Electronic Health Information Successful Implementation of Electronic

Electronic Health Information

Successful Implementation of Electronic Health Information Technology

Over the last several years, the federal government has been encouraging health care organizations to embrace the adoption of electronic information technology. This is taking place through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). At the heart of these provisions, is to provide a variety of organizations with the resources they need to update medical records and other data. This is designed to make health care facilities more responsive to stakeholders through utilizing the most state of the art technology. ("The HITECH Act," 2013)

However, the upfront costs of implementing these systems are a major factor impacting the kinds of investments which is taking place. This requires ensuring that a correct system is selected. In order to address the long-term needs of the organization. At the same time, there must be an emphasis on who should be involved in these decisions. To fully understand how these objectives can be achieved requires focusing on: the steps a hospital will go through when making these kinds of changes, the contributions of nurses at each stage of planning and reflecting on the experiences within the organization. Together, these elements will offer specific insights that will illustrate the way these transformations are occurring and the long-term impacts for a variety of stakeholders. ("The HITECH Act," 2013)

Think about your own organization, or one with which you are familiar, and the steps the organization goes through when purchasing and implementing a new HIT system.

The organization is a community hospital with a total of 200 beds. In the last several years, the staff is facing increasing challenges from rising costs and the inability to keep up with changes inside the marketplace. The steps the organization will go through when purchasing and implementing technology under the HIT system include: determining the needs of the facility, analyzing the costs and reviewing the new proposal with the board of directors. These procedures are designed to provide specific insights. That will decide how these transformations can help the organization and if it will meet the facility's long-term requirements. (Berkowitz, 2013) (Swab, 2010)

Consider what a nurse could contribute to decisions made at each stage when planning for new health information technology. What might be the consequences of not involving nurses?

The way that a nurse could contribute to the decisions made at each stage of the planning is to show how and where they are needed. This is designed to assist the hospital in adapting with the challenges they are facing. As far as analyzing the costs, these individuals can demonstrate how these transformations are necessary and economically viable. This assists the board of directors in understanding why these changes are required and the long-term impacts they will have on the facility. It is at this point when they will see the benefits and how this helps the organization to remain competitive. The consequences of not involving nurses in the process, is the upper management does not comprehend the best approaches for making these transformations and the effects they will have on everyone. (Berkowitz, 2013) (Swab, 2010)

Reflect on your own experiences with your organization selecting and implementing new technology. As an end user, do you feel you had any input in the selection or and planning of the new HIT system?