Angela Harvey
Ohio University
National Electronic Health Records
Health information is important to every person caring for a person. If pertinent information is missed or not communicated it could be deadly. The Department of Health and Human Services developed a plan to help control this issue.
In 2004, federal government, under President Bush, developed a plan for caregivers to make it easier for patients to have access to their health records. The plan was developed to enable patients to have a better say in the healthcare they receive from all caregivers whether it be their family practitioner or hospital systems. The government has given healthcare providers a timeline to complete the goals set forth in the strategic plan. The plan has two goals patient-focused health care and population health (ONC, 2008, p. 1) Patient focused is to provide higher quality and cost-efficient care through electronic health information (ONC, 2008, p. 1). Population health is about using the health record as a way to be prepared in case of emergency (ONC, 2008, p. 1). Around each goal are four objectives to achieve the plan. Privacy and security involves exchanging information and still being able to keep the records private by developing policies and procedures to do so (ONC, 2008, p. 2). Interoperability enables movement or exchange of information to support one’s health needs (ONC, 2008, p. 2). Adoption means just a way developing technologies to promote and improve the health records (ONC, 2008, p. 2). Collaborative Governance means to establish ways to continue the use of electronic records and hold people accountable to use them.
The plan lays some great ground work for healthcare providers to use but it is up to the individual companies to hold employees and patients accountable to up hold. The idea is so everyone who comes in contact with the patient knows everything about them to better care for them. Once the plan is in
References: Endsley, S., Kibbe, D. C., Linares, A., & Colorafi, K. (2006, May). An Introduction to Personal Health Record. Family Practice Management, 13, 57-62. Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/fpm/2006/0500/p57.html Scalzi, T. (2007, September). . The VA Leads the Way in Electronic Innovations. Nursing 2007, 37, 26-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.NURSE.0000287707.86749.80 The ONC-Coordinated Federal Health Information Technology Strategic Plan 2008-2012: Using the Power of Information Technology to Transform Health and Care. (2008, June 3). , 1-11