First Discussion Topic:
Part of the HITECH Act of 2009 provided incentives to providers for using Electronic
Health Record (EHR) technology, with the criteria being that it would provide better
quality, safety and efficiency (Shi & Singh, 2019). a An EHR is a major clinical
information system that is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart which has real-time,
information that is made available to authorized users (HealthIT.gov, 2019). The EHR has
had a great deal of influence on healthcare delivery, in fact it has been instrumental in
healthcare delivery. The EHR contains patient’s medical history, diagnosis, medications,
plans, lab records, immunizations, allergies, and so much more. a All this information is
available at a glance and in real-time and is accessible by multiple authorized users in
different healthcare settings (HealthIT.gov, 2019). This has automated and streamlined
workflow among providers, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. and is able to be shared
securely and electronically across more than one health care organization, which helps
improve patient care (HealthIT.gov, 2019). Other benefits include: improved care
coordination, increased efficiency and cost savings, improved diagnostic and patient
outcomes, and increased patient participation in their own healthcare plan (HealthIT.gov,
2019).
Second Discussion Topic:
Technology diffusion has been accompanied by issues of cost, safety, benefit and risk. I
consider safety to be the most important area of focus on. Without the government, FDA
and HHS, as an example, monitoring technology for safety, there could be more harm
done than good. I believe this ties into benefit and risk as well, but feel safety is more
important because if it’s no safe, then there is limited or no benefits and high risk. Society
may adopt technology that is easily accessible and less expensive, which can post a harm
if it’s not safe. As an example, the technology with medical devices have come a long
way. The FDA regulates the sale and diagnostic testing of medical devices in the U.S. and
before it can be sold, the company must seek approval from the FDA to “present evidence
that the device is reasonable safe and effective for a particular use” (U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, 2018). a This statement by the US FDA exemplifies that need for safety to
be the utmost priority in our technology.
References:
FDA’s Role in Regulating Medical Devices. (2018, August 31). U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/home-use-
devices/fdas-role-regulating-medical-
devices#:~:text=FDA%20regulates%20the%20sale%20of,sale%20of%20medical%20devi
ce%20products.
Shi, L. & Singh, D. A. (2019). Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System (5th ed.). Jones
& Bartlett Learning. Burlington, MA.
What is an electronic health record (EHR)? 2019, September, 10). HealthIT.gov. Retrieved
from https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr
