Health Informatics Analysis

Health Informatics is the use of information systems and technology to develop, improve, and restructure old processes in the practice of medicine. (Balgrosky, 2015) The purpose of health informatics is optimize storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine. There are many ways that health informatics impacts health care which is to help a physician diagnose a patient better, reduce medical errors, increase patient participation, allow easier access to medical information, and improve public health. Today most all organizations that provide health care services use some type of health informatics such as an electronic health record (EHR), whether it is fully electronic or a hybrid system to achieve the ultimate goal which
is to improve quality, safety, efficiency, care coordination, and reduce disparities in health care. In this proposal there will be a discussion on the role of health informatics and the need to implement an electronic health record.
The health care industry has relied on paper-based systems to organize, store, and interpret medical information for a number of years.
Health informatics allows facilities to implement new technology such as the electronic health record (EHR), therefore giving the medical professional easy access to stored data. Adoption and implementation of the EHR is also a crucial part of ensuring the goals of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). It was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology. (HITECH, 2016) Implementing an EHR will improve the quality of care by allowing the hospital to manage patient records more efficiently, it helps to reduce medical costs by eliminating most paper used in patient documentation, and the provider can maximize clinical quality at points of decision-making to help the patient make well informed
decisions.
Implementing health informatics systems could potentially create some problems with the quality of care, the EHR is only as good as the process that is supports. As everyone knows transitioning to a new system is not always an easy thing to do because there maybe kinks that need to be worked out. If the new EHR is not supported by well-thought out processes, hospitals may invest in complex and costly technologies that create more waste in a system already burdened with disparities. Occasionally, there is an issue with interoperability between information technologies as there is a need integrate these systems throughout the hospital and share information with a network of referring hospitals. Since EHR systems allow easier access to sensitive information this creates an increased risk of privacy violations so setting up security measures is the key to avoiding any issues. While the objective is to increase productivity in the hospital a significant drop in productivity should be expected and possibly revenue loss, in the first several weeks, perhaps longer until training is completed.
New health informatics is being developed everyday so health care providers are expected to integrate this new technology into the current processes to help improve the quality of patient care.
Every provider needs to access patient health records which gives the medical professional an opportunity to review prior health conditions, surgeries, and current medications. The EHR streamlines the retrieval process and allows access to information in real-time from any health care facility. Patients can often be misdiagnosed or receive a prescription with an incorrect dosage, but the new technology will help to evaluate patient health in an electronic format to reduce the regularity of medical errors and mistakes. There are potential risks with storing and accessing any data electronically, but encryption software and adding security measures will help to safeguard this information. Health informatics is designed to help providers and organizations strengthen the safety of this data through self-assessment and proper technological training. (Willison,
2016)
The overall goal of medical informatics in an EHR implementation for any hospital would be to achieve meaningful use. These objectives are divided into five main areas which are 1. Improve, Quality, Safety, and Efficiency 2. Engage Patients and Family 3. Improve Care Coordination 4. Improve Public and Population Health 5. Ensure Privacy and Security for Personal Health Information. (Health IT, 2014) Although, reaching these goals may take time and patience to implement so reviewing the major functions performed by the hospital should be considered first. Major areas of operation that should be reviewed prior to tackling any large medical informatics project would be the clinical functions, hospital functions, and health information exchanges (HIE). When you know how the hospital captures data it helps to achieve a better understanding of how it is shared through HIE and helps to support the continuum of care. (Stratis Health, 2009)