Health Information Exchange Research Paper

Healthcare providers and patients have since been allowed to securely access and share medical information electronically using the electronic health information exchange (HIE) system, thus improving quality care, safety, cost and swiftness.

Regulation placed upon the healthcare system only seek to improve safety and security of the patients we care for. The enactment of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and the enactment of Meaningful Use Act the United States government has set strict regulations on the security of health information and has allotted for stricter penalties for non-compliance. The advancement of electronic health record (EHR) systems has brought greater fluidity and compliance with healthcare but has also brought greater security risk of protected information. In order to ensure compliance with government standards organizations must adapt

Joining the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) benefits individuals and distinguishes them apart from others. AHIMA labels individual’s as competent, knowledgeable and committed to the association through quality healthcare delivery and quality information.

A Health Information Exchange, or HIE, is technology that enables the electronic movement of health-related information among health care providers and others. HIEs are an

The current healthcare is quite complex as healthcare is provided to a number of patient in a number different facilities and providers who do not share the same EMR. So, in other words healthcare is fragmented, however HIE is perceived to solve this problem. As part of the affordable health care reform, HIE have been views as the medium to securely share electronic patient health information across different faculties or providers (Bhansal & Gupta, 2014). Analyzing the statistical use, “in U.S. more than 100 organizations facilitate HIEs among provider organizations, and 30% of hospitals and 10% ambulatory clinics participate” (Rudin, Motala, Goldzweig, & Shekelle, 2014). There are countless benefits of implementing HIEs such as provide coordinated care, which might eventually reduce medical errors and improve patient safety (Bhansal & Gupta, 2014). Additionally, it can also reduce medical costs by avoiding duplicated services. Furthermore, the availability of patient health information especially at the emergency department is perceived to have a positive effect on both patient safety and quality care. However, these HIEs face a number of challenges including “lack of funding, concerns about privacy and security, technical issues, organizational concerns” (Bhansal & Gupta, 2014).

Key activities such as Health Information Exchange and Patient engagement are reported in this category and the 90-day reporting requirement is like other measures as above. CMS is more flexible with the reporting of the electronic patient information for the first year which is believed to change in coming years. However, reporting measures like public health will earn bonus points for them(3)

Sample Policy and Procedure TITLE: Security of protected information stored in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) DEPT: HIM SERVICES SUBMITTED BY: Madison Rogers DATE: June 1, 2017 APPROVED BY: Denice Saunders DATE: June 1, 2017 Effective Date: June 1, 2017 Purpose Design a policy and procedure for the security and monitoring of Protected Health Information (PHI) in your organization’s EHR policy.

Emergency department’s health care information exchange was a proven factor in the Hawthorne effect. “The health care information exchange is a new type of electronic medical record that enables appropriate information sharing between caregivers at multiple health care facilities within a given region”( The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2014). This system was able to survey patients who go to different medical facilities for treatment and medications. Patients who answered the survey were very truthful with their answers because of fear of being monitored. It saved medical providers time, cost effective and they were able to treat patients accordingly. Their response lead to quality care improvement across the board in treating patients

Health Information Exchange is the electronic movement of healthcare information amongst organizations according to the national standards. HIE as it is widely known, serves the purpose of providing a safe, timely, and efficient way of accessing or retrieving patient clinical data. Health Information Exchange allows for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other vital healthcare professionals to have appropriate access and securely share vital medical information regarding patient care. Health Information Exchange has been in efforts of developing for over 20 years in the United States. In 1990 the Community Health Management Information Systems (CHMIS) program was formed by the Hartford Foundation to foster a development of a centralized data repository in seven different geographically defined communities. Many of the communities struggled in securing a cost-effective technology with interoperable data sources and gaining political support. In the mid-1990s a similar initiative began known as the Community Health Information Networks (CHINs) with the intention of sharing data between providers in a more cost-effective manner. In 2004, the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research Health Information Technology Portfolio was funded $166 million in grants and contracts to improve the quality and safety to support more patient-centered care. This was the beginning of the progress we have seen in HIE today. Health Information Exchange devolvement serves the purpose of improving

Whether you know it or not, HIM professionals have been managing patient health information for decades. We know the importance of accuracy, accountability, reliability, documented policies and procedures, and standardization. In recent years, HIM have become familiar with technology and can help protect data integrity and breaches. Therefore, the HIM has the ability to move an information governance program forward. HIM could also share their knowledge and educate other department on compliant information access and disclosure.

Physicians are apprehensive about the validity of data entered by patients. Thus, “…existing medical information should not be reentered into a PHR but rather that medical records, should be shared, with PHRs being one access point” (Witry, Doucette, Daly, Levy, & Chrischilles, 2010). Hence, a solution may be installing a health information exchange system to achieve this. Fictitious health data in a PHR might imply the need for narcotics when a patient visits an emergency department. However, this is the wrong call. According to Witry, Doucette, Daly, Levy and Chrischilles (2010), “…PHRs should draw verified information from the patient’s medical record”. This will prevent erroneous errors from occurring.

In the early 2000’s a new type of HIE organization began to “pop up.” These organizations, called Regional Health Information Organizations (or RHIOs) were local, neutral organizations bringing providers in a community together for the purposes of HIE. RHIOs are usually made up of representatives from a variety of provider organizations in a given area. And consistent with the new national focus on quality (as ignited by the Institute of Medicine reports), RHIOs were mainly focused on improving quality in their communities.

In order for U.S healthcare success, shifting attention from policy and payment to the engineering and deliberate design, to do more with less money. Call for endless debate and start to apply engineering continuously for quality output and best economic discoveries to get benefit.

The healthcare industry comprises diverse healthcare organizations, covered entities, and third parties. In turn they provide services via health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), point of service (POS), and demonstrate their ability to share and exchange data via data interoperability technologies such as Health Level 7 (HL7), Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM), and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE). This flow of information must follow proper Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) guidelines to safeguard the patient’s private and confidential information. To collaborate with diverse entities, workflow management must flow from one entity to another while simultaneously maintaining the CIA (confidentiality, integrity, and availability) triad (Hernandez, 2015).

The terms data and information are often used interchangeably, however, with health information management, there are differences. Health information begins with data which are items, observations or raw facts.