The organization and delivery of health care services in the United States today
is heavily influenced by technology. Information Systems (IS) have been designed to
cater to the health care system with a variety of ISs, each performing a function or
group of functions. Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems have emerged as advanced
clinical information systems which identify, collect, and store electronic health
information on patients. These EHR systems allow for the electronic storage of all
patient data, which may be accessed at any time. EHR systems have the capability to
increase knowledge and improve decision support services and can enhance the overall
quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare organizations
(www.healthit.gov). Since the government passed the HITECH Act back in 2009, health
care providers must transfer to storing patient data records using an electronic medium
instead of the traditional paper records. HITECH paved the way for wide-scale use of
EHR and other Clinical Information Systems technologies. These changes have had
significant impacts on the healthcare delivery system including impacts on cost and
care. The impact that EHRs can have on the quality of care results from factors such as
increases in the safety of treatment, more accurate diagnoses, quicker availability and
access of information, and increases in life expectancy (www.healthit.gov). An EHR
system can contain reminders, prompt precautionary procedures, or identify specific
patients, all which can result in improvements in the quality of care delivered by health
care organizations.
The changes may not always be so positive, as we can see in the impact that
EHR systems can have on costs. The introduction and innovation of new technologies
has a negative impact on the costs of healthcare delivery. As the text suggests,
“technology may be the single most important factor in medical cost inflation.”
(www.healthit.gov). The cost of developing or acquiring new technologies can be very
expensive, and as organizations move towards purchasing costly technologies, the cost
of care is fundamentally increased as well. The growth of Information Technology (IT)
and IS has led to technology diffusion which has impacted the entire healthcare
industry. This rapid expansion of technology has been the center of focus in the federal
government as health care costs continue to skyrocket. The amount of funding towards
research and development of new technologies has increased over the years and this is
driving competition and costs to rise. Some have turned to the government to offer a
solution to aid in controlling the growth of technology. There are proposals to withdraw
federal funding from research and development programs, or impose more controls and
regulations to the healthcare industry. However, the cultural beliefs and values of
Americans may be a major force in ultimately driving decisions in the market. The
beliefs and values are centered around less government oversight, and a private market
driven by capitalistic ideals. Because Americans desire state-of-the-art-technology and
the best medical care, it is very difficult to sway values and beliefs away from
technology diffusion (www.healthit.gov).
Technology can have both positive and negative impacts on the healthcare
industry. Advances in IT allow for the effective utilization of patient data, and
improvements in the overall quality, safety and efficiency of health care delivery. The
dependence on technology and competition have encouraged the rapid expansion of IS
technologies within the healthcare industry. Healthcare providers aim to acquire the
latest innovations and technologies, which have driven up the overall costs of
healthcare. The widespread technology diffusion within the healthcare industry has had
a negative impact by driving up costs.
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