Comprehensive Report on Health Information Systems: Key Aspects

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of health information systems, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) within a healthcare setting. It explores developing technologies such as Electronic Medical Records (EHR), Health Information Exchange, and Therapeutic Consultation Programs, emphasizing their potential to enhance healthcare processes and reduce costs. The report also identifies significant methods for preventing the misuse of patient information, including data encryption and password systems, and proposes a process-based training strategy for healthcare organizations to effectively train providers in utilizing technology. Furthermore, it outlines best practices for effective IT alignment, such as establishing an IT Steering Committee and designating IT liaisons in each department, to ensure that IT resources are strategically directed and contribute to the organization's goals. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of these elements in maintaining a secure, efficient, and patient-centered health information system.

Running Head: HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM
Health Information System
Name
Institution

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Health Information System
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Responsibilities and Characteristics of CTO and CIO....................................................................3
Chief Information Officer (CIO)..................................................................................................3
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)................................................................................................4
Developing Technologies that Health Care Systems Use...............................................................5
Significant Methods Used to Prevent Misuse of Information.........................................................6
Strategy for Healthcare Organizations to Train Providers..............................................................7
Best Practices in Effective IT Alignment........................................................................................7
Conclusions......................................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
It is imperative that any management team in healthcare system evaluate the effectiveness
along with the competitiveness of information technology (IT) systems to promote delivery of
safe and quality care. Information technology solely will not offer a competitive advantage;
however, information technology may offer the benefit provided it is utilized to improve the
healthcare processes. Consequently, it is crucial that healthcare organizations obtains processes
from strategic growth to service levels, as well as utilize technology to maintain these processes
towards quality delivery of services. IT requires the design of processes that will not permit any
third party to access client’s information which means that the systems should promote
confidentiality of the data in the healthcare setting (Blumenthal, 2009). The purpose of the paper
is to comprehend the following: the roles plus characteristics of the Chief Technology Officer
(CTO), as well as Chief Information Officer (CIO) along with; suggest developing technologies
the healthcare systems must utilize to enhance healthcare processes; determine important
methods, which healthcare systems must utilize to stop misuse of patient information plus
safeguard their privacy; propose a strategy for healthcare organizations to train providers
utilizing technology; and offer best practices for efficient information technology alignment
along with the strategic programs.
Responsibilities and Characteristics of CTO and CIO
Chief Information Officer (CIO)

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The CIO responsibilities in the healthcare setting include planning and implementing the
information technology (IT) strategy, which is appropriate and right for the healthcare
organization. Consequently, technology may make some of the healthcare organizations’
processes faster, which will increase the efficiency and productivity of the staff. And promote the
quality of services offered. In addition, the CIO is responsible for developing strategies to attain
the goals of the organization. Thus, the chief information officer recommends ways for the
investments to avail dramatic outcomes, like 3% increase in efficiency (Wager, Lee & Glaser,
2013).
The characteristics of CIO are the center of the organizations’ essentials where they focus
on the development of the IT in an appropriate manner. The chief information officer is
influential and understands the way to converse to the organization the information technology
performance report.
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
The CTO is the architect of the organization’s technological infrastructure. CTO is
responsible for designing intranets plus the communications systems and keeps the
organization’s systems operating smoothly. The CTO has the capacity of defining technology
standards, operation systems, and network technologies, which would be supported by the
organization. They further ensure that the technological infrastructure are up-to-date, as well as
are of excellent fit for what is required. The CTO is also a watchman for emerging technologies,
which are potentially of worth to the organization (Tan & IGI Global, 2009).

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I would recommend that the chief technology officer (CTO) not loose themselves in an
endeavor to design a system, which has the potential to function better than them. This is because
eventually, the organization is migrating to the world of technology and that it will provide a
means where there will be little room for people and employees to manipulate but will benefit
the entire organization. They should maintain a greater level of being remarkable in the use of
the IT systems through innovation (Wager, Lee & Glaser, 2013).
Developing Technologies that Health Care Systems Use
Because the healthcare marketplaces are presently financially strained, medical
technologies are seen as a luxury item, which is very costly. Therefore, there is the need to
develop technologies that the healthcare systems will utilize to improve their processes. Two
technologies the healthcare systems must utilize are Electronic Medical Record (HER) beside
Health Information Exchange with e-prescribing and implementing the Therapeutic Consultation
Program (Crosson, Isaacson & Lancaster, 2008).
A Therapeutic Consultation Program, which contains drug utilization reviews (DUR)
assists to reduce expenses through offering a better result to clients with severe conditions, such
as severe cancer. This technology is important because it ensures that patients are taking the
medication, which is prescribed to them in the right manner. The technology will lower the
number of visits to the healthcare facility because unproductive prescriptions or unfavorable
interactions. The technology employs the history of drug claims, which recognize the patients
who do not adhere to the treatment guidelines. The technology is important because it generates
important outcomes (Hollingworth, Devine & Hansen, 2007).

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Electronic Health Records (HER), as well as Health Information Exchange with e-
Prescribing have the potential to lower the costs, as well as offer a security through monitoring
the safety of the patient. EHRs are medical records, which comprise the medical history of the
patient, which are accessible electronically (Blumenthal & Tavenner, 2010). Also, the Health
Information Exchange permits the electronic health records to be shared among healthcare
stakeholders where the data may be utilized to provide care for the client at all times and
anywhere. Therefore, instituting e-Prescribing promotes fulfillment of patients along with
productivity. Accordingly, e-Prescribing eliminates the likelihood of faults while reading an
instruction the physician wrote out and allows the orders to be sent to pharmacy by electronic
means. Thus, the pharmacists will no longer have to presume what the physician wrote, which
removes the possibility the client gets the incorrect medicine.
Significant Methods Used to Prevent Misuse of Information
There are many means to make sure that information is not misused and that the privacy
of the patient is maintained. The privacy of the patient is concerned with the security in the
healthcare setting. Whether deliberate or unintended, the release of patient information, which
would be utilized to identity the patient, amounts to misuse of healthcare data systems. The
organization’s security system must safeguard both the IT assets along with any data, which
entails the patient (Perera, Holbrook & Thabane, 2010).
The first method, which healthcare may utilize to protect the privacy of data is data
encryption. Data encryption ensures that any data, which is transferred over a different
healthcare organization via a network, is to be secure from hackers attempting to intercept the

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patient information. Thus, data is secure when no one may alter, or intercept whilst being
transmitted over a given network (Cheung, van Velden, Lagerburg & Minderman, 2015).
The second technique that healthcare organizations systems may employ to guard the
privacy of the data is putting password in place. The password systems are among the
widespread means to protect the medical records of the patient. This implies that the password
systems entail the combination of User ID or a PIN number, where they are put into a database
searches for a match. This means that if the database finds a match, the user is allowed to access
the systems and normally passwords are encrypted (Sittig & Singh, 2010).
Strategy for Healthcare Organizations to Train Providers
The training process that is appropriate for healthcare organization will be process-based
training. This kind of training based on process allows the employees to train on the method to
use the novel system. Thus, the novel system would raise concerns regarding the workflow.
These workers that are going to use the novel system will be required to understand what their
role is and regarding the hand-offs, which may occur. Process-based training will transform and
standardize the processes plus policies that will equip the employees with the best training skills.
Thus, the process may modify and advance as the employees learn the novel scheme for their
daily processes (Pevnick, Asch & Adams, 2010).
Best Practices in Effective IT Alignment
Developing effective, as well as sound information technology configuration is significant
will make sure that information technology organizational assets are not misdirected along with

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that are used for the benefit of the organization. The three most excellent practices for efficient
information technology configuration include:
 Institute an IT Steering Committee: Information technology (IT) steering committees
are created to assist a program that is not functioning. The committees work together with
the CIO. The committee will ensure that leaders in the organization come in and talk their
decisions regarding technology spending. Consequently, the CIO has the time to get
people and discuss the challenges that they might be experiencing and use the steering
committee to place priorities in order (Lieber et al., 2015).
 Inaugurate a High-level IT Liaison in each Department: several organizations have
fashioned a liaison position, which is a mini-CIO. They exist in every department and
have similar roles as that of CIO. They assist to recognize the diverse means that the
departments may utilize the technology to gain a competitive advantage in the healthcare
industry.
 Distribute a List of Continuing Projects: There is the need to update the project list each
month. This list should be distributed to the IT department and the leaders of the
organization (Zulman, Nazi & Turvey, 2011).
Conclusions
Organizations access process from tactical development position to service levels plus
utilize technology to maintain, as well as sustain organization. Therefore, the paper covered the
roles and characteristics of CIO and CTO that comprise implementing plus planning an IT
strategy, and maintaining the communication systems of the organization working. The HER and

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Health Information Exchange with e-Prescribing are suitable to improve the healthcare systems.
Some important methods, which medical systems utilize to protect the data of the patient are data
encryption, along with password system. The strategies of healthcare organizations are designed
to effectively train providers using technology that is called process-based training. Finally,
finest practices for efficient information technology configuration along with strategic programs
comprise instituting steering committee, design a high-level information technology liaison in
each department and maintain a current list of current programs.

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References
Blumenthal, D. & Tavenner, M. (2010). The “meaningful use” regulation for electronic health
records. N Engl J Med. 363(6):501–504.
Blumenthal, D. (2009). Stimulating the adoption of health information technology. N Engl J
Med. 360(15):1477–1479.
Cheung, A., van Velden, F.H.P., Lagerburg, V. & Minderman, N. (2015).The organizational and
clinical impact of integrating bedside equipment to an information system: a systematic
literature review of patient data management systems (PDMS). Int J Med Inform.
84(5):155–165.
Crosson, J.C., Isaacson, N. & Lancaster, D. (2008). Variation in electronic prescribing
implementation among twelve ambulatory practices. J Gen Intern Med. 2008;23(4):364–
371.
Hollingworth, W., Devine, E.B. & Hansen, R.N. (2007). The impact of e-prescribing on
prescriber and staff time in ambulatory care clinics: a time motion study. J Am Med
Inform Assoc. 14(6):722–730.
Lieber, B.A., Taylor, B., Appelboom, G., Prasad, K., Bruce, S. & Yang, A. (2015). Meta-
analysis of telemonitoring to improve HbA1c levels: promise for stroke survivors. J Clin
Neurosci. 22(1):807–811.

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Perera, G., Holbrook, A. & Thabane, L. (2010). Views on Health Information Sharing and
Privacy from Primary Care Practices Using Electronic Medical Records. International
Journal of Medical Informatics. 80(3):94–101.
Pevnick, J.M., Asch, S.M & Adams. J.L. (2010). Adoption and use of stand-alone electronic
prescribing in a health plan-sponsored initiative. Am J Manag Care. 16(3):182–189.
Sittig, D.F. & Singh, H. A. (2010). New Socio-technical Model for Studying Health Information
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Tan, J. K. H., & IGI Global. (2009). Medical informatics: Concepts, methodologies, tools, and
applications. Hershey, Pa: IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania,
17033, USA.
Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., & Glaser, J. P. (2013). Healthcare information systems: A practical
approach to health care management (3rd Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Zulman, D. M., Nazi, K. M. & Turvey C. L. (2011). Patient Interest in Sharing Personal Health
Record Information. Annals of Internal Medicine. 155(12):805–10.

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