Challenges and Solutions in Health Information Management

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Running head: HEALTH MANAGEMENT
Healthcare Management
Name
Institution

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT
Introduction
Healthcare practitioners and managers have a lot of work to do regarding handling the
information of patients. This is because there is a need for designing, developing, adapting, as
well as implementing policies, technologies, and other systems which would ensure the
information of patients is well recorded and is kept confidential (Yang and Lee, 2016). However,
in the recording and management of patient's data, there are challenges which are faced. This
piece of work discusses some of the systems of patient information regarding their challenges
and possible solutions.
1. Electronic Health Records
Electronic Health Record is a computer-embedded form of technology which involves
management of patient information in electronic design. This automated way of managing
patient information allows storage and quick access to data by the authorized people. The
information stored can include medical and treatment history, personal details, treatment plans,
diagnosis, laboratory results, and radiology images. Additionally, Electronic Health Records
allow sharing of patient’s information across organizations and practitioners who are responsible
and concerned with the care of the patient. A study conducted by Pathak, Kho and Denny (2013)
indicated that health practitioners had a challenge in the integration of behavioral health and
primary care and this was a burden to them. However, the solution to this challenge would be
solved through the liaison between vendors and clinicians to design products of Electronic
Health Records which allow for integrated functions of care delivery. For successful
implementation of this solution, there is a great need to incorporate several significant personnel
such as Electronic Health Record vendors, clinicians, practice assistance organizations educators
of the workforce, setters of standards, and regulators.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT
2. HL7 and Interoperability
HL7 stands for Health Level Seven International and is a non-profit organization which
aims at developing standards for sharing of clinical data and other patient information across
organizations and clinical practitioners (Gellert, Ramirez and Webster, 2015). Interoperability is
the primary goal of this organization. Interoperability refers to the ability of devices, systems, as
well as applications to communicate through connections in a coordinated way. This
communication and coordination do not involve effort from the end-user. Therefore, the HL7
allows for proper and efficient interoperability between and among organizations, as well as
health personnel. However, in the integration of these standards, there is a lack of central
monitoring which makes the implementation and usability of these standards costly and time-
consuming. This means that problems may arise and fail being noticed until they reach a full-
blown stage. With this kind of challenge, it is challenging to realize the primary or central source
or cause of the problem. Therefore, to tackle this challenge, there is a need to develop and
implement a more real-time data, as well as capabilities of read-write to ensure that there is
central monitoring.
3. HIPPA
HIPPA is an abbreviation for Health Insurance Privacy and Portability Act. This is a
federal law which sets the protection of patient health records, as well as health information,
which is personal. The law demands that any information which ha personal details of a patient
should be protected to avoid the identification of the personal data and health records to
unauthorized parties (Glenn and Monteith, 2014). The information of patients should be kept
private whether it is electronic or in print form.