Discussion: "Health Information Technology Barriers"

Please respond to the following:

• Rank the four broad categories of barriers to health information technology that are discussed in the textbook from the greatest to the least. Next, identify at least one additional barrier that is not discussed in the textbook, and suggest a strategy to overcome the barrier in question. Provide a rationale to support your response.

• Analyze the fundamental manner in which the clinical information systems might affect patient care safety, quality, efficiency, and outcomes. Provide one example to support your response.

Administering health care with all the new rules and regulations in place, it may be difficult overcome all the obstacles. They have expanded these barriers so that patients are treated cost efficiently and correctly. The four barriers that are involved in healthcare are Financial, Technical, Organizational/Behavioral, and Privacy and Security.

One of the most challenging barriers is the technical aspect. With the now use of EHR systems, administrators are having to adapt to using these software's. There are a few available but each one has its pro's and con's. Some may have a higher expense and some may be more difficult to implement and use. You also have to train the staff to use it correctly.

The next area of concern would be privacy and security. As much as software developers can encrypt and have firewalls, other programs can decipher and overcome firewalls just as easily. The hacking industry has definitely gotten much worse over the years. Hackers have learned and taught others this deceitful practice. I have seen many news stories of hackers gaining access to some of the largest companies.

Organizational and Behavioral would entail how the physician interacts with the patient with the use of a HER system. It has become more impersonal and difficult to decipher whether the physician is listening to the patient's concerns. To overcome this difficulty, they should outfit rooms where the physicians is interacting with the patient and can document on the chart at a later time. They need to ensure they are obtaining the information that is needed.

The financial stability of a practice can start with its challenges. To overcome this impediment they should make sure they have the financial resources they need to keep the business running. From obtaining a loan from a bank, investors, or their own monetary stake, they should have that in place prior to making any financial decisions to start, continue, or expand a business. With the use of EHR, they should have a budget in place to allow for this.

Staffing would be a barrier that every health care facility would encounter. From hospitals, to smaller healthcare facilities. The management would decide what type of skills and knowledge that staff needs to have prior to hiring. Away to surmount this challenge is to ask for references and contact other well known medical practices in the area. (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, (2013), Pages 164-167)

In any medical care setting you need to have many important things set into place so that everything runs smoothly. There are many directions that one may go on a daily basis. There are day-to-day operations, patient treatment and employee challenges. The healthcare system is always improving and shifting.

An organization that has taken many steps to improve quality is the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Their goal is "Build practical improvement potential into each health care structured business...at all levels." Two subjects that they work on are maternal mortality and better outcomes when a patient is discharged. (Institute for Healthcare Improvement,(2017), ihi.org)

Another association that has paved the way for improved health care is the Joint Commission. Their main objective is to develop an improved way of treating patients. They want the experience of the individual to go as smooth as possible. The Joint Commission also works with any health care provider and certifies them when they perform the tasks properly and up to their level. (The Joint Commission, (2017), jointcommission.org )

One additional measure that a health care organization could examine, would be patient satisfaction. It's always good to know whether the patient feels they were treated efficiently and appropriately.

One quality measure that would reduce medical errors would be a check and balance for every document. The check and balance would have the person stop and confirm that all the information that they are writing or conveying is correct. If they are able to avoid distractions then mistakes may be avoided.

Another quality measure would be communication. Often time's patients feel that they are receiving unnecessary testing or treatments. If the physicians, nurses and support staff are able to properly explain this to them, then it could avoid any future problems. If a patient feels they are a part of the process, then {post treatment} all should go smoothly.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement, (2017),"Improvement Capability".

The Joint Commission, (2017), "Mission and Vision Statement".

Wager, K.A., Lee, F.W., & Glaser, J.P. (2013). Healthcare information systems: A practical approach for health care management(3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Pages 164-167.