Community and Health Information Networks

Discussion Questions: Health Information Systems

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Discussion Questions: Health Information Systems

The key advantage of integrating a computerized physician order entry system (COPE) and a clinical decision support system (CDSS) as part of an organization’s electronic health records entails improved quality and efficiency. Using the approaches would minimize the chances of human error, improve decision making, and improve overall patient safety.

• From the e-Activity, determine a key trend that supports the implementation of either a community health information network (CHIN) or regional health information organizations (RHINO) in today’s health care organizations. Justify your response.
• A community health information network (CHIN) means a system of web-based interconnected computer networks that facilitate the sharing and accessing information electronically by healthcare entities(Shapiro, Mostashari, Hripcsak, Soulakis, & Kuperman, 2011). In contrast, a regional health information organization (RHINO) is a group of entities within a specific locality that have an interconnected network of healthcare information with regards to the standards of healthcare information technology(Shapiro, Mostashari, Hripcsak, Soulakis, & Kuperman, 2011). Both community health information network (CHIN) and regional health information organization (RHINO) are both models of the National Healthcare Infrastructure.
• At first, community health information network (CHIN) and regional health information organizations (RHINO) did not work, or were inefficient. However, in today’s health care organizations, they are back, and are presumably bringing better connections than ever. The key trend that is influencing the implementation of community health information network (CHIN) or regional health information organization (RHINO) is the desire to improve physician access to information as well as the need to increase patient safety while lowering the costs of healthcare access(Shapiro, Mostashari, Hripcsak, Soulakis, & Kuperman, 2011). These trends have fueled a sharp rise in the level of interest and activity among doctors and health systems in creating local health information networks. As such, it is safe to say that the key factors as to why interest in health information networks is surging is that physicians, hospitals, and health systems are under pressure to improve patient safety, lower healthcare access costs, and increase access to information.
• Create an argument that the benefits outweigh the challenges when transitioning from CHIN to RHINO. Provide support for your argument.
• The benefits of transitioning from community health information network (CHIN) to regional health information organization (RHINO) outweigh the challenges. The reason for this is that the establishment of CHIN entails the linking of users with a single organization within a community while the establishment of RHINO entails interconnecting numerous organizations. In this sense, RHINO exhibits the advantage of adversity in terms of the kind of information and resources as compared to CHIN. Nevertheless, establishment of RHINO involves hefty investments.
• Suggest a significant advantage to integrating a computerized physician order entry system (COPE) and a clinical decision support system (CDSS), as part of an organization’s EHR. Provide support for your rationale.

Without a doubt, electronic database systems are more efficient as compared to paper health records. The reason for this is that electronic database systems minimize errors, promote safety, privacy, and security as compared to paper health records(Abdelhak, Grostick, & Hanken, 2014). Electronic health records are associated with various advantages and disadvantages.

• Take a position on whether paper health records or electronic database systems are more efficient. Support your rationale. Next, determine three advantages and three disadvantages to the use of electronic medical records. Justify your analysis.

To begin with are the advantages. Researchers have examined the benefits of electronic health records by considering local, organizational, and social outcomes. As such, the first advantage of electronic health records is in the sense of clinical outcomes whereby they lead to improvements in the quality of care, reduction of medical errors, and other improvements in patient-level measures that describe appropriateness of care(Abdelhak, Grostick, & Hanken, 2014). The second advantage is based on organizational outcomes whereby electronic health records lead to better financial and operational performance, as well as satisfaction among patients and clinicians. The final advantage is based on societal outcomes whereby electronic health records allow better research and an overall achievement of improved population health.

In contrast are the disadvantages of electronic health records. To begin with are financial issues. Electronic health records are costly in the sense of adoption and implementation costs, ongoing maintenance costs, and loss of revenue as a result of temporary loss of productivity(Hersh, 2004). The second disadvantage entails disruption of workflows for medical staff and providers, and as a result, lost productivity. Finally are risks of patient privacy violation, as well as security issues(Hersh, 2004). Patients are increasingly becoming concerned about the levels of health information being exchanged electronically, which means a threat to the safety and privacy of their health data.

References

Abdelhak, M., Grostick, S., & Hanken, M. A. (2014). Health information: Management of a strategic resource. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Hersh, W. (2004). Health care information technology: progress and barriers.JAMA, 292(18), 2273-2274.

Shapiro, J. S., Mostashari, F., Hripcsak, G., Soulakis, N., & Kuperman, G. (2011). Using health information exchange to improve public health. American journal of public health, 101(4), 616-623.