Case Study 8 HCA 410 Economics

Our economies have significantly shifted to being information based from the olden manufacturing based economies. Therefore information technology has become necessary in all fields and the healthcare sector is no exception.  As much as the country has an admirable history of innovation in the health care industry, there are major areas of concern that need to be urgently addressed.  These concerns are linked to the failure of the government making central information and technology systems in the care system. Other industries like air travel in the country have taken advantage of information and technological systems and are subsequently experiencing high levels of efficiency in terms of service.

Information technology is critical in helping the health care industry make significant steps even as the government perceive. The government is keen on using information technology to achieve their health care objective because generally it will play an important role in reducing costs, minimizing medical errors and improving health care. Additionally health information technology will actualize the vision of ensuring that patients are able to access information that will enable them to make rational economic and clinical decisions also with the help of their care providers. These technologically enabled systems will help solve the

problems of rising costs, health providers’ lack of communication and uneven care quality in the care system nationally. Generally information technology has the capability enhance the efficiency, safety and quality of healthcare systems, (Medpac, 2004).

#2

Poor quality care has led to loss of people’s lives, injuries and loss of productivity that cost the country billions of dollars.  In light of this consequences quality measurement is critical. Some quality measurement techniques adopted by the plan can also be effectively used in the design, implementation and evaluation of the White House and CHIT strategies. For example cooperation is and has always been the core of professionalism in all fields. The strategies for the CHIT must therefore incorporate this in order to allow providers to freely share their perspectives and experiences as much as they might be in competitive situations, (Pentecost, 2007). Validation and certification also as a technique of quality measure has the ability of ensuring compliance to the best practices as required by the Center. Electronic reconciliation of records on the other hand will be able to reduce errors and curb malpractice across the board. Additionally encouraging the citizens to pay for performance will work to ensure that providers in the Center are effective and relevant in their practices.

#5

When a plan is at the implementation phase the assumption is that the funds that were required to execute the plan have been availed. If I am given the responsibility to implement the plan the obvious thing for me to do is to ensure that the President’s goals for health information technology have been achieved. My first step would be to make sure that the necessary leadership structures that would be essential in supporting the vision are in place. The aim of the leadership structures would be to ensure that the necessary environment is provided to encourage health care providers in the public and private care delivery systems to work together and in coordination to speed the achievement of the objectives of the CENTER. Coordinating partnerships between the care providers would also be necessary because it is only when they work as a unit that the care system would be able to realize significant changes. It would also be important at this stage to encourage the care providers to adopt voluntary mechanisms that would enable them store and share medical data electronically while at the same time maintaining high levels of security and privacy. Another step would be to avail a sizeable portion of the funding to be directed towards demonstration projects in order to determine the potential, effectiveness and feasibility of the health care information technology plans thus allowing us to make rational decisions and choose options that will help the Center yield the intended results.

Word Count: 65

Reference List

Medpac, (2004).   Information technology in health care. Retrieved on 29th July, 2009     from            http://:www.medpac.gov/publications%255Ccongressional_reports%255CJune0            _ch7.pdf+importance+of+information+technology+in+health+care&hl=en&gl=ke

Pentecost, M. (2007). Improving Health care quality: Current concepts. The Permanente Journal, 11(1). Retrieved on 29th July, 2009 from     http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/winter07/improving.html