IT-based Innovations in Healthcare Services Delivery And Risk Management

According to Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS, 2018), the definition of medical informatics is the interdisciplinary study of the design, development, adoption and application of IT-based innovations in healthcare services delivery, management and planning. The importance of medical informatics is to improve the efficient delivery of healthcare, the quality of the services provided and the health outcomes across the population of the United States (Balgrosky, 2015).

There are 4 ways that health informatics improves patient care which are maintaining electronic patient records, reducing cost, less trial and error and improving the ability to self-manage illness (UIC, N.

D.). Maintaining electronic patient records is safer and easier because it allows more than one physician to view their record, less paperwork and contains the patient’s medical history which helps in emergency situations (UIC, N.D.). According to UIC (N.D.), medical errors cost the U.S. $38 billion a year and informatics have helped to lessen the errors by taken many of the labor-intensive tasks out the busy hands of the medical staff.

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There is less trial and error because the system helps in preventing allergic reactions to medications as well as dangerous interactions with medication (UIC, N.D.).

The potential problems with quality of care and information systems implementations are lack of interoperability between information technologies/EHR, cost of the set-up and maintenance, productivity, delays in documentation, e-messing between providers, the continuous need for updates and lack of accountability for doing so, HIPAA violations, empty data fields and copy and paste (Palma, 2013). Lack of interoperability between information technologies/EHR is not possible if a partner is not willing to open the lines of communication (Palma, 2013).

The cost of an EHR is often a discouragement.

because not only does the provider need to purchase the hardware and/or software but also for the setup, maintenance, training, IT support and system updates (Palma, 2013). During the initial implementation phase there is a chance for a drop-in productivity, however the goal is to increase productivity, so the drop is temporary (Palma, 2013). When it comes to documentation there is more required from the physician because they need to document before, during and after the patient’s visits, the pro to this is that the documentation offers more information for the coders that may justify a higher level of service being billed (Palma, 2013). However, the con is that it can further delays and errors because the physician’s may wait to close out their notes until later that day or even several days later which then they need to try and remember the correct information and if the patient is seeing another physician they will not be able to view the updated information (Palam, 2013).

E-messaging between providers can be a benefit but also has some negatives such as it is impersonal, for example there is no way to voice concerns or fears and interpretation can be confusing and the provider must trust that they are giving all of the information the other provider is needing (Palma, 2013). When a patient’s health record needs to be updated there should be an employee who is responsible for making these updates, for example if the patient had a surgery, there should be a clear, communicated system between all of the patient’s physicians so the updated are efficient and performed by the correct person (Palma, 2013). HIPAA violations can occur because the access to sensitive patient information is easier to access, however there are systems that have implemented a tracking of when certain files are accessed and by who (Palma, 2013). There are some EHR systems that allow for auto-population of data for new patient records which can result in inaccurate patient records if previously the auto-populated record was not current (Palma, 2013). Copy and paste is the worst.

feature of the EHR because physicians are required to document so much they rely on this feature especially with routine or follow-up visits, it can save the physicians time but can also put the patient at risk because visit can be overlooked or not documented properly (Palma, 2013).
Medical informatics seeks to solve quality of care and implementation problems by improving risk management, access to complete and accurate information, improving the ability to diagnose diseases, reduce and prevent medical errors, using prompts and reminders, quality care screenings and increase in service (HealthIT.gov., N.D.). EHR can improve risk management by providing clinical alerts and reminders, improving the aggregation, analysis, and communication of patient information, having all information such as labs in one area, preventing adverse effects by having built in safeguards against prescribing of treatments and easier consideration of all aspects of the patient’s condition (HealthIT.gov., N.D.).

When the providers have access to complete and accurate care the patients receive better medical care because it can improve the providers ability to diagnose diseases and even reduce and prevent medical errors which again improves the patient’s quality of care (HealthIT.gov, N.D.). There was high patient satisfaction on their provider using e-prescribing, the pharmacy having their prescriptions ready, being able to obtain their medications easier and fewer medication errors (HealthIT.gov, N.D.). EHR also improved quality care screenings such as for breast cancer, diabetes, chlamydia and colorectal cancer and increases the services such as blood pressure control with patients with hypertension, the recording of body mass index (BMI) and blood testing for patients with diabetes (HealthIT.gov, N.D.).