Health Information Systems (HIM) is a technology used to manage healthcare data in various healthcare institutions. The systems carry out different functions such as collection, storage, and data management. The integration of Information technology in healthcare is growing fast as the industry turns to technology to solve problems that have existed for years. He is one of the approaches used in healthcare to streamline operations and protect patient data. The following text will discuss the concept of HIM as it applies to healthcare and ideas that relate to the integration of Information Technology in the healthcare industry.
With major innovations in technology, the current Health care Information (IT) environment has grown exponentially. IT is a part of the healthcare system, and it’s almost impossible to operate without IT in the modern healthcare environment. Currently, the atmosphere is filled with many opportunities, potential, and issues that affect the integration of IT in healthcare. Some of the problems in the current healthcare information technology are related to the security of patient data (Ehrenfeld, 2017). Electronic Health Records can easily be compromised if the necessary steps to protect them are not taken. Moreover, the current IT environment has also played a vital role in improving healthcare through the advancement of various components. These components may include accessibility, operations management, and accountability. With innovations in the industry still taking place, IT will entirely revolutionize the industry and become an essential part of the industry,
Current Health Care Information Environment How Vila Health Hospital’s HIM Systems Fit into the External Health Care Technology Environment
External environments refer to Vila healthcare’s environment and affect its performance and the utilization of HIM systems. Vila hospital handles the building, installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of in-house designs and maintenance and upgrading. However, third-party applications are installed by vendors who also monitor and maintain them. Various factors make up the external environment and may include; error reporting, oversight processes, medical liability, and care delivery. Vila Health hospital’s HIM systems fit this external environment based on how they integrate to improve the quality of care provided by the facility.
To begin with, error reporting is highly affected by the external environment and majorly has a positive impact on the systems. Error reporting allows the HIMS to connect with the external environment by offering information that can lead to peer review of errors and improvement of systems. Although HIMS is highly advanced, it may experience many mistakes that may affect the quality of service. As such, enhancing this process and connecting to the external technology environment allows for solutions to be formed and used to prevent any future errors from occurring, hence, protecting the organization and its patients. Apart from HIM errors, diagnostic error reporting increases disclosure of errors while improving reporting, analyzing the mistakes, and learning from such mistakes (Kruse, Frederick, Jacobson & Monticone, 2017). It’s a critical part of reducing medical liability and ensuring that the organization is competent enough to avoid costly lawsuits. Thirdly, HIMS ensures that the organization complies with oversight processes such as regulatory requirements (Hoolhorst, 2020). By connecting with the external technological environment, HIMS protects Vila Health’s stakeholders and patients by promoting competency and reporting any issues affecting care delivery.
The interrelatedness of HIT throughout the Organization
Vila healthcare uses an electronic medical record system that allows patients to access their history and any information they may need. All hospitals and clinics are part of the system to ensure that providers can access information and details about medical history. Furthermore, it allows the providers to access information and efficiently coordinate care. There is an interrelatedness in a very complex healthcare system to achieve this. Interrelatedness refers to the ability of systems to influence each other, with complexity increasing as the number of components in a system increases. For instance, once a patient is entered into the system, data can be added, changed, or edited at different levels to ensure efficiency. For example, a patient registers in the system on their first visit, diagnostic results are added under the original file by a physician, treatment and approaches are added once treated, and information about medications is sent to the pharmacy where they can collect their drugs. As stated by Vila healthcare, the system can be accessed by all providers, including nurses, physicians, and pharmacists. Once a patient is registered, they are awarded a unique number and file under which all their information and transactions with Vila healthcare are stored (MHA Vila Health, 2021). Therefore, a nurse can access the same file as the physician and pharmacists. The same information is provided to the patient, who can access their entire history in the healthcare system and analyze all their data as they require.
Unique HIM needs of Each Hospital
Every hospital has its own unique needs that the HIM system has to solve. These needs may include; ease of access to patient data, cost-effectiveness, stopping leakages in revenue, improving the quality of care, increased data security, accountability, and operational effectiveness. Every organization can identify what it needs and then develop a system to achieve these goals. The most crucial aspect is understanding how he can be used to achieve these goals. The HIM system achieves this by collecting, storing, and managing data. For instance, the HIM system collects all data available and makes it accessible to authorized parties. For example, in the case of accountability, access to information is done through secure log-ins (Hoolhorst, 2020). Therefore, the hospital can determine who accessed what or entered data into the system, bringing about accountability. In another example, security can be increased with data stored in servers or clouds and can only be accessed through logins. As such, he can be used to solve a variety of problems and needs for hospitals. Therefore, before installing the systems, it is essential to conduct research and determine the hospital’s needs to have the best plan possible.
Regulations and Guidelines that Must Be Followed for Particular HIM
Due to the sensitive nature of patient data, many regulations and guidelines must be followed for particular HIM. This also includes policies that are put in place to protect patient data and enhance the safety of organizational systems. Regulations are set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), where specific rules are provided to protect patient data. The rules focus on; ensuring confidentiality, availability, integrity, identification, and protection against anticipated threats, protection against impermissible use or disclosure, and ensuring compliance by the workforce (Moore & Frye, 2019). The rules protect data from being misused, accessed illegally, shared illegally, or accessed unlawfully by third parties. Individual facilities are responsible for protecting their data, which could attract fines from relevant authorities (Moore & Frye, 2019). For instance, in 2017, CardioNet paid $2.5 million for failing to follow HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. The organization lost data after a laptop was stolen from an employee, to which it was determined that the company’s security approaches were flawed and put patient data at risk.
Standard Procedures and Best Practices for Securing Sensitive Health Information
There are various approaches that professionals use to secure patient data. The most common procedure is following HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules which offer the basis for data protection. Another best practice is protecting data from outside threats. Cyber-attacks are increasing with time as individuals attempt to access data that they use maliciously. Therefore, it is essential to protect against these external threats by purchasing the latest security systems, updating passwords from time to time, and installing anti-malware software to protect against malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. By doing this, organizations also need to understand that employees from within the organization can initiate attacks. Therefore, updating security measures can prevent the likelihood of this happening. Furthermore, influencing laws and standards can also aid in promoting patient data security. Every HIM professional is responsible for protecting the entire industry by contributing to identifying the best rules and practices that can impact data security.
Integration Decisions and Recommendations
Health IT has improved healthcare processes over the year as it enables providers to manage patient care through secure sharing of information. With the help of Health IT, organizations can have; accurate information about patient health, the ability to coordinate, the ability to share information securely, the availability of information to diagnose patients, and the ability to reduce the occurrences of medical errors within an organization. It is highly recommended for professionals to address specific areas for successful integration. The recommended areas include; patient focus, standardized delivery of care, performance management, creation of organizational culture and leadership, integration of physicians into the system, development of a governance structure, and sound financial management. Inpatient focus, IT helps improve accountability. Medical records can show the type of healthcare a patient received and whether it met set standards. With such a process, it is possible to ensure that the integration of IT in healthcare is successful and improves patient outcomes.
Ultimately, IT is now a significant part of the healthcare system and has had significant advantages since it was integrated. However, further improvements can be made to the plans to improve efficiency and security. Hospitals are highly recommended to adopt IT within their facilities to reap the many benefits technology can add to their practices.
References
Davis, J (2017). CardioNet was slammed with a $2.5 million fine for failed risk management and analysis. Privacy & Security. Retrieved from https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/cardionet-slammed-25-million-fine-failed-risk-management-and-analysis
Ehrenfeld, J. M. (2017). Wannacry, cybersecurity, and health information technology: A time to act. Journal of medical systems, 41(7), 104.
Hoolhorst, T. (2020). The influence of HIM implementations on hospital organizations and how this affected hospital healthcare performances.
Kruse, C. S., Frederick, B., Jacobson, T., & Monticone, D. K. (2017). Cybersecurity in healthcare: A systematic review of modern threats and trends. Technology and Health Care, 25(1), 1-10.
MHA Vila Health (2021). Health Information System Characteristics and Needs. Transcript.
Moore, W., & Frye, S. (2019). Review of HIPAA, part 1: history, protected health information, and privacy and security rules. Journal of nuclear medicine technology, 47(4), 269-272.