner Medical College and Health Information Technology Evaluation Collaborative. The intended audience is members of health care system, health care providers, and professionals that are involved in patient care. This article discusses how health information technology (HIT) together with organizational structure and clinician involvement can improve care and safety of our patients. I think that this article is important for nursing practice, because it shows that HIT alone cannot improve quality care, but together with work of clinicians and communication

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was put into place following the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 and was designed to foster the acceptance and purposeful use of health information technology. With the creation and implementation of a national health care infrastructure related to the electronic health care record system among providers, a revision of the current law was necessary and inevitable. “Although HITECH may be viewed narrowly as legislation to stimulate the adoption of health information technology, it is better understood as an essential foundation for our broader efforts to restructure health care

As stated above, the Triple Aim framework was developed by the IHI with the aim of providing quality care, improving patient health, and containing costs for healthcare services. The IHI pursued developing this model to improve healthcare outcomes within the United States to gain better utilization of resources for medical and social services (IHI, 2016a). By 2020, estimates suggest that the U.S. health care system will grow to nearly 20% of the gross domestic product of the country (IHI, 2016). In order to contain costs and increase the quality of care, a systematic change must be developed throughout the country .

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 goal in healthcare today is to achieve better patient outcomes. Technology is changing daily that affects how patient care is provided. As the world around us continues to move into a more advanced technology based healthcare system incentives are offered to qualifying healthcare entities, provided they are utilizing approved health information technology (IT) to comply with standards set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (Jones, Rudin, Perry, & Shekelle, 2014). Standards such as meaningful use help ensure with the use of electronic health records (EHR) that patients are receiving quality care (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], n.d.). This paper will define and discuss the importance and implications of meaningful use relating to healthcare. Several key points will be discussed including an overview of meaningful use, analysis, further recommendations and a conclusion.

Three forces that are driving the change to EHR are rising healthcare costs, the lack of quality care being provided, and the government’s response to the two. More than one-sixth of the American economy is committed to health care spending and the percentage is continuing to rise yearly (American, n.d.). Unfortunately, the U.S. operates a stagnant healthcare system that is estimated to cost American citizens approximately $2.7 trillion annually. Experts agree that 20 to 30 percent, which is equivalent to $800 billion of the U.S. yearly health care spending is inefficient, wasteful, and redundant (American, n.d.).

The purpose of this briefing note is to provide top three recommendations for the policy actions that AOHC should advocate in order to improve timely access to primary health care in Ontario.

In the past, our healthcare distribution system predicated its payments solely on the number of accommodations provided and not on the quality of care distributed to patients. As a result, patients might receive redundant tests, medication errors, or accommodations that might not ameliorate their health – and may cost them more in copayments or coinsurance. As required by the Affordable Care Act, Health and Human Services (HHS) launched several initiatives to link payments more proximately with quality outcomes and promote value-predicated care. These reforms promote value over volume and ascertain that care is better coordinated across the healthcare distribution system (Health IT, 2013). As a result the government is looking to influence innovation and best practices to enhance administration, quality and patient engagement, while securing protection and minimizing expenses (Nir Menachemi and Taleah H. Collum, 2011). This influential innovation is in direct response to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009. Therefore in this paper one will evaluate the current state of the infrastructure in workflow and processes; identify the existing gaps and issues within the environment, provide solutions for improvement in association with the present gaps – zero cost and limitless budget, and recognize current technology that can change the current health care infrastructure. This evaluation will display the current state of the

Marcotte, Kirtane, Lynn, and Mckethan explored how health information technology (HIT) integration could allow for more seamless transitions of care (2015). Based on data acquired from the Beacon Communities and the National Quality Forum Safe Practices Report they identified four areas in which HIT could be used to improve transitions between the acute-care hospital and post-acute setting. The areas identified were the discharge process, information flow and feedback, medication and adherence, and patient and caregiver engagement (Marcotte, et al., 2014).

The present environments for healthcare organizations contain many forces demanding unprecedented levels of change. These forces include changing demographics, increased customer outlook, increased competition, and strengthen governmental pressure. Meeting these challenges will require healthcare organizations to go through fundamental changes and to continuously inquire about new behavior to produce future value. Healthcare is an information-intensive process. Pressures for management in information technology are increasing as healthcare organizations feature to lower costs, improve quality, and increase access to care. Healthcare organizations have developed better and more complex.