Ask a probing question substantiated with additional background information evidence or research using an in-text citation in APA format.
2)Share an insight from having read your colleagues postings synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
3)Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
4)Expand on your colleagues postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
(Darinka)
HITECH Legislation
The federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was enacted in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (Gialanella 2012). The purpose of the ARRA was to stimulate the economy and improve health care (Gialanella 2012). As a result health information technology policies and standards privacy and security and meaningful use were developed to meet the requirements to protect patient health information and receive financial incentives tied to reimbursement initiatives (Gialanella 2012).
HITECH Impact on my Organization
My facility recently implemented computerized physician order entry (CPOE) as a result of the new legislation. The for-profit facility is part of the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) the largest provider of health services in America. The implementation of a large computer system or any business or clinically associated improvement is enacted throughout all organizations and most hospitals are not given a choice regarding which technology to implement. As a result all facilities utilize the same computer systems. Although this is considered a wise business strategy due to cost benefits and improved patient care coordination most organizations would rather have input regarding decisions that affect clinicians and workflow processes.
The implementation of CPOE had a positive impact on the organization because it helped to meet compliance regulations associated with reimbursement but it was not met with enthusiasm by clinicians. I am not sure that my facility would have chosen to implement the technology if it were not related to long-term financial incentives and reimbursement. The act essentially forced one of the largest providers of health care to implement the computer system and comply with meaningful use criteria. As a for-profit organization HCA values the profit margins it generates and although it strives to ensure high-quality care meeting financial goals across hospital divisions is equally as important to stakeholders. My facility is an excellent example of how the legislation forced facilities to start to comply with the requirements and mandated the necessary infrastructure to support the proper use to obtain meaningful data.
Address how its related incentives influence the adoption of health information technology in health care and impact the quality of patient care
How Incentives Influence Adoption of Health Information Technology
The HITECH provision was created to provide financial incentives for hospitals to implement necessary tools to provide meaningful information and care coordination across providers (Murphy 2010). Five initiatives meet meaningful use criteria:
1. Improve quality safety and efficiency and reduce health disparities.
2. Engage patients and families.
3. Improve care coordination.
4. Improve population and public health.
5. Ensure adequate privacy and security protections for personal health information (Murphy 2010).
The federal government allocated $19 billion to incentivize providers to implement electronic health records (EHR) (Murphy 2012). According to Brown (2010) the final ruling surrounding meaningful use has three stages and criteria associated core requirements. There are 14 eligibility core requirements for hospitals to meet and 15 core requirements for healthcare providers (Brown 2010). Ten additional objectives are required and both hospitals and providers must chose five. As long as hospitals/providers meet and submit the measures within the specified year then they will receive the incentive payments (Murphy 2010).
Technology and reporting requirements will have a large impact on patient care are projected to be extensive. Clinical research is perhaps one of the biggest benefits of HIT implementation (Gialanella 2012). Specified quality measures are reported to Medicare and Medicaid and will impact the delivery of care affecting cost and improve quality through tracking data that lead to evidence-based care. The measures will also enhance coordination of patient care among providers to reduce repeat testing and decrease medical errors (Gialanella 2012). Health care reform is focusing on promoting prevention early detection and improved management of chronic diseases through health information technology. Promoting wellness will be enhanced through the use of HIT for early detection of disease states rapid responses to pandemics and identify at risk-patient populations (Gialanella 2012).
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