Free Reform And The Future Of Hospice Care Research Paper Example

Hospice Care realized the benefits associated with Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and allocated funds for implementation of Health Information System (HIS). The main objective of the health system is to improve care quality to all patients. Also, the system aims at ensuring that the confidentiality of patient information is guaranteed. Hospice care allocated adequate financial resources meant for the purchase, installation and maintenance of the EMR system. The implementation of the health system is gratifying because of the numerous benefits associated with it. The senior management of the hospital determines the success of failure of the system because their role cannot be underestimated. The paper will candidly and comprehensively address the implementation of an Electronic Medical Record System in Hospice care. Moreover, the benefits of EMR systems will be discussed through an in depth analysis of literature review. Nonetheless, the policies associated with implementation of EMR policies and the future implications will be incorporated.
According to King et al., (2014), three-quarters of EHR users agreed that the system improves the quality of care in health care institutions (p.400). The health care professionals who used EHR systems that met a meaningful use criterion agreed that the benefits of the system are numerous. The system improved the quality of captured data, clinical decision support, and electronic ordering (King et al., 2014, p.400). According to the findings, 76% of EHR users and 80% of EHR adopters with more than two years of experience fully supported the implementation of the EHR systems in health care institutions. Majority of the EHR adopters said that the system had boosted the connection with remote patients by 81%, the detection of medical errors by 65%, and improved lab results by 62 %( King et al., 2014, p.397). Therefore, both the adopters and users of the EHR system reported clinical benefits associated with the implementation of Health Information Systems.
Spiranovic et al. (2014) claimed that the Australian federal government had allocated $460 for the implementation of the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) (p. 147). The system was projected to improve the quality of care within the country, but it was affected by only a small proportion of the registered members updated their e-health record. The PCEHR system would ensure that health consumers have access to their patient information and also give them the ability to share their health information with their service providers. The health care system improved the mental health literacy of the population compared to the past. The research suggested that the increased awareness of mental health literacy made the consumers register and update their health information in the PCEHR system (Spiranovic et al., 2014, p. 151).
Kalra et al. (2012) conducted a study by reviewing the literature from different databases like MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINHAL, PsycINFO, IndMED, LILACS, Paklit, NIHR and Google Scholar (p.172). The initial searches encountered 6766 papers, but the sources were reduced to 5016 because of duplication. From these papers, only 13 papers meet the satisfaction criteria of the researchers. 92.3% of the sources were based in the U.S while 7.7% was from Spain. The findings of the studies indicated that well-structured EHR systems improved clinical outcomes in health care institutions. The EHR systems are effective if they are implemented in the right way in accordance with the policies and standards that are set by the responsible bodies. The study failed to reflect the patient-centeredness, efficiency, timeliness, and equitability in areas that failed to meet the proposed criteria (Kalra et al., 2012, p. 178).
EMR systems are an approach that has to revolutionize the health sector. The traditional paper-based records presented multiple challenges that affected the quality of care offered to consumers. Health care practitioners consumed more time in the retrieval of patient records, and this promoted to the adoption of EMR systems as the best alternative. The impact of EMR systems cannot be underestimated despite the fact that it is associated with high implementation costs.
There are policies that have been introduced to ensure that Health Information System upholds a high degree of privacy and confidentiality of patients’ information. For instance, The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA) policy was introduced to encourage a voluntary reporting system that will improve the accessibility of data. In the process, the health care quality of the targeted population will be improved. PSQIA inspires the reporting and analysis of the medical errors encountered in the daily activities in the hospital. The federal is guaranteed the privilege of protection of patient information as confidentiality is mandatory. The PSQIA policy executes huge penalties to the violators of the law because it is meant to ensure patient safety and confidentiality. With this in kind, any health institution organization adopting the EMR system will incorporate components that will not endanger the security of the patient information. The PSQIA policy goes ahead to permit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to compile a list of health organizations that qualifies to meet the required criteria. AHRQ is a body of external experts charged with the responsibility of determining patient safety in hospitals.
The HIPAA Privacy policy guarantees the right to the patient to know about the privacy practices associated with their health plans. The policy requires the health care providers to elucidate the health plans to the patient, as well as their rights to personal health information. The patient will benefit from understanding the rights and practices that he/she will undergo through in care provision. The HIPAA policy provides insight on the future of health information and monitors the implementation of effective programs that will guarantee the quality of the care provided. The policy outlaws the sale of protected health information to unauthorized bodies. A fee is only allowed if it is reasonable and if the owner of the health information has authorized the use (Rothstein, 2013, p.525). In the future, the policy will protect the Health information Systems by ensuring that privacy and confidentiality issues are maintained.
The senior management in Hospice care has a bigger role to play towards the implementation of EMR systems. Active involvement of the senior management will improve the efficiency in the delivery of care. Change management cannot be effective if the management team is partially involved. When all managers lead as examples by supporting the change, the workforce will be encouraged to be part of the process. As a result, the resistance to change will be reduced, and the organization will benefit from the participation across the board. The senior management team will also advocate for allocation of enough resources that will support the adoption of EMR systems. The change from traditional paper record system to electronic medical records will be beneficial to heath care providers and consumers because the quality of care is guaranteed when the set standards are met.

References

Byrne, E., Fernando, B., Kalra, D., & Sheikh, A. (2010). The benefits and risks of structuring and coding of patient histories in the electronic clinical record: protocol for a systematic review. Informatics in primary care, 18(3), 197-203.
Kalra, D., Fernando, B., Morrison, Z., & Sheikh, A. (2012). A review of the empirical evidence of the value of structuring and coding of clinical information within electronic health records for direct patient care. Informatics in primary care, 20(3), 171-180.
King, J., Patel, V., Jamoom, E. W., & Furukawa, M. F. (2014). Clinical benefits of electronic health record use: national findings. Health services research, 49(1pt2), 392-404.
Spiranovic, C., Matthews, A., Scanlan, J., & Kirkby, K. C. (2014). Personally controlled electronic health records in Australia: Challenges in communication of mental health information.
Rothstein, M. A. (2013). HIPAA Privacy Rule 2.0. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 41(2), 525-528.