N 502 Health Care Systems Module 1 Assignment
N 502 Health Care Systems Module 1 Assignment
Remember to submit your work following the file naming convention FirstInitial.LastName_M01.docx. For example, J.Smith_M01.docx. Remember that it is not necessary to manually type in the file extension; it will automatically append.
Start by reading and following these instructions:
1. Quickly skim the questions or assignment below and the assignment rubric to help you focus.
2. Read the required chapter(s) of the textbook and any additional recommended resources. Some answers may require you to do additional research on the Internet or in other reference sources. Choose your sources carefully.
3. Consider the course discussions so far and any insights gained from it.
4. Create your Assignment submission and be sure to cite your sources if needed, use APA style as required, and check your spelling.
Assignment
Complete ALL of the bullet points below:
Health care planners could be more effective and efficient if they used the concept of the natural history of disease and the levels of prevention to design services that intervene at the weakest link in the chain of progression of specific diseases. Instead, most focus on high-technology solutions to preventable problems. Assess the characteristics of the medical care culture that encourage the latter approach.
Hospitals and other health care institutions, whether voluntary or for-profit, need to be financially solvent to survive
growing market pressures. Describe how this “bottom line” focus has changed the nature of the US health care system.
The insurance industry plays a huge role in the American health care system and absorbs a significant portion of the health care dollar. A single payer system, whether it is a private company or the US government, would eliminate the complex insurance paperwork burden and free substantial funds that could be diverted to support care for the under-served. Why do you believe that so much resistance to a concept used in every other developed country has continued in the U.S.?
Please submit one APA formatted paper between 1000 – 1500 words, not including the title and reference page. The assignment should have a minimum of two scholarly sources, in addition to the textbook.
Health information systems have shaped significantly the manner in which healthcare is offered in the modern world. Its use has resulted in benefits that include enhanced efficiency in healthcare delivery and improvement in the quality of care offered to those in need. The use of health information systems have also led to a reduction in medical errors, a fact that has enhanced the safety of care given to those in need. Consequently, most institutions of healthcare have embraced the need for the use of these systems to achieve their performance objectives. Therefore, this research paper explores structure of health information system in my organization, its components, and advantages and disadvantages of using information systems.
The organization I work with utilizes health information systems to deliver its services to the diverse populations it serves. It recognizes the fact that health information systems reduce the overall costs of healthcare while increase the quality associated with the output. The organization system used in the organization I work with is simplified for easy use. The information system is divided into two where one is health information system for patient care while the other one is managerial information system. The patient information system is further divided into sub-systems that include patient management systems, clinical information system, and systems for clinical support services. The data from these systems are fed into the patient information database where it is delivered as the output in the electronic medical record. The managerial system on the other hand has its own database for managerial information. The following is its diagrammatic representation.
The health information system comprises of several standard components. One of them is the inputs. The inputs refer to the data that is fed into the system for analysis, storage, and integration into the existing organizational processes. The inputs also refer to organizational processes such as policies, equipment, infrastructure, costs, financial and human resources that are used to produce the output. The other component of health information system is indicators. The indicators are the benchmarks in which the performance of the system is measured. They provide information on the efficiency and effectiveness of the systems in delivering the set outcomes. The other component is data sources. The data sources for the health information systems is varied and includes patient data, resources used, managerial decisions, and financial reports that must be utilized in the determination of health organization’s performance (Shalowitz, 2019). The other component is data management. Data management entails the aspects of data collection, storage, handling, analysis, compilation, and flow within the system. The last component is the outputs. The outputs either can be information products or disseminated information for clinical use (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2019). The evidence of outputs includes the effectiveness and efficiency in which organizational tasks are undertaken.
The use of health information systems has significant benefits to health organizations. Health information systems allow organizations to control their operational costs. It minimizes duplication of tasks as well as automates most of the organizational tasks, hence, cost-effectiveness of its use. There is also an improvement in the safety and quality of patient care. The improvement arises from the efficiency in which decisions are made and minimization medical errors. There is also improvement in patient and provider satisfaction with care. Despite these benefits, there are challenges with the use of health information systems. One of them is the high costs of setting it up, using, and maintaining it. Organizations also face the risk of data leaks that might expose the vital data to external stakeholders. Issues of resistance to use also affect the use of health information systems in organizations (BUCHBINDER, 2019). Therefore, it is important health organizations minimize these challenges, as a way of optimizing its benefits.
References
BUCHBINDER, S. (2019). Introduction to health care management. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Mastrian, K. G., & McGonigle, D. (2019). Informatics for health professionals. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Shalowitz, J. (2019). The U.S. healthcare system: Origins, organization and opportunities. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass.
Information exchange is crucial to the effective delivery of healthcare on all fronts of care delivery system including health care organizations, care team, and political-economic environment. To treat patients effectively, practitioners must have access to critical information concerning rapidly evolving medical evidence base, patient health records, and orders given by providers to guide patient care process towards improved outcome (Davidson, Baird & Prince, 2018). As illustrated in the diagram, information on the preferences of patients, self-management, clinical information, and values they hold important need to be integrated into administrative processes through productive interactions.
Clinical organizations often face the challenge of controlling partners in the process of design and administration of own care, which requires them to access much information on decision support and communication tools such as patient usable forms Iwaya et al., 2019). Mostly, hospitals require clinical, administrative and financial information for measuring, controlling, assessing, and improving the quality of care. More so, the evolving nature of information on the productivity, quality and health status of the organization is important for providers of care to execute enabling regulatory oversight, advance and protect the public health, disseminate new medical evidence and knowledge, accelerate research, and assess new forms of care.
Most healthcare related communication technologies concentrate on the administrative side of the organization as a business, rather than for clinical care. Therefore, such underinvestment in care has provided little progress towards meeting the communication needs of providers, clinics, hospitals, board regulatory, and patients (Cavalcante et al., 2018). Conclusively, information exchange is crucial to the strategic and tactical application of system engineering tools at the levels of the information systems, mostly in the application of risk analysis and enterprise management tools at the environmental and organizational levels.
References
Cavalcante, R. B., Vasconcelos, D. D., Gontijo, T. L., Guimaraes, E. A. A., Machado, R. M., & de, . V. C. (January 01, 2018). Computerization of primary health care information systems: Advances and challenges. Cogitare Enfermagem, 23, 3.)
Davidson, E., Baird, A., & Prince, K. (January 01, 2018). Opening the envelope of health care information systems research. Information and Organization, 28(3), 140-151.
Iwaya, L. H., Fischer-Hübner, S., Åhlfeldt, R.-M., Martucci, L., Privacy and Security, & Karlstads universitet. (January 01, 2019). Mobile Health Systems for Community-Based Primary Care: Identifying Controls and Mitigating Privacy Threats. Jmir Mhealth and Uhealth, 1-16.