Health Information
Patient Health Information

Information privacy and security in healthcare is an issue of growing significance in the U.S. Having taken up the position of office manager in a healthcare organization that is in the process of automating its health processes, I have identified a number of factors that I may have to take into consideration to ensure that the information systems developed are in compliance with the professional standards of practice, facility policy, as well as the various state and federal laws and regulations that govern the confidentiality and privacy of e-health information. These factors include privacy and confidentiality legislation, the benefits of having an effective system of information flow within an organization, the role of health information in reducing abuse and fraud in such processes of billing, standards governing health information, and ways of ensuring compliance with the said standards.

Importance of Computerized ecord-Keeping in Healthcare Organizations

Investing in effective health…...

mla

References

Dalrymple, P.W. & Scherrer, C.S. (1998). Tools for Improvement: A Systematic Analysis and Guide to Accreditation by the JCAHO. Bull Medical Library Association, 86(1), 10-16.

Rodriguez, L. (2011). Privacy, Security, and Electronic Health Records. Health IT Buzz. Retrieved 15 December 2014  http://www.healthit.gov/buzz-blog/privacy-and-security-of-ehrs/privacy-security-electronic-health-records/ 

Appari, A. & Johnson, M.E. (2008). Information Security and Privacy in Healthcare: Current State of Research. Dartmouth University. Retrieved 15 December from  http://www.ists.dartmouth.edu/library/416.pdf

Salary and benefits

The salary earned depends to a large extent on the responsibility held by the individuals. In general, the more the responsibility, the higher the salary. In a survey conducted in 2008 by AHIMA, the average salary was $57,370. The salary for a IS/IT Director is $96,640, other director is $90,740, security officer is $83,000, consultant is $76,267, HIM Director is $73,376, compliance officer is $72,218, other officer is $66,491, privacy officer is $64,449, manager is $64,225, Data/systems analyst is $58,232, supervisor is $50,362, coding professional is $43,359, other technician roles is $43,042 and administrative support is $32,671 respectively. These salary levels are likely to increase as demand for HIS professionals increase in the next few years.

Employment

HIS professionals are employed by hospitals and clinics to maintain patient's records. They are also hired by research facilities and Government departments that are looking to gather information about patients to use them…...

mla

References

Government of Alberta. (July 2010). Health Information Management Professional. Retrieved from:  http://alis.alberta.ca/occinfo/Content/RequestAction.asp?aspAction=GetHTMLProfile&format=html&OCCPRO_ID=71002536 

Health Information Exchange. (September 16, 2010). ONCHIT HITECH and funding opportunities. Retrieved from: http://healthinformationexchanges.org/onchit-hitech-and-funding-opportunities/

Darlymple, Prudence; Nancy, Roderer. (2010). Education for health information professionals: Perspectives from health informatics in the U.S. Education for information. 28 (1). p45-55.

J. Kampov-Polevoi and B.M. Hemminger. (Apr 2010). Survey of biomedical and health care informatics programs in the United States, J Med Libr Assoc 98(2), 178 -- 181

Health Information
Improving Healthcare with Personal Health Records (PHRs)

ith the inception of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2012, the United States began undertaking the most dramatic reconfiguration of its healthcare system since Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. As part of an innovative strategy for improving the healthcare system's efficiency, for producing better health outcomes and for reducing wasteful spending, the Affordable Care Act has made as one of its foci the continued integration of Health Information Technology into everyday care strategies. Due substantially to technology-related initiatives subordinate to the Affordable Care Act, it is incumbent upon Health Information Systems Managers to remain abreast of and compliant with evolving laws.

Discussion:

This is an especially salient issue for Health Information Systems Managers in the face of the federal government's Readmission Reduction Initiative. Over the next several years, hospitals and other healthcare provider facilities will be required to meet standards for the reduction…...

mla

Works Cited:

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). (2012). Personal Health Records (PHR). Medicare.gov.

Health information published by government agencies is likely to be factual, but should also be cross-referenced with the most reliable sources of such information, such as peer-reviewed medical journals and material published by fully accredited medical institutions of higher learning.
Board certified, practicing medical professionals are generally good sources of reliable health information, but sometimes they may choose to write about topics outside of their formal training. Likewise, because medicine is a dynamic field that always progresses, even sources that were qualified as authoritative when they were published can provide erroneous information, in light of more modern knowledge. More subtle types of questionable health information sources include materials published or commissioned by for-profit business entities, including those run by qualified health professional, in that the information they choose to publish might be perfectly accurate, but presented out of context or in the absence of equally relevant information to the contrary,…...

mla

References

Allison, G. (2004). Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe.

New York: Times Books.

Dershowitz, a. (2002) Shouting Fire: Civil Liberties in a Turbulent Age.

New York: Little Brown & Co.

Health Information Technology System
Hospital Information Technology System

Over the years, improvement of service provision within this medical institution has been of massive essence. This has led to the establishment of a number of measures to enhance service delivery one of which constitutes the development of a variety of information systems within the organization. The information technology system under consideration here was established with the view of enhancing operations within all the departments of the hospital. It covers the needs of all those who visit the establishment which offers both inpatient and outpatient services. This facility is a government hospital. Its stakeholders therefore include the state, the patients, the staff and other Non-Governmental Organizations who provide auxiliary services to the hospital among others. The number of departments within the institution and taken care of by this system are numerous and include; the finance, communication, records and housekeeping, laboratory, emergency, marketing departments just…...

mla

Reference

Cummings, H (2006) Management Information Systems for the Information Age, Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson

Felt-Lisk, S (2006) New Hospital Information Technology: is it helping to Improve Quality? Washington: Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

Frisch, E (2001) Essential System Administration, O'Reilly

Olmeda, C (2000) Information Technology in Systems of Care, Delfin Press

If healthcare information has been disclosed without consent of the patient, it is important to treat this as a breach of confidentiality contract and patient must be informed. Compliance with privacy clauses of AARA is very important because non-compliance can result in serious legal problems for physicians and hospitals. If HIPAA laws are not adhered too, the Act makes provision for legal action where violating party can face serious financial penalties.
The main reason behind this is the fact that medical information is highly secure and confidential. Any violation means violation of a person's private space and his right to self-protection through confidential use of medical services. For this reason while the government wants enhanced IT capabilities for healthcare sector including use of electronic health records, it also seeks to protect patients from undue or fraudulent use of their medical information. Thus it grants state attorney general the right to…...

Health Information Privacy Legislation
The relevance of protecting the personal health information of the residents of Prince Edward Island (PEI) cannot be overstated. Towards that end, I propose that you introduce legislation that would protect as well as limit access to the individually identifiable health information of residents of the province. Such legislation should ideally address who can have access to or receive a consumer's health information. As you may already know, in Canada, the privacy of consumers "is protected at the federal level by the Privacy Act…and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)" (Kristoffersson, Schmidtke and Cassiman, 2010). Prince Edward Island (PEI) unlike other provinces in Canada has no health privacy legislation in place.

In basic terms, patient privacy according to Kirch (2008) "is the right and desire of a person to control the disclosure of personal health information." With no health information privacy legislation in place,…...

mla

References

Gostin, L.O. (2008). Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (2nd ed.). California: University of California Press.

Jones, S. & Groom, F.M. (Eds.). (2011). Information and Communication Technologies in Healthcare. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Kirch, W. (Ed.). (2008). Encyclopedia of Public Health: Volume 1: A-H Volume 2: I -- Z. New York, NY: Springer.

Kristoffersson, U., Schmidtke, J.J. & Cassiman, J.J. (Eds.). (2010). Quality Issues in Clinical Genetic Services. New York: Springer.

Health Information Technology (HIT)
Under the terms of the current financial and regulatory environment, it is highly incumbent upon healthcare institutions to operate utilizing the most current and compliant Health Information Technology (HIT). But implementation and maintenance are not sufficient alone to ensure that an adopted strategy is achieving its desired or optimal outcomes, particularly not in an era of such fast-moving change for the healthcare industry. This is why, beyond implementation and maintenance, proper evaluation of implemented systems is an absolute necessity. The dimensions of this evaluation are discussed here below.

Strategies for Evaluation:

Conducting an evaluation of a recently implemented or long-ingrained HIT system can be a distinct challenge. This is because there are many factors to consider when rendering a meaningful assessment. Most comprehensive HIT systems will be designed to integrate a wide range of functionalities relating to one's Electronic Health Record, the ability to engage in a state…...

mla

Works Cited:

American Nurses Association (ANA). (2007). Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice. American Nurses Association.

Nahm, E., Vaydia, V., Ho, D., Scharf, B., & Seagull, J. (2007). Outcomes assessment of clinical information system implementation: A practical guide. Nursing Outlook, 55(6), 282-288.e2.

Rahimi, B., & Vimarlund, V. (2007). Methods to evaluate health information systems in healthcare settings: A literature review. Journal of Medical Systems, 31(5), 397-432.

Wyatt, J. (2010). Assessing and improving evidence-based health informatics research. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 151, 435-445.

It is at this point when staff members can reduce errors and enhance their ability to understand the patient's condition. This will lead to a transformation in the way they are able to interact and comprehend the best approaches for dealing with them over the long-term. (Jamal, 2009)
Furthermore, Umscheid (2010) found that use of technology in a health care environment will reduce costs, improve their ability to adapt with changes inside the industry and enhance quality / safety. This is because these tools will reduce any kind of overlap in personnel and it will improve staff members' ability to respond to these issues. When this happens, they will be capable of offering the latest treatment options and it can control the expenses for providing these services to cliental. (Umscheid, 2010)

These ideas are showing how the practice will be more flexible in dealing with critical challenges and quickly evolving with…...

mla

References

Hynes, D. (2009). Use of Health Information Technology. Society of General Internal Medicine, 25, 44 -- 49.

Jamal, a. (2009). The Impact of Health Information Technology. Health Information Management Journal, 38 (3).

Umscheid, C. (2010). Hospital-Based Comparative Effectiveness Centers. Society of General Internal Medicine, 25 (12), 1352 -- 1355.

for-Profit Business/Consulting
Health Information Technology (HIT) is a term that is used to refer to comprehensive management and control of health information throughout computerized systems and its safe exchange between various stakeholders in the health care system. Health Information Technology has emerged as the most significant and promising technique for enhancing the safety, quality, and efficiency of the delivery of health care services. HIT is viewed as a tool that will enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care, enhance productivity and efficiency in this industry, lessen health care costs and errors, expand access to affordable care services, and lessen paperwork. As a result, Health Information Technology is increasingly applied in various segments in the health care industry including for-profit consulting business that deals with various HIT functions like coding and billing consultants.

Gen Consulting

An example of a for-profit consulting business that deals with the HIT (Health Information Technology) functions like coding…...

mla

References

Education Portal. (n.d.). Health Information Technology Job Information & Requirements.

Retrieved November 24, 2014, from  http://education-portal.com/articles/Health_Information_Technology_Professionals_Job_Information_and_Requirements_for_a_Career_in_the_Health_Technologies.html 

"Health IT Legislation and Regulations." (2014, September 25). Policymaking, Regulation & Strategy. Retrieved from Health IT Government website:  http://www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers-implementers/health-it-legislation-and-regulations 

Gen Consulting. (2014). Setting the Standard. Retrieved November 24, 2014, from  http://3genconsulting.com/

Health Information Exchange The U.S. government established Health Information Exchange (HIE) to help improve patient care across the country. This mandate was created on the premise that sharing health information across, between, and within health communities would help enhance an individual’s healthcare experience across their lifespan (Wu & LaRue, 2017). As part of this process, many hospitals in the United States have electronic health records, but only a few participate in computerized health information exchange. Nonetheless, states have also adopted HIE as a premise for sharing patient health information between healthcare providers like hospital and nursing facilities, home health agencies, and private practice physicians. States like Texas has adopted HIE as a means of enhancing patient care and outcomes among different patient populations in the state. This paper examines the current state of development for Texas health information exchange and current participation rate.
Current State of Texas Health Information Exchange
The evolution of…...

mla

References

Health Information & Law Project. (2013, December 13). Status of Health Information Exchanges: 50 State Comparison. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from

Landi, H. (2018, September 24). One New York Regional HIE Opposes Expansion of Another, Highlighting Issues with Competition Among HIEs. Healthcare Informatics. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from https://www.healthcare-informatics.com/article/hie/one-new-york-regional-hie-opposes-expansion-another-highlighting-issues-competition-0

National Opinion Research Center. (2013). Evaluation of the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website: https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/tx_casestudyreport_final.pdf

Texas Health and Human Services. (2018). Statewide Health Information Exchange. Retrieved from Texas Government website: https://hhs.texas.gov/about-hhs/process-improvement/health-informatics-services-quality/statewide-health-information-exchange

Texas Health Services Authority. (2017, October). 2014 Texas State HIE Strategic Plan. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from http://www.thsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/StateHIEPlan_THSA_2014.pdf

Wu, H. & LaRue, E.M. (2017, October). Linking the Health Data System in the U.S.: Challenges to the Benefits. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 4(4), 410-417.

http://www.healthinfolaw.org/comparative-analysis/status-health-information-exchanges-50-state-comparison

Managing Medical Records and the Implementation of Tools and Safeguards Required within HIS Introduction
Few practices are more important in managing health information systems than managing medical records, safeguarding patients’ medical history, and ensuring that all end users of medical information technology are approved and trained. Some of the biggest factors in security breaches are end users themselves (Rhee, Kim & Ryu, 2009). This is why training of staff on how to use equipment and the importance of protecting passwords is so important (Jackson, 2018). However, the system itself should have system protections built-in that can protect against end user mistakes—protections such as double security via multi-factor authentication (Crossler & Posey, 2017). This paper will discuss the programming language and relational databases that should be used to accommodate security needs for the HIS, the information tools and safeguards required to protect it, the security needed for electronic health records, an applicable code…...

Case Study: Information Security Issue Macro-view of the Problem
The hospital faces a problem of end-user security: sensitive data is vulnerable to exposure in the workplace as the end-user methods of using computers in the hospital are ineffective to safeguard the data from theft. Personal health records are important for patients, but if privacy of data cannot be guaranteed, these records are more of a risk to personal privacy than a benefit with regards to having access to information. Nurses, on the other hand, require access to health information and they often need it quickly because of the amount of work they have to deal with routinely on their shift. While end-user security should be a top priority among nurses using facility computers and databases, it routinely is not—as Koppel, Smith, Blythe and Kothari (2015) point out: “a significant gap exists between cybersecurity as taught by textbooks and experts, and cybersecurity as…...

mla

References

Conaty-Buck, S. (2017). Cybersecurity and healthcare records. American Nurse Today, 12(9), 62.

Daitch, H. (2017). 2017 data breaches—the worst so far. Retrieved from

HIPAA. (2016). Basics for providers. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/Downloads/HIPAAPrivacyandSecurityTextOnly.pdf

Kim, L. (2018). Cybersecurity matters. Nursing Management, 49(2), 16-22.

Koppel, R., Smith, S. W., Blythe, J., & Kothari, V. (2015). Workarounds to computer access in healthcare organizations: you want my password or a dead patient?. In ITCH (pp. 215-220).

https://www.identityforce.com/blog/2017-data-breaches

Healthcare IT 1. How safe do you think the “safe harbor” of HIPAA’s 18 fields is? Why?
There are two approaches towards HIPAA-compliant de-identification of PHI. These are expert determination and safe harbor (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - HHS, 2018). In essence, safe harbor, which this section will concern itself with, has got to do with the removal of certain identifiers from the data set. In this case, a total of 18 “identifiers of the individual or of relatives, employers, or household members of the individual, are removed” (HHS, 2018). A key advantage of safe harbor is its simplicity. This is more so the case given that its implementation does not call for any technical or specialized knowhow. Its application is rather straightforward. It is important to note that even the removal of the said identifiers does not result in the total elimination or removal of the patient re-identification…...

mla

References

O’Dowd, E. (2019). Using Firewalls to Prevent Health Data Security Risks. Retrieved from

Safran, C., Bloomrosen, M., Hammond, W.E., Labkoff, S., Markel-Fox, S., Tang, P.C. & Datmer, D.E. (2007). Toward a National Framework for the Secondary Use of Health Data: An American Medical Informatics Association White Paper. J Am Med Inform Assoc., 14(1), 1-9.

Steeves, V. (2007). Data Protection and the Promotion of Health Research. Health Policy, 2(3), 26-38.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – HHS (2018). Guidance Regarding Methods for De-identification of Protected Health Information in Accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/special-topics/de-identification/index.html

https://hitinfrastructure.com/news/using-firewalls-to-prevent-health-data-security-risks

Information Systems in Health Care: Personal Health Records Introduction
Information systems in health care are critical to processing and storing data related to patients and patient services, which in turn ensures that safe, quality care is provided to every patient (Heeks, 2006). One area that needs focus among health care providers is the area of the personal health record (PHR), as Kahn, Aulakh and Bosworth (2009) point out: a gap exists between what patients receive in terms of their personal health information and what they expect and want. The ideal personal health record is one in which the digital application is easily used by patients to help them manage and maintain their health information in an accurate, secure, private and effective way. (Health IT, 2013). The PHR should be managed by patients so that they can store data from multiple sources, such as their health care providers or themselves; it allows them…...

mla

References

American Health Information Management Association. (2017). Analyzing Patient Access to Personal Health Information. Retrieved from  

Haes, S. & Grembergen, W. (2009). Exploratory study in IT governance implementations and its impact on business/IT alignment. Information Systems Management, 26, 123-137.

Health IT. (2013). What is a personal health record? Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-personal-health-record

Heeks, R. (2006). Health information systems: Failure, success and improvisation. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 75(2), 125-137.

Kahn, J. S., Aulakh, V., & Bosworth, A. (2009). What it takes: characteristics of the ideal personal health record. Health Affairs, 28(2), 369-376.

http://www.ahima.org/ searchresults?q=personal%20health%20records

1. The importance of data governance in healthcare IT systems.
2. The role of data governance in ensuring patient privacy and confidentiality in health IT.
3. Challenges and solutions in implementing effective data governance strategies in healthcare organizations.
4. The impact of data governance on improving healthcare outcomes and patient care.
5. The role of data governance in ensuring data quality and integrity in health IT systems.
6. Ethical considerations in data governance for health IT data.
7. The role of data governance in facilitating interoperability and data sharing in healthcare.
8. The impact of data governance on healthcare analytics and predictive modeling.
9. Strategies for building a....

1. The role of health informatics in improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs
2. The impact of electronic health records on patient care and safety
3. The use of telehealth and remote monitoring in healthcare delivery
4. The ethical considerations of data sharing and privacy in health informatics
5. The challenges and opportunities of implementing health informatics systems in developing countries
6. The role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in health informatics
7. The future trends of health informatics and the potential impact on healthcare delivery
8. The importance of interoperability and data standardization in health informatics
9. The benefits of using predictive analytics and data-driven....

Topic Idea 1: The Role of Health Informatics in Patient-Centered Care

Introduction: Discuss the concept of patient-centered care and its importance in healthcare.
Body Paragraph 1: Explore how health informatics technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs) and patient portals, enable patient access to their own health information, empowering them to participate in decision-making.
Body Paragraph 2: Examine the role of health informatics in fostering communication between patients and healthcare providers, promoting continuity of care and improved patient experiences.
Body Paragraph 3: Evaluate the ethical implications of using health informatics in patient-centered care, including privacy concerns and the potential for....

Nursing Theory and Practice

The Impact of Nursing Theories on Patient Outcomes
The Role of Critical Thinking in Nursing Practice
Ethical Decision-Making in Nursing: Frameworks and Case Studies
Interdisciplinary Collaboration and its Implications for Nursing Care
Innovations in Nursing Education: Exploring Future Trends

Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice

The Importance of Nursing Research for Improving Patient Care
Conducting Nursing Research: Research Designs, Methods, and Analysis
Translating Research Findings into Clinical Practice: Challenges and Strategies
The Role of Technology in Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice
Evaluation of Nursing Interventions: Methods and Impact

Nursing Management and Leadership

The Transformational Leader in Nursing: Inspiring and....