Electronic Health Record (HER) Mandate
An electronic health record is an important tool in the healthcare facility. However, hospitals are recommended to possess a certified system of the EHR. In cases where the health care facility fails to use a valid electronic health record system; they face a penalty which normally increases each year. The role of information technology is to creating a safe care environment and improves patient outcomes which create a safe care environment. The purpose of electronic health record implementation strategies for health organizations is to smoothly implement the software to utilize it in the most effective manner (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). There are two theories when it comes to the implementation of electronic medical record systems namely incremental approach and the full transition approach. Wherever approach is taken, the sole purpose is to increase patient safety.
President Obama started a mandate of electronic health records by 2015. If providers or hospitals did not acquire the electronic health record system by then, they would lose a small portion of their Medicare reimbursement. The goals of the mandate for electronic health records were to improve efficiency, safety, care quality coordination, engage families and patients in their care, and to decrease disparities while improving population and public health. Additional goals and objectives were to ensure the security and privacy for patients, provider support for clinical decisions, patient registries, report immunizations to the immunization registries, have surveillance of syndromes, and allow for electronic laboratory reporting.
Goals and Objectives of the Mandate
The first two goals of this Plan prioritize increasing the electronic collection and sharing of health information while protecting individual privacy. The final three goals focus on federal efforts to create an environment where interoperable information is used by health care providers, public health entities, researchers, and individuals to improve health, health care, and reduce costs.
My Facility’s Plan
As a HIT director, I must determine whether the EHR system size is appropriate for the hospital. Also, consideration is also based on the budget thus, whether EHR fits within the budget. Consequently, I will have to check on how the system workflow is designed to accommodate the volume of patients. Therefore, I will review all available resources to help me make a wise choice during EHR selection. Adopting EHR is a good investment for hospitals. However, it is more expensive if a hospital chooses the wrong system. Therefore to choose the best system, I as a health information technology director will consider many factors that include; the features, cost, ease of use and the compatibility of the hard disk among others.
Meaning Use Regulations
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide financial incentives for the “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology. To receive an EHR incentive payment, providers have to show that they are “meaningfully using” their certified EHR technology by meeting certain measurement thresholds that range from recording patient information as structured data to exchanging summary care records (Bullard, 2015). CMS has established these thresholds for eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals.
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs include three stages with increasing requirements for participation. All providers begin participating by meeting the Stage 1 requirements for a 90-day period in their first year of meaningful use and a full year in their second year of meaningful use. After meeting the Stage 1 requirements, providers will then have to meet Stage 2 requirements for two full years. CMS has recently published a proposed rule for Stage 3 of meaningful use which focuses on the advanced use of EHR technology to promote health information exchange and improved outcomes for patients. Eligible professionals participate in the program on the calendar years, while eligible hospitals and CAHs participate according to the Federal fiscal year. The Stage 3 proposed rule proposes to change the EHR reporting period so that all providers would report under a full calendar year timeline.
Facility’s Status in Attaining Meaning Use
Before taking the EHR system, I will ensure that its features are recommendable. The key features are very important in this system so, I will make a list of all the necessary features required and the ones that will be nice to have. Also, I will allow the hospital to do their selection by eliminating the vendors that do not meet the requirements. Moreover, when making this list, I will require the input from all groups who will be using the system, this group entails; doctors, nurses, administrative staff, and information technology employees among others.
Another factor that I will consider is ease of use. I will consider if the facility can be easily used. Consequently, I will inquire about the input from the people who will be the users of the system. They have to be involved so that they can view the software demos to ensure that they can manage to use it perfectly. Besides, I will carry out hardware compatibility test.
A lot of hardware resources are required because the EHR system is a very complicated system thus, the hospital may find the system chosen unable to work perfectly with the existing infrastructure. As a result, I must make sure that the system works on our current hardware so that I can be able to make the changes before putting the system in use.
HIPPA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on August 21, 1996 (Office for Civil Rights, 2013). The HIPAA law ensures individuals’ health information is protected while still allowing the flow of health information needed to provide effective and quality care (Office for Civil Rights, 2013). HIPAA requires institutions to create policies and procedures for handling patient health information for all areas of patient care (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). This is to ensure confidentiality and to protect privacy. The HIPAA laws were created to maintain the privacy of a patient while using EHRs. Now with electronic health record implementation, the risk associated with “hackers” getting into patient’s charts is a real threat. Not only is online hacking a threat, but also are health care providers looking into other patients charts without any regards to the patient. There are federal consequences when violating the HIPAA laws, meaning jail time. UPMC strongly adheres to the HIPAA laws.
Conclusion
Lastly, as a HIT director in a large physician office, I will follow various procedures to choose an EHR system. Some of the things I must consider are; the ease of use, features, hardware compatibility among others. It is the mandate of the hospital to consider the system which has got the best tools for patients depending on the services offered and the population of the patient. Therefore, it is recommended that HIT directors in a large physician’s office must put into consideration all the factors as discussed above before selecting an EHR system.
References
Bullard, E. (2015). Meaningful use. Salem Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://proxy.library.ohio.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t rue&db=ers&AN=109057079&site=eds-live&scope=site
Department of Health and Human Services.(2014). Key features of the Affordable Care Act year by year. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/timeline/timeline-text.html
Office for Civil Rights (2013). Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html
US Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)(2015). Federal Health IT Strategic Plan 2015–2020.