Final Milestone

1

Milestone 1

Deanna Buchanan

Southern New Hampshire University

HIM-500-Q1513

Milestone 1

In the field of health informatics, particular historical events help inform the management of health information:

1. The 1950s saw the early development of health informatics through cybernetics and information processing. This entailed professionals from various fields, such as clinical documentation and epidemiology.

2. The 1960 to 2000 period saw the evolution of data analysis and computing. Health information management was facilitated through the development of electronic medical records systems. Such systems are vital for health information management since they provide real-time patient-centered records to authorized users (Collen & Ball, 2018).

3. There is the period from 2000 to the present where stakeholders have moved to digitize healthcare processes such as information sharing, record keeping, and care coordination. 

Guidelines

           There are several guidelines for technology use that Feather fall could implement in health information management. For starters, the medical staff should get the relevant training required to utilize the technology to facilitate the effective acquisition, analysis, and protection of patient information. Training ensures they can tackle any challenges they may encounter to collect accurate data and analyze it in a way that benefits patients. Additionally, the medical staff needs to ensure that the devices they use are beyond the reach of unauthorized individuals. This is crucial in promoting patient confidentiality/privacy and securing pertinent data does not get into the wrong hands (Ozair et al., 2018). Finally, medical practitioners should provide feedback about their experiences to ensure that the technology they use can be improved in the future. 

Standard Technologies

           There are various standard technologies used in health information management. For starters, concerning record keeping, some of the traditional EHR technologies include Epic Systems and Meditech. Many institutions use these two systems due to their departmental functionality and extensive usability. RingCentral Video is a standard technology for videoconferencing that facilitates open communication and interactive communications among healthcare providers. Different practitioners can share information and work together in real-time to facilitate effective patient care. Finally, there is the use of Vendor-Neutral Archives (VNAs) and Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) when it comes to processing and storing the medical images of patients (Sirota-Cohen et al., 2019).

 

How Roles at Feather fall Interact with Technology

           The pertinent roles at Feather fall would interact with technology through a simple but effective communication system that ensures all users can get the most out of the health management technologies on offer. Currently, the staff members have poor training and no means of effectively communicating with each other regarding technology use. Also, the staff utilizes the technologies inappropriately, leading to several regulations violations. Through effective communication, the staff members can get training and real-time technical support to ensure that the technological systems available are used effectively. 

Process for Evaluating New Health Information Technology Systems

           To evaluate new health information technology systems, the systems will be checked to see the specific problems they have been designed to tackle. These should be problems that are relevant to the organization and its stakeholders. Second, the usability of the system will be evaluated. All stakeholders should have a general consensus on how easy and effective it is to use the systems. Training materials and support services should be in real-time (Sittig & Singh, 2019). Third, the system will be evaluated to see if it meets the relevant government regulations and laws and the institution's policy. This is vital in ensuring the institution is not breaking any laws and is not susceptible to lawsuits. Finally, the system will be evaluated for its cost-effectiveness. The cost of purchasing the systems and maintaining them will be considered. Ideally, the system should be easy to upgrade and maintain to facilitate sustainability. 

References

Collen, M. F., & Ball, M. J. (Eds.). (2018).  The history of medical informatics in the United States. Springer.

Ozair, F. F., Jamshed, N., Sharma, A., & Aggarwal, P. (2018). Ethical issues in electronic health records: A general overview.  Perspectives in Clinical Research,  6(2), 73.

Sirota-Cohen, C., Rosipko, B., Forsberg, D., & Sunshine, J. L. (2019). Implementation and benefits of a vendor-neutral archive and enterprise-imaging management system in an integrated delivery network.  Journal of Digital Imaging,  32(2), 211-220.

Sittig, D. F., & Singh, H. (2019). A new socio-technical model for studying health information technology in complex adaptive healthcare systems. In  Cognitive informatics for biomedicine (pp. 59-80). Springer, Cham.