As you know Diabetes (DM) is a growing health disparity in the United States (U.S.). Today we are going to take a closer look at how we can improve the management of DM in the rural communities within Iowa. Particularly looking at improving the primary care aspect of these patients in three rural counties in central Iowa. Currently Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC) affiliated clinics attempt to manage DM on the primary care level and then will refer patients to Internal Medicine and/or endocrinology specialists within a larger health care system. By improving the current process throughout the clinics within this network, and creating a streamlined process we can decrease the referral rates to other clinics, decreasing patients …show more content…
DM “lowers life expectancy by up to 15 years”, increasing “the risk for heart disease by 2-4 times”, and “is the leading cause of kidney failure, lower limb amputations, and adult-onset blindness” (“Healthy People 2020,” 2016, para. 7). DM is the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. accounting for approximately 75,578 deaths annually (”Healthy People 2020,” 2016; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Not only does DM cause multiple aliments throughout the individuals life when it is not adequately controlled, but it also accounts for approximately $245 Billion dollars of the health care spending that is occurring in the U.S. Therefore, increasing the burden on our already taxed health care delivery system.
So why should we focus on rural Iowa? Rural communities in Iowa account for over one-third of the states population. DM is on the rise in Iowa, with 9.5% of adults diagnosed with DM in 2014 (the State of Obesity, 2016). If DM continues to occur at its current rate by 2030, there will be approximately 367,691 people in Iowa alone, who will be effected by this disease (the State of Obesity, 2016). Since access to health care and specialists are limited in these rural areas, individuals must travel up to an hour away to seek appropriate care when their disease is not controlled. So what can we do about this? Since there are so few resources available in these areas, what opportunities are
The purpose of this discussion board is to describe the Electronic Health Record (EHR), the six steps of an EHR and how my facility implements them, describe “meaningful use” and how my facility status is in obtaining it, and to further discuss the EHR’s and patient confidentiality.
Have you noticed obesity has become a big problem in the Appalachians? According to M. Wewers, "Nearly 44 percent of the Appalachian population is obese" (Herath 129). For those who struggle with obesity, it is not just having a little extra weight. When you are obese, you are more prone to heart disease, depression, and high blood pressure. In addition, obesity increases the risk of premature mortality (Herath 127). As the number of people who are obese increases, the nation becomes unhealthier. For some of the individuals who are obese, it is not about eating unhealthily or being lazy. For these individuals, they have a medical condition that causes obesity. The amount of obesity in the Appalachians is shocking; however, there are
The requirement is that eligible professionals and hospitals should be able to demonstrate “meaningful use” of certified EHRs in order to qualify for incentive payments under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program (“How to attain,” 2013). Practices who do not adopt EHR may be penalized in the form reduced Medicare reimbursements (Bendix, 2016).
The use of technology can be seen everywhere in the world today. One area which has seen a big push to add technology is the healthcare industry. Healthcare has now progressed to the age of electronic health records (EHR). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the evolution of the EHR, including the EHR mandate and the role of the Affordable Care Act in this mandate. It will discuss the EHR plan at Hackettstown Medical Center (HMC) to include the progress HMC has made with the mandate. This paper will discuss meaningful use and HMCs status with meaningful use. Lastly, the paper will define the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and what HMC is doing to prevent HIPAA violations.
The Vine Hill Community Clinic serves an inner-city population in Nashville, Tennessee. Approximately 90% of the clinic's patients are on a state form of Medicaid. Like many primary care clinics in the U.S., Vine Hill provides outpatient care to many patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of adult blindness, kidney disease, and amputation. Although almost 18 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, less than optimal care is often provided, particularly in at-risk communities. Improving care for these patients is vital because many complications may be helped or avoided with good care and behavioral changes.
According to HealthIt.gov (2014) Meaningful Use (MU) is defined as a “certified electronic health record that helps improve patient quality; safety; efficiency and reduces health gaps; engage patients and
An external strength is the availability of new technology in the workplace. There are many emerging technologies that will change the practice of nursing in the coming decade including genetics and genomics, less invasive and more accurate tools for diagnosis and treatment of diseases, 3-D printing, robotic simulations, biometrics, electronic health records, and even computerized physician order sets (Huston, 2013). This skill set is forecasted to become even more essential in the coming years. One goal identified in the Healthy People 2020 initiatives is use of health information technology to improve population health outcomes and health care quality, and to achieve health equity (Healthy People 2020, 2012).
The electronic health record is the electronic version of a patients’ medical chart (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2012). The information included in the electronic health record is the patient’s demographics and clinical health information, medical history, list of health problems, progress notes, medications, vital signs, laboratory and radiology reports, and physician orders. The purpose of the electronic health record is to prevent medical errors and improve care delivery to provide a safer patient environment (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015).
The government has been trying to protect patients’ healthcare information since they first introduced The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA). Since that time, technology has paved the way for The Electronic Health Record (EHR). Those that promote the usage of the EHR as the standard of care, strongly believe that the risks of privacy are outweighed by the benefits that it brings. These benefits include, but are not limited to: improved patient care, decreased medical errors, and better collaboration between healthcare providers.
Although electronic health record (EHR) systems many healthcare organizations, are turning to the electronic health record (EHR), there are are potential and actual disadvantages of the system. Disadvantages of the EHR includes financial issues, changes in workflow, temporary loss of productivity associated with EHR system, privacy and security concerns, as well as several unplanned consequences (Menachemi & Collum, 2011).
Technology has come a long way when it comes to pretty much any aspect of life. It is more convenient to just buy things online instead of waiting in line at a store and have it shipped right to your front door step. With new technological advances comes new ways to commit crimes, such as identity fraud. Just by getting some information about a person they can ruin that person’s identity bring them thousands of dollars in debt. So we know that technology is a good thing but a little more risky when it comes to personal information. That’s what brings me to electronic health records. Going from the standard paper record to the more detailed electronic health record is a step in the right direction, but with that step there are risks that need to be considered. Electronic health records means all your personal information is stored in a data base electronically. What is stopping criminals from breaking into that data base and stealing all your information? That is what we will look at in this paper, the pros and the cons of electronic health records.
Electronic health records (EHR) are digital patient records whose interoperable and sharable use can lead to improved safety, effectiveness, efficiency, and timeliness of care. The value of EHR is leading to more efforts into integrating medical organizations with the rest of the health care system to maximize patient benefits and improve transitions of care. Highlighting the case for EHR to health care stakeholders, such as organizations, organizational managers, and practitioners, will help contribute towards the integration above, in the process also supporting policies aimed to introduce EHR in healthcare. The objective of the policy brief is to demonstrate the value of EHR in promoting positive transitions of care and minimizing
Rural residents need access to healthcare. These residents should have the ability to receive primary care in a convenient setting and do it confidently. “According to healthy People 2020, access to healthcare is
Electronic health records (EHR) is a new way for the health care system to put patients information in one place. Most doctors or physicians call for digital health records. While, this may sound like a good idea to have all the information transfer to computers, it does not replace other paper charts. Records that have to be fax, but some doctors do not have all electronic health records. With this happening, then it leads to random paper work. For hospitals and physician offices everywhere may not have electronic health records, yet can be a bad effect on patient 's health and life.
Living in a world full of technology, more and more of us are overall connected to computerizing, and we expect it to do everything for us. Many years before we didn 't have technology, and mostly everyone was into making it. Now if we look at our world, everything is mostly done online. More Canadians do shopping online, students receive more knowledge about the subject their learning online, booking hotels, flights, and even do schooling online. Though looking after all this, most patients in Canada are still handed with paper based records. When we go to the doctor, most of us still receive handwritten prescriptions and our records are unrecognized.