Healthcare has a strong relationship to Information Technology and is an evolutionary process meant to increase the efficacy of the model of patient care in our communities. This paper will discuss the relationship of technology in modern medicine and the cause and effect relationship within the Healthcare Law.
Peter F. Hanna
Southern New Hampshire University
February 22, 2015
Abstract
Healthcare Information Technology has been developed to maximize efficiency in the delivery of healthcare and services to patients. Technology is regulated by law, implementation and collaboration must have a unified front. Focus on the patient is of the utmost importance, losing track of that goal will be detrimental to society. jis and the entities involved must collaborate to facilitate common ground
Healthcare has a strong relationship to Information Technology and is an evolutionary process meant to increase the efficacy of the model of patient care in our communities. This paper will discuss the relationship of technology in modern medicine and the cause and effect relationship within the Healthcare Law.
Information Technology and Informatics
Health information technology (HIT) is in general, increasingly viewed as the most promising tool for improving the overall quality, safety and efficiency of the health delivery system.1 (Chaudhry, B. Wang, J., & Wu, S. et al., 2006). The health delivery system is an evolving process, in the 1960’s patient data and information was stored on mainframe computers that occupied an enormous amount of physical space in hospitals. One can imagine the efficiency such a system produced. In those days the internet, smartphones and computers were not even in existence. It Over 50 years later, patient information is stored in a “cloud” and can be easily accessed through any smartphone, tablet or computer from anywhere in the world by both the patient and the practitioner. While this may be a complex system, it can be challenging. Can the evolution of technology develop into a more meaningful relationship between the practitioner and the patient, or will the regulation of the healthcare industry be restrained by laws and bureaucracy. Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) as it relates to informatics according to the National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR) is defined as "the interdisciplinary study of the design, development, adoption and application of IT-based innovations in healthcare services delivery, management and planning”.2 (Procter, R. Dr. 2009) Therefore, HIT is as vitalistic to the continuation of healthcare in our society as the heart is to breathing. In society, technology is everywhere, whether it is ordering your favorite latte at Starbucks from your smartphone, receiving diagnostic updates regarding your car on your tablet or monitoring you and your family’s health records through an “app” there is no evading that technology is here to stay.
Consistent and efficient application of HIT can have a significant impact on the patient and the effect that it may have on modern medicine. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama not only to provide economic stimulus and modernize our nation’s infrastructure while creating a culture that embraces healthcare reform to deliver and progress the nation’s healthcare system.3 (Federal Communications Commission 2009) This
The Relationship of Healthcare Law and Information Technology
President Obama had a vision for healthcare reform to ensure that every man, woman and child had access to affordable healthcare. Part of the implementation of the law indicated that HIT was a central focus of the healthcare system secondary to affordability. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH)