Computerized Management Systems
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 was included as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The purpose of this law was to provide incentives to healthcare providers to adopt and implement comprehensive computerized management systems. A provision of HITECH requires that providers utilize the system of their choice in a comprehensive and beneficial manner; this has been termed “meaningful use.” The purpose of this report is to provide information regarding the benefits of implementing such a management system for our 100-bed facility. Although full implementation can benefit all aspects of hospital operations such as employee scheduling, inventory and ordering, compilation of statistical data, employee and physician credentialing, and patient health record maintenance, I will be focusing on the aspects of improving the quality of patient care, improving patient safety, the prevention of medical errors and in the reduction of operating costs.
Patient Care/Safety The Electronic Health Record (EHR) created and maintained by the computer system will provide us with a comprehensive analysis of the patient. As the patient enters our system, we will be able to enter relevant data such as current and previous medical histories, allergies and medications. As additional studies and tests are conducted, they will become part of the patient’s medical record and will be available for review and comparison by any physician authorized to access our system. This allows a better review of the chart because it is organized by the categories established by the program itself (history and physical, radiology results, lab results, etc). The computerized physician order entry (CPOE) component provides additional tools for the physician to utilize when placing orders and provides a layer or safety for the patient. As physicians place orders, the clinical decision support (CDS) component of the system can assist
Patient Care/Safety The Electronic Health Record (EHR) created and maintained by the computer system will provide us with a comprehensive analysis of the patient. As the patient enters our system, we will be able to enter relevant data such as current and previous medical histories, allergies and medications. As additional studies and tests are conducted, they will become part of the patient’s medical record and will be available for review and comparison by any physician authorized to access our system. This allows a better review of the chart because it is organized by the categories established by the program itself (history and physical, radiology results, lab results, etc). The computerized physician order entry (CPOE) component provides additional tools for the physician to utilize when placing orders and provides a layer or safety for the patient. As physicians place orders, the clinical decision support (CDS) component of the system can assist