Health Care Informatics

LESSON 7 Using Technology for Process Improvement LECTURE NOTES ______________________________________________________________________________________

Opening Comments

Health care organizations spend a considerable amount of time and resources recording information

in health records to achieve compliance with standards and regulations. This information is used to

justify the billings submitted, to provide evidence of actions taken and outcomes achieved, and to

create a history for future reference. The information is also important for use in research and quality

improvement, and it is an additional benefit to both the patient and the health care professional.

Eliminating treatments or protocols that are ineffective, excessively costly, or just no longer used by

a practice can assist providers in reducing costs and improving outcomes.

Research and Quality Improvement

Improving quality is heavily dependent on the ability of providers to access the databases of patient

records and apply scientific methods and statistical analyses, which are used to evaluate treatments

and practices so they can find superior outcomes for patients. While this can be accomplished with a

paper-based health record, it is costly to copy the records, extract information into a usable database,

and conduct the research. Having patient information in an electronic format can be a great

enhancement to collecting patient outcome information for research purposes. Parsing and extracting

information from an electronic health record can be done quickly and less costly if the record is in a

format that can be easily translated into a database. Additionally, statistical software is another

critical tool for conducting any significant analysis.

Quality improvement is an internal process used by organizations to systematically improve

processes and outcomes of health care protocols. Accessing the health information record is an

important part of the quality improvement process since it creates a record of the actions taken (i.e.,

treatments) and the outcomes achieved. Ongoing adjustments to standard operating protocols can be

made as the review of health records is conducted and evidence is developed to support better

options for care.

Evidence-based protocols allow providers to adopt treatments or processes that will reduce health

care costs, reduce recovery times, and achieve better outcomes. Without this type of information and

research, making treatment decisions are much more difficult for providers.

When conducting research, there are standards and rules for using the information, including certain

disclosures to the patient on the use of the information and the need for transparency and releases.

Using Technology Systems to Protect Information The use of paper-based health information systems do have some advantages over electronic

health information systems, especially in the area of the cost of the system, training for staff, and

the ability to copy records. However, paper-based systems are challenging when trying to limit

access to a health record. Unless health records or patient charts are secured in a locked room,

file, or other secure system, unauthorized personnel or individuals accessing the information is

quite easy. An electronic system has the capability of “locking down” access to the information

by creating security screens that only allow authorized individuals to access the record. Further,

software systems can be used to monitor who is accessing a record, when the record is accessed,

and what information was reviewed. This type of system creates an effective tool for preventing

breaches of private records.

The electronic health record can also be encrypted with very secure technology that virtually

prevents the access of personal health information unless authorized. This becomes critical when

information needs to be transferred via the Internet. This type of security also has disadvantages

by creating barriers to authorized users of the system who have multiple passwords or other log-

in techniques.