Strategic Information Systems: Enhancing Medical Record Management at Healthscope Limited

This report explores the implementation of Centricity EMR Solution at Healthscope Limited, an Australian healthcare provider, to enhance medical record management. It defines business processes, develops business requirements, determines system requirements, and evaluates the software and vendor selection process. The report also examines potential security risks and data breaches associated with EMR implementation and provides guidelines for mitigating these risks. The analysis highlights the benefits of using Centricity EMR for improving patient care services, maintaining accurate records, and enhancing data security.

Strategic Information Systems
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
1. Define business processes....................................................................................................................4
2. Develop business requirements............................................................................................................7
3. Determine the systems requirements...................................................................................................9
4. Software and vendor selection...........................................................................................................11
5. Determine at least three (3) ways which companies or organizations utilize such technologies to
improve business efficiency......................................................................................................................13
6. Evaluate the level of efficiency of the technology implementation...................................................15
7. Examine potential security risks, data breaches.................................................................................17
8. Provide guidelines on how these risks could be mitigated.................................................................19
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................21
References.................................................................................................................................................22
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Introduction
This report contains the ways in which Healthscope Limited will be able to enhance the
performance of recording and maintaining the medical records by using Centricity EMR
Solution. The report contains a brief explanation of the activities processes followed in
Healthscope and the list of Board of Directors has been illustrated. The business requirements
have been drafted along with enumerating the detailed software specification and suitable
software and vendor has been identified for procuring Centricity EMR System. In the last part,
the potential security risk that can be faced by the organisation has been analysed along with
listing the possible solutions for securing the data.
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1. Define business processes
Healthscope is an Australian firm dealing with providing healthcare services and it has over 45
hospitals across Australia providing medical and surgical, mental health, emergency, maternity,
and rehabilitation services to the patients. The organisation also manages three hospitals on
behalf of Adelaide Community Healthcare Alliance Group in South Australia. Healthscope also
has pathology operations in Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and New Zealand. Healthscope
International Pathology is the largest pathology services provider to the District Health Boards
and provides veterinary pathology throughout New Zealand. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is one
of the leading community pathology providers, however, the operations in Vietnam is relatively
smaller when compared with other three locations (Healthscope, 2018).
The business processes followed in Healthscope Limited can be differentiated based on the
nature of activity performed and these are management, operational, and support processes.
Management process: The management process involves taking important decisions related to
the operations and these decisions are taken by the Board of Directors. They are responsible for
taking vital decisions and communicate important decisions to shareholders and stakeholders.
The leadership committee consists of general managers who develop strategies for achieving the
targets set by the top management and provide valuable suggestions to the Board related to the
performance of various activities (Foshay and Kuziemsky, 2014).
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Figure 1: Board of Directors
Source: (Healthscope, 2017).
Operational Process: The organisation has its operations across Australia and provides multi-
disciplinary healthcare services ranging from acute care to mental health and rehabilitation
services. The hospitals provide high-quality medical services by hiring Accredited Medical
Practitioners and specialist nurses which enables to maintain the quality of the services
throughout the operations. The hospitals are accredited under the National Health and Quality
Health Services Standards and thrive for providing exceptional care services and outperform the
expectations of the patients and their families. The organisation collaborates with public
institutions such as District Health Boards of New Zealand for providing pathology services.
Hence, the organisation has been able to enhance the revenues and ability to establish its centres
in foreign markets.
Support Processes: These do not form the core processes but enables Healthscope Limited for
performing the main activities. These include human resource, IT, finance, and admin which are
vital for any firm since they provide the necessary assistance for the smooth functioning of the
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core activities. The functions of finance department are to record and maintain the billing details
and generate various reports which are used by the management for taking business decisions.
The HR department performs activities such as recruitment and selection, providing training, and
designing employee-welfare policies. IT is concerned with designing and developing the
required IT infrastructure for performing various tasks effectively (Ward, et. al., 2014).
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2. Develop business requirements
Business requirements are the statements which contain the details regarding the functions which
are to be performed and the characteristics that the solution should have. The purpose of defining
the business requirements of Healthscope can be evaluated as:
 Help the management to develop IT infrastructure.
 Compares the IT products offered by different vendors
 Validate costs related to developing IT infrastructure
The use of technology for maintaining the records of the patients enables the physicians to
provide appropriate diagnosis since they will be able to maintain a medical history of the patients
(Ide, et. al., 2014).
The business requirements of Healthscope Limited for developing Electronic Medical Records
(EMR) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) are:
Functional Requirements:
Type Requirement Priority
Database Recording and
maintaining health
records
High
Database Display the current
diagnosis (Klein,
2017).
High
Database Description of chronic
medical conditions.
High
Database Family history Low
Medical records Current prescription
of medicines
High
Medical records Recent test results Medium
Medical records Automatically High
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updating the recent
diagnosis
Non-functional requirements:
Type Requirement Priority
Alerts Generating alerts
related to testing
results
Medium
Alerts End of recommended
diagnosis
Medium
Performance Real-time access to
medical records
High
Availability Accessibility to the
users and easy
transportation (Klein,
2017).
Medium
Security User-authorisation High
Security Admin passwords for
accessing critical
information
High
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3. Determine the systems requirements
The specific systems requirements related to EMR (Electronic Medical Records) are:
Design Requirements
Database: The system should use MySQL for accessing patients’ file for EMR
Operating System: The application should be compatible with Android, Windows and Mac
devices (Nguyen, et. al., 2014).
Performance requirements
Response Time: The application should display the results within five seconds after confirming
the inputs.
Capacity: EMR should be able to process the information received from 400 users
simultaneously.
Maintenance requirements
Back-up: EMR application should be able to back-up the data and should be compatible enough
for transferring the data to another location. The user should be able to transfer the data to a
cloud-based storage device.
Security:
User Rights: The primary users consist of physicians, nurse, or emergency technicians and the
application should be password protected.
Admin Rights: The authority for modifying the details lies with the user, however, the admin
should be able to provide assistance to the users only if requested (Nguyen, et. al., 2014).
Software Specific Requirements
Requirement 01: Adding new patient
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The physicians should be able to add new patients to the list.
Requirement 02: Authentication
The application should request for username and password when the physicians place a request
for obtaining medical records.
Requirement 03: Limited access to data
The EMR system should display the records of those patients only who are assigned to the
physicians. The records pertaining to patients of other physicians should not be displayed and
this can only be done after taking approval from the higher authorities.
Requirement 04: Identifying Patients
The EMR system should identify the patients based on the patient ID generated by the staff
during patient’s first visit to the hospital (Nguyen, et. al., 2014).
Requirement 05: Modifying patient details
The application should be flexible so that the latest medical condition can be updated.
Requirement 06: Date and time of modification
The application should display the details of modification such as date, time, and type of data
modified.
Requirement 07: Continuous usage
The application should not have any glitch and the user should be able to operate this without
any interruptions.
Requirement 08: Data Encryption
The application should encrypt the data stored by using AES encryption algorithms while
transferring the data to another location (Nguyen, et. al., 2014).
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4. Software and vendor selection
The use of technology transforms the ways in which the businesses are conducted since it
enhances the productivity of the staff. Hence, it is necessary for Healthscope Limited for utilising
the latest technology in order to enhance the quality of the services provided to the patients. By
analysing the software requirements of the organisation, the software developed by GE
Healthcare known as Centricity EMR Solution can be used for checking the medical records
online. It is a comprehensive solution for the issues faced by the physicians for checking the
medical records and providing appropriate treatment quickly. The data can be viewed in real-
time and can be accessed at any location which improves the quality of the services.
The benefits of using Centricity can be evaluated as:
 The application can be customised depending on the type of usage and hence, it provides
flexibility to the users (Kvedar, et. al., 2014).
 The application enhances collaboration because it enables to share data with existing
clinical system and the physicians will be able to access the information at any location.
 This is the latest application which has been developed for improving the patient care
services and this has been designed for catering to the needs of the changing trends
related to the use of technology.
 The patient history and summary can be easily accessed resulting in ascertaining the
results and modifying the existing diagnosis.
 It enhances the accuracy of maintaining the medical records since only a minimum
amount of human effort is required for recording and updating the information.
 The application saves the time for both patients and the physicians since there is no need
to search for the hard copies. This reduces the time taken for analysing the reports and
suggesting the appropriate diagnosis (Kvedar, et. al., 2014).
Additionally, this application is already being used by many firms and using the application will
enhance the competitiveness of the firm. The current usage of the application has been illustrated
below:
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Figure 2: Electronic Medical Records
Source: (Software Advice, 2018)
Vendor Selection
The application can be directly purchased from GE Healthcare as they have their operations
across Australia and the order can also be placed online. This is one of the advantages since
genuine products can be purchased and all the features available with the product can be utilised
to the maximum extent. Also, GE is a reputed brand and the products offered by GE are highly
valued because of the level of quality maintained by the firm. Hence, it is advisable to procure
Centricity EMR system from GE Healthcare directly instead of procuring it through a third-party
vendor.
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5. Determine at least three (3) ways which companies or organizations utilize such
technologies to improve business efficiency.
The companies develop strategies for using the latest technology for performing various tasks
because it reduces the human efforts thereby enhancing the accuracy and productivity of the
organisation. This becomes necessary for Healthscope since it deals with providing medical care
to the patients and recording and maintaining accurate medical records enables the physicians to
suggest the appropriate diagnosis. With the increasing demand for medical facilities in Australia,
the firm has to introduce new technologies which help the doctors to check the medical history
and provide the suitable treatment quickly. Also, the maintaining the physical records is a tedious
job and it is highly possible to lose past medical records of the patients which hinders providing
an accurate diagnosis (Maillet, et. al., 2015).
The benefits of using Centricity EMR application can be evaluated as:
Efficient Patient Care Services:
Healthscope will be able to enhance the quality of the services provided to the patients since the
physicians and nurses will be able to view the medical history of the patients easily. This reduces
the time taken for providing treatment and it also minimises the effort taken by the staff for
maintaining the physical records. Providing quick diagnosis is very important in emergency care
and the vital information related to the chronic conditions of the patients’ history enables the
physicians to provide quick solutions. This enhances the competitiveness of the firm as well as
enhances its goodwill and reputation which is essential for the continuous growth and
development of the firm (Maillet, et. al., 2015).
Maintaining accurate records
By using this application, the doctors and nurses will be able to maintain the accurate medical
records of the patient and the details can be viewed online. This enables to check the complete
medical history of the patients before finalising the type of diagnosis that can be provided. The
medical history provides an insight into the past chronic condition of the patients and the effects
of the previous diagnosis on the patient. This information helps the physicians to check the faults
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in the precious diagnosis and take corrective actions. Thus, the application not only helps doctors
but it also helps the patients to improve their medical condition.
Enhanced Security of Medical records:
The application restricts the users from accessing the data and the physicians will be able to
access medical records of the patients assigned to them. This ensures maintaining the
confidentiality of the medical records and avoids mismanagement and unauthorised usage of the
data. Providing admin credentials ensures viewing only required information and in case if the
physicians require the medical details of other patients, they will have to obtain permission from
higher authorities. Also, the data can be transferred to the cloud-based storage device which
ensures protecting the information for a longer period of time. This is an advantage considering
the fact that the physical records can only be stored for a minimum period of time (Maillet, et.
al., 2015).
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6. Evaluate the level of efficiency of the technology implementation
The use of latest technology helps the firms to enhance their productivity and competitiveness of
delivering the products and services. This is important for every business since it enables to
sustain and grow in the competitive market scenario. Healthscope provides the medical care
services and there are numerous competitors, hence, the management has to ascertain the ways in
which the quality of the care services can be improved so that a large number of patients can visit
the hospital. This ensures generating more revenues and the organisation will be able to achieve
its overall objectives (Gagnon, et. al., 2014).
Centricity EMR is a comprehensive solution which can be used by the physicians and nurses for
checking the complete medical history of the patients, the effectiveness of using this application
can be evaluated by understanding the benefits to three key components of Healthscope, which
are people, processes, and technology.
People: People consist of staff and physicians who are associated with Healthscope and they are
a vital asset to the organisation since they perform the actual tasks enabling the management to
achieve overall objectives. The EMR application is user-friendly and it can be used on different
platforms such as Andriod, Mac and Windows devices, hence, it can be easily accessed by the
staff. This helps to minimise the errors while maintaining the records and the staff will be
relieved from performing additional tasks of maintaining the physical medical records. It
requires efforts for maintaining the physical records since the records have to be checked
regularly since these get spoiled easily over a period of time (Gagnon, et. al., 2014).
Processes: At present, the process that is being followed by Healthscope involves maintaining
physical medical records and in few cases, the physicians and nurses are forced to rely on the
information provided by the patients related to their past medical conditions because of lack of
substantial medical proof. These results in performing inappropriate tests and in some cases, it
results in providing wrong treatments. Hence, the use of EMR application minimises the errors
while providing diagnosis and the physicians will be able to check the medical records before
suggesting a diagnosis.
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Technology: Centricity EMR application is the latest technology which is being used by the
organisation for improving the quality of the services provided to the patients. This is important
because of the changing trends in providing care services and technology offers solutions to the
various issues faced by people. Patients expect the reputed organisation such as Healthscope for
using the latest technology and provide unique solutions to the issues faced by them. Hence,
using EMR application assures the communities that the firm continues to thrive towards
excellence thereby enhancing the reputation of the firm. Also, it is better to maintain the medical
records online since these can be maintained for a longer period of time. It is estimated that there
can be an increased use of EMR’s towards providing effective care services which have been
illustrated below:
Figure 3: Global Forecast for Electronic Health Records
Source: (Business Wire, 2017)
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7. Examine potential security risks, data breaches
The use of latest technology enables Healthscope to improve the quality of the services provided
to the patients and maintain the medical records of the patients for a longer period of time.
Technology transforms the conduct of the business and provides a comprehensive solution to the
various issues faced by the communities. But, the technological advancement also increases the
possibilities of cybercrimes such as data theft and data breach which is one of the major concerns
faced by the organisations across the globe. The security risks of using Centricity EMR
application can be evaluated as:
Inadequate User Controls:
The use of admin passwords secures the data; however, if there is a willful disclosure of admin
credentials, the whole purpose of creating the admin user is defeated since the user will be able
to access complete information related to other patients. For instance, the staff will be able to
find all the details of the patients which are not required by them and this may lead to sharing the
important information with others. In some cases, it can be threatening as the information can be
leaked to outside sources thereby enhancing the chance of utilising the information
inappropriately. Also, since the application can be used in Android device, another user may
access the information since the data is saved in the device which increases the possibilities of a
data breach (Hsieh, 2015).
Inadequate Firewall protection:
The firms use firewall protection for safeguarding the computers which are used for performing
various functions. In case if the firewall is disabled, the virus and malware may enter the system
and damage the saved files. This may result in losing vital medical records and the organisation
may have to face the consequences of not maintaining the confidential information. Also, if the
users do not have proper firewall protection on their personal devices, the valuable data may be
lost. This results in providing wrong treatment as the physicians will not be able to check the past
medical history of the patients (Hsieh, 2015).
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Unauthorised Access to the hospital server:
This is done by the professional hackers by gaining access to the hospital network and stealing
important information related to patients. The flexibility of using the application in multiple
platforms enables the users to view the details in their personal devices. However, this can be
used by hackers since the physicians and nurses use the Wi-Fi provided by the hospitals and
hackers have to just access the network points for entering into the system. By hacking the
server, the hackers will be able to steal large volumes of information which may affect the
overall performance of the firm (Hsieh, 2015).
Server controls:
The server has to be protected by providing suitable passwords and the server can be breached if
appropriate security is not provided. Since the hackers will be able to access the server while
transferring the data from the server to the cloud-based storage system. This results in not only
losing the personal data but also affects the goodwill and reputation of the firm.
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8. Provide guidelines on how these risks could be mitigated.
The risks have to be avoided by Healthscope since these risks affect the profitability of the
organisation along with damaging is goodwill and reputation. The following measures can be
implemented for securing the data:
Three Lines of defence:
The user controls have to be designed based on the concept of three lines of defence which
secures the vital information and avoids unauthorised usage. The following figure illustrates the
three lines of defence model:
Figure 4: Three Lines of Defence Model
Source: (The Institute of Internal Auditors, 2013).
The first line of defence is the user access controls which are provided to the users and internal
audits can be performed regularly for checking the amount of information shared and external
audits ascertains the wrongful conduct of the users. Hence, the physicians and staff accessing the
information will be aware of the measures implemented and this prevents wilful disclosure of
information.
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Firewall Protection:
It is mandatory for Healthscope to install firewall protection in the computers and devices used
by the staff and physicians. This secures the data since the firewall detects the threats and alerts
the users while obtaining the information online saving important information (Chen., 2017).
Access Governance:
The user controls have to be effectively managed and the IT department should continuously
monitor the data that is being accessed and shared so that the potential breach can be reported
immediately and the management will be able to take suitable actions
Education:
The best way of protecting the data is to educate the users regarding the ways in which the data
can be secured and the potential threats that can be faced of the precautionary measures are not
taken while using personal devices. Their responsibilities towards the patients and the
management have to be explained in order to get the support from the users for creating a
secured working environment (Chen, 2017).
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Conclusion
Centricity EMR Solution is a comprehensive solution since the medical records can be
maintained and the physicians will be able to view the details online. The application can be used
in any location and it can be accessed by using multiple platforms which increases the flexibility
of the using the application. The doctors can also modify the details and update the records
regularly which enable to update the present medical conditions of the patients. The use of
technology is important since there is a growing demand for medical services and the physicians
have to arrive at quick solutions so that more number of cases can be attended and resolved. This
can only happen if they have the access to the required information and hence, EMR application
has to be utilised for enhancing the efficiency of providing care services.
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