Implementing plan on EHR system

Electronic Health Record (EHR)

Frances Ogbankwa

HCM 690-Healthcare Informatics Capstone

Electronic Health Record

This paper aims to help people understand the federal electronic health record (EHR) mandate by describing critical EHR deployment methodologies and laying out the federal "meaningful use" requirement that persons must satisfy to comply with the mandate. I'll discuss how my institution is doing in terms of these critical tasks and whether or not it is on pace to use the EHR system effectively in the future.

Whether the technology in question is electronic health records or not makes no difference. In every technology context, confidentiality and the preservation of legal privacy rights are vital. Among other things, this paper will look at HIPAA, the vulnerabilities of electronic health records (EHRs), and my institution's attempts to stay in compliance with HIPAA while securing patient data as a result of this incident.

The projected benefits of integrating EHRs in a healthcare context, according to Slight et al. (2015), include enhanced clinical quality, patient safety, and efficiency, as well as the preservation of patient privacy and security. In 2009, Congress approved the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which established a nationwide health information network in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008. It was an essential part of the plan to help the country get back on its feet. The Office of the National Coordinator produced a report on the issue for Health Information Technology (ONC) in 2014. In 2014, it was made available for the first time. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) made it clear that the US government intended for everyone in its healthcare system to use interoperable EHR systems, including this provision. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (2014), the Affordable Care Act (ACA,) and other Obama administration programs were created to assist patients in receiving better treatment for less money by utilizing more health information technology, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. Another promise of the Affordable Care Act is that more excellent health care will be made available to low-income people through Medicaid, a government-run healthcare program with strict requirements, including limits on how often electronic health records are utilized.

One of the critical purposes of the HITECH Act's EHR mandate is to encourage people to utilize health information technology more frequently, guarantee that data is safe and interoperable, ensure that people receive better treatment, and ensure that people are healthy in their communities and at home (OCN, 2014). Each of these five objectives has been separated into three and six-year periods to allow better flexibility and time to carry them out efficiently, according to a study issued by OCN in 2014. (OCN, 2014). Maintaining the confidentiality and security of your health information or aiding in the provision of high-value health care are two examples, according to an OCN study issued in 201. Each goal is broken into fourteen different goals. The President's Executive Order on Health Information Technology, issued before President George W. Bush signed the HITECH Act, had two main goals: patient-centered therapy and enhancing the community's general health (OCN, 2008). In 2008, the OCN produced a paper indicating that

According to the Office of the Chief Nursing Officer (OCN), there are six critical phases to implementing the EHR mandate. Employees at a firm must decide whether or not they are ready to use an EHR. Next, they must design a plan and choose a certified electronic health record (EHR). They must also train and install the system, certify it, utilize it, and maintain it in good working condition. The OCN recommends that the first step speaks about the organization's goals, needs, and financial and technological readiness to implement an EHR system when it comes to assessing readiness. To design a strategy that incorporates all of the company's electronic aspects in the second stage, an evaluation of the business completed in the first stage is necessary. Third, the company's implementation team will use the previous stages' research and planning to choose which EHR system is best for them. The electronic health record system was then constructed. The fourth phase is personnel training, including live training, dress rehearsals, and pilot testing, among other things. According to the rest of this article, attaining meaningful use of an EHR necessitates implementing it to make it easier for users to interact with the system electronically. We analyze the company's goals and priorities and improve processes and patient outcomes in the third stage, which the OCN (2019) refers to as continuous quality improvement.

Earlier this year, my organization decided to acquire Meditech, a new electronic health record system. In the first step, the hospital gathered a group of employees and the directors of several departments to examine if each department was ready to move to electronic records. During the planning phase, team members were required to look for flaws in the current electronic health record system. In this way, they'd be able to pick and choose which providers to invite to presentations. The hospital asked three potential software suppliers to showcase their wares based on this information. The certified EHR system was chosen by vote or by team members. The government contributed funds to help the system, and these funds were then used to fund the project. The quality department uses Meditech data to improve operations and minimize incidents as part of the hospital's ongoing efforts to improve quality. Furthermore, departmental key performance indicators (KPIs) are recorded and reported to department supervisors, who work with frontline employees to remedy any issues.

It was one of the four components of the HITECH Act's new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System. One of the program's components was the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, sometimes known as "meaningful use" (2019). Persons must consciously utilize certified EHR technology to make it easier to transmit electronic health information with others to qualify for meaningful use. This adds to the overall enhancement of care quality (CDC, 2020). In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report. The initial steps of "meaningful use" were created in 2015, with electronic data collection mandated and patients receiving electronic copies of their health records. CEHRT was utilized for continuous quality improvement and better-organized information exchange in the subsequent two phases. In the third stage, CEHRT was employed to enhance patients' health (CDC, 2020). In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report.

Patients and their families should be more involved in their treatment, and as a result, care coordination should improve. People should also endeavor to live healthier lifestyles and keep their medical information private and secure. The phrase "meaningful use" refers to a set of requirements that must be met by practitioners who are rewarded for using electronic health record systems (Slight et al., 2015).

Due to concerns about efficiency, my hospital may not accept a significant number of patients, based on my observations. Several people have complained about Meditech. It is not highly user-friendly when compared to other systems. Staff at our local hospital and students at Ohio State University do not utilize it. Furthermore, their training might have made them less effective in their jobs. Online training must be performed in modules, according to COVID-19. Because they did not have enough or no internet connectivity, several of my employees in remote places could not watch the courses. As a result, the transition has been more complex, with less "buy-in" from employees. Making meaningful use of limited resources, on the other hand, needs considerable care coordination. It is probable that now that the hospital is a member of the same organization, it will be able to achieve success in this field. Every hospital staff member has access to each other's notes, allowing them to work more efficiently together and deliver better patient care.

Health records in electronic form have been proven beneficial to the healthcare system, and this is factual. These are some of the reasons why electronic health records (EHRs) are becoming more and more significant in healthcare systems, in addition to the need to reduce medical costs. It has been a long time since electronic health records have significantly impacted the healthcare system. Clinical treatment, administrative chores, clinical research, financial applications, and reporting can benefit from electronic health records (EHRs). EHRs should be more than just a digital copy of a paper medical file.

Additionally, they have access to a consolidated picture of patient data and clinical decision support resources. When it comes to maintaining and administering a healthcare facility, data and information management systems are necessary. Additionally, they must adhere to the accrediting agency's standards, keep track of their goals, and adhere to any restrictions. The healthcare business makes extensive use of electronic health records (EHRs). Data gathered from this study might be used to make better judgments on the usage of EHR features in various healthcare settings.

According to Burkhardt and Nathaniel, HIPAA was designed to protect the privacy and security of electronic transactions and communications, including information about patients' health and medical records (2014) (PHI). Access controls (such as passwords and PIN numbers), data encryption, and audit trails that show who has accessed your protected health information (PHI), what changes have been made to it, and when the access or changes happened are all required by HIPAA requirements. These safeguards are referred to as "audit trails''. According to the Office for Civil Rights, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights (OCR), When a patient's privacy is breached, health care workers must report to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

If there is a breach of PHI that affects more than 500 people in one place, do not keep silent. The acts of primary and secondary users and the technology environment jeopardize protected health information (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). When EHR users, such as nurses and physicians, are hacked, Burkhardt and Nathaniel feel it is serious. Secondary users, such as third-party payers, may be denied access to PHI, and technology may be deficient in encryption measures or disposal processes, leading to PHI being made public. Allowing an unauthorized person to view a computer screen containing PHI or anonymous individuals hacking EHR systems to get crucial PHI are examples of PHI breaches. Given the high occurrence of insider breaches in the healthcare industry, this is especially troubling (Gaia et al., 2020).

The hospital's Meditech EHR system applies security measures (PHI) to secure protected health information. Meditech acquired grant money since it met all federal standards, creating it.

To obtain access to the Meditech system, primary users must enter a password. Each employee has a different degree of access, which helps to prevent breaches that harm the primary user. As a result, access to a patient's information is limited, and protected health information (PHI) is only given to those required.

The Meditech system additionally encrypts data, making decryption very difficult (if not impossible) for hackers once they have access to it. Finally, electronic health record systems can significantly improve the overall quality of patient care and its efficiency and safety throughout the healthcare business. The specific guidelines supplied by the federal government help develop and implement legislation governing the use of this technology. Such ideas are critical to the outcome of treatment because of the sensitive information that patients give while seeking therapy. By following the laws and regulations, you will achieve your goals.

The federal EHR requirement, screening for meaningful use, analyzing quality improvements, and adopting HIPAA-compliant protection, among other things, can make positive results from electronic health records a reality.

References

Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2014). Ethics & issues in contemporary nursing (4th ed.).

Cengage Learning.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, September 17). Public health and promoting interoperability programs. EHR meaningful use.

Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (n.d.). Privacy, security, and electronic health records. Your rights under HIPAA.

Gaia, J., Wang, X., Yoo, C. W., & Sanders, G. L. (2020). Good news and bad news about incentives to violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): Scenario-based questionnaire study. Journal of Medical Internet Research Medical Informatics, 8(7), 880-895.

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. (2008, June 3). The ONC-coordinated federal health information technology strategic plan: 2008-2012.

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Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. (2014). Federal health IT strategic plan 2015-2020.

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. (2019, April 16). Where can I find a step-by-step approach for electronic health record implementation?