Discussion: Healthcare Information Technology Trends Throughout history, technological advancements have appeared for one purpose before finding applications elsewhere that lead to spikes in its usage and development. The internet, for example, was originally developed to share research before becoming a staple of work and entertainment. But technology—new and repurposed—will undoubtedly continue to be a driver of healthcare information. Informaticists often stay tuned to trends to monitor what the next new technology will be or how the next new idea for applying existing technology can benefit outcomes.Healthcare Information Technology Trends Essay In this Discussion, you will reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.

Discussion: Healthcare Information Technology Trends Throughout history, technological advancements have appeared for one purpose before finding applications elsewhere that lead to spikes in its usage and development. The internet, for example, was originally developed to share research before becoming a staple of work and entertainment. But technology—new and repurposed—will undoubtedly continue to be a driver of healthcare information. Informaticists often stay tuned to trends to monitor what the next new technology will be or how the next new idea for applying existing technology can benefit outcomes.Healthcare Information Technology Trends Essay In this Discussion, you will reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.

There is an increasing need within the U.S. for quality health care to be provided to individuals who have limited access whether it is due to a rural environment, disabilities, or in the field of battle. Telemedicine is literally medicine provided at a distance. Telehealth is able to alleviate some of the effects of a growing shortage of professionals such as primary care physicians. In this type of health care delivery, the dynamics between the patient and the entire health care system changes. Telemedicine meets the increasing demands of patients to have greater access, or responsiveness, from a health care provider. It also meets the needs of the provider who is very interested in time-saving, safety-enhancing assistance in their daily practice. Employers and health plans are also very interested in telemedicine as a means of improving compliance with treatment plans and care management initiatives (Hodgkins, 2008).Healthcare Information Technology Trends Essay

The survival of health care industry is going to require some innovative and creative initiatives to with stand the trends of the future in this country. Over the past two decades, American hospitals have experienced dramatic changes in their economic and institutional environments. Government-mandated cost-containment efforts, a shift from cost-based reimbursement to prospective payment, increased control of managed care plans, and advances in medical technology that reduce inpatient care have created enormous pressures on hospitals and have threatened their very survival (Bnet, 1999). This type of transformation has caused many institutions to take a…show more content…
Health care facilities abiding by the regulations set forth will ensure that patients and communities will have a safe environment for the maintenance and prevention of their health care needs and treatments that are provided by health care providers. Maintaining and delivering health care in today’s era requires improved information technology. This is essential in the survival of health care today. When instituting health care in rural and suburban areas it is necessary to implement quality high-tech information technology. This enables physicians to obtain results in a timely manner which can be beneficial to diagnosis. Although services are provided on an off-site basis, sometimes it is necessary to transport patients to the main facility. This is why it is imperative to have improved information technology in place. It may be a little costly initially and may or may not prove to be beneficial in the interim.Healthcare Information Technology Trends Essay

Patient safety is concerned primarily with avoidance, prevention and amelioration of adverse outcomes or injuries stemming from healthcare. It should address events that span the continuum of ‘errors’ and ‘deviations’ to accidents (Vincent, 2006).

Over the last ten years, there has been a high surge of medical errors, which harm patients. This series of truly tragic health care cases, fail to provide safe healthcare and hence resulted into introducing safety measures and an urge to improve the quality of health services.

Institute of Medicine commenced its quality initiative in 1996 and issued reports documented on quality Gap which includes;

– National roundtable on Quality, the urgent need of improving the health care quality in 1998.

– National Cancer Policy Board, Ensuring Quality Cancer Care in 1999.

The burden of harm conveyed by the collective impact of all of our health care quality problem staggering (Chassin et al, 1998).Healthcare Information Technology Trends Essay

The main objective of launching Quality of Care in America Committee, in 1998, was to establish a plan to achieve a threshold improvement in the quality of health care over next ten years.

The first report was ‘To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System’ was presented by the committee on quality of Health Care in America. At that time, 44,000 to 98,000 deaths per year, were reported in America, although more people died from medical errors than from breast cancer, AIDS or motor vehicle (Bernnan et al, 1991; Thomas et al, 1999).Major causes of these reported death cases were merely, failures in the health system. Thus, prevention of errors requires establishing a safer system of care and became the need of the day. Media coverage about such matters expanded and became extensive.Healthcare Information Technology Trends Essay