Trends and Advances in Information Technology in Healthcare (Essay Sample)

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Introduction
The growth trends in healthcare information systems provide a positive prediction for success. Essentially, the new systems are expected to boost the quality of care provided by reducing medical errors and shrinking costs. The promoters and implementers of healthcare information technology continue to teach the benefits and opportunities to transform the health care sector. However, the journey to achieve the ideal faces various issues and challenges. Primarily, the problems range from concerns of the nature of the medical information and more so, its users. In this discussion, the current trends and advances related to information technology in healthcare will be addressed. Additionally, the integration concerns of such system with the Healing Hands current electronic health record system will be discussed. The paper will address the possible impact that the advanced information systems would have on the quality of health care and reimbursement for services provided in the hospital. Advanced information technology in the healthcare system has increased the quality of care in medical facilities.
Trends and Advances in Information Technology in Healthcare
Healthcare information systems refer to technology that is used to process data, knowledge, and information in the medical environment. Advancement in information technology has enabled the computerization of patients records and more so, the storage of the information in electronic form (Ngafeeson, 2015). Significant evolutionary development has been seen over time in the healthcare sector as discussed in this section. Advancement in information technology in the health sector has enabled a shift from numeric statistics to complex forms of data. Increased technological complexity resulted in the development of the kind of data used in the health information systems (Ngafeeson, 2015). The sector witnessed the growth from numeric data forms to alphanumeric data. Recent trends provide the option of imaging and molecular data types.
The current trend is moving from local systems to integrated global information networks. Conventionally, the earlier systems confined information to departments and units within a given facility. Recent developments are moving towards modern systems that target national, regional and global reach. The advancement means that information from a particular medical facility would be accessible over a large geographical area. Primarily, information technology has enabled recording of patient information from the paper system to the computer based models. In the past health data was recorded and stored on paper, but a significant migration is seen as facilities embraced the computer based structure (Ngafeeson, 2015). The advancement allowed for processing and storage of more data, which yielded better knowledge about a particular patient.
Issues and Integration Concerns with the Healing Hands Hospital Current System
The Healing Hands Hospital uses the conventional Electronic Healthcare system used to process and store patient information. In essence, the computer database contains demographic, therapeutic and diagnostic information about the clients. Typically, the network allows one institution to control the information and only provides access to the authorized persons (Groves, Kayyali, Knott & Van Kuiken, 2013). The facility also uses other support systems such as the telemedicine technology that allows communication using the smartphone devices. In this structure, the institution exploits the current advancements in mobile networks for the telemedicine applications. For instance, the technology enables home patient care such as effective monitoring of diabetes patients.
Given that Healing Hands Hospital intends to integrate the current trends in information technology to their health care systems, various integration concerns are raised. Despite the great potential and opportunities that lie in advanced health information systems the challenges arise in the design gap and framework of these systems. In essence, the gaps raise the question of integration with concerns of technical, managerial, and medical rationality.
Technical rationality. Most experts that design the healthcare information systems focus on the technical capability of the system, which is supposed to be rational and objective. More so, the designers emphasize on system specifications and attributes that would yield particular outcomes (Ngafeeson, 2015). However, the structure may not consider aspects that are subject to cultural, political and personal influences. For this reason, technical challenges arise because of poor standardization and the lack of well-developed information exchange systems that surpass various geographical and specific institutional characteristics.
Managerial rationality. In this integration concern, the issue arises from the administrative perspective that the systems may not meet the institution efficiency needs. The advanced healthcare information systems emphasize on the socio-political and economic outcomes of their innovation (Ngafeeson, 2015). However, the managers in Helping Hands Hospital would be concerned about the costs of implementing the improved technology and more so the return on investment. In addition, the training concerns and benefits that the new know-how would have in the institution is a primary concern.
Medical rationality. In many cases, the health care personnel and IT personnel view the healthcare information systems from different points of view. The physicians require that a given technology provide a design process that presents a medical based worldview that prevails over the technical design inscriptions (Ngafeeson, 2015). Additionally, the clinicians consider a system as effective if the focal point is on the efficiency to process medical information. Given that the IT experts and medical personnel have a diverse worldview of the system design, adoption resistance becomes a major concern.
Impact of Consolidation and Expansion of the Healthcare Systems on Quality of Care and Reimbursement in Healing Hands Hospital
Advanced healthcare information systems are praised for the ability to reduce errors during practice, increase legibility and shrink cost. The outcomes would, in turn, improve the quality of care and model of reimbursement to the caregivers. Healing Hands Hospital would experience various impacts from implementing the advanced information technology options in their current system.
Cost Saving
The advanced systems are expected to improve profitability through cost efficiency and safety in medical delivery. In addition, the technology would reduce costs associated with record-keeping and still meet the confidentiality regulation standards (Groves, Kayyali, Knott & Van Kuiken, 2013). Most importantly, Healing Hands would experience improved workflow, better management and billing practice. For this reason, improved management practices would ensure adequate reimbursement to the caregivers.
Reduced Medical Errors
Research revealed that a significant number of people die in the hospitals because of preventable medical errors. In addition, scholars purport that 50% of the errors can be eliminated through implementation of advanced technological know-how. For instance, health information technology such as e-prescription helps improve legibility and improve the quality of medical services provided. Research revealed some of the ways in which advanced healthcare systems would reduce errors and contribute to improving the quality of services (Ngafeeson, 2015). First, the technology p