E-Health & HCIT Innovation: Managing Barriers, Risks and Challenges

This report discusses the barriers to implementing e-health and health information technology (HCIT) innovations within the US healthcare system. Key technological barriers include compatibility issues, lack of HCIT leadership, and system interoperability, which negatively impact service quality and reliability. Standardizing systems is crucial but requires extensive collaboration. Financial barriers arise from the high costs of recruiting qualified HCIT technicians and the rapidly evolving HCIT marketplace. Governmental initiatives like ARRA 2009 provide funding and protection for HCIT investments. Sociopolitical barriers include fragmented legacy systems due to a lack of political will, hindering service delivery and interoperability. Cultural barriers necessitate adaptive HCIT management, while legal barriers focus on data privacy, confidentiality, and security, emphasizing adherence to legislations like HIPAA. Addressing these barriers requires strong leadership, skilled teams, adequate system content, and detailed management processes to advance US healthcare reform.

Running head: HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION
Healthcare Administration
Name of student:
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Managing E-Health Barriers: risks and challenges for HCIT implementation and
innovation
The present discussion is on the barriers that have repeatedly emerged in light of US
healthcare system in relation to the implementation of e-health and HCIT innovation. Students
and professionals of the domain of healthcare administration must have adequate knowledge of
the barriers for better managing present transitional stage in healthcare (Wolper, 2011).
Technological barriers in the implementation of e-health strategies are related to
compatibility challenges, lack of HCIT leadership and system interoperability. As a result, the
negative influence is evident on the service quality, hampering service capacity and reliability
amongst others aspects. The key step to combat the challenges would be to decide upon a
standardized system for systems compatibility and interoperability. Standardization would
require immense collaborative efforts within the US healthcare system. It is to be remembered
that though challenges faced in relation to standardization, compatibility and interoperability can
be resolved, those occurring due to service management barriers and organization are difficult to
address. It is recommended that key insights from IT service management concepts business
model, prevalent in the UK, can be refereed to for implementation in the country.
The increased cost of recruiting qualified technicians having relevant HCIT skills is the
primary financial barrier in this context. The key outcome is that healthcare settings are not in a
position to fund potential HCIT projects. Most settings in the US are not embracing the
implementation of HCIT due to the lack of technological expertise and huge cost of training new
professionals. Further, the fast evolving HCIT marketplace is also a concern for funding and
implementing HCIT. The newly reformed governmental initiatives and legislation (ARRA 2009)

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has been a positive approach for helping funding and protection of HCIT investments. Massive
and rapid HCIT implementation has been on the horizon as a result.
Fragmented legacy health information systems are into existence at present due to the
absence of a political will force that can act as a driving factor for new IT initiatives, which can
be noted as a sociopolitical barrier. Fragmented systems are responsible for impairing better
service delivery, and obstructing growth of interoperable HCITs. A political push is required for
enabling the top management level to show interest in implementation of novice HCITs.
Collaboration and leadership of different sociopolitical groups would be appreciable in this
regard. Coming to the cultural barriers, it is known that HCIT management has to be adaptive
and organic within the organization culture that supports change.
The legal barriers of managing HCIT pertain to the privacy, confidentiality, and security
of computerized administrative and clinical health data. The use, management and retention of
records, in combination with the health network security are the critical issues. It is to be
highlighted that healthcare employees have the ethical and legal obligation to adhere to the
legislations put in place. HIPAA has come up with strategies that guide adherence to the federal
laws.
The barriers that have been above mentioned reflect the need of strong leadership at
different levels for taking forward the US healthcare reform agendas. Implementation of robust
HCITs would entail skilled and competent teams, adequate content for the systems, and detailed
management processes. Organizations must come forward to drive policy and procedural related
decisions in this domain.

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References
Wolper., L. (2011). Health Care Administration: Managing Organized Delivery Systems. USA.