Overview of Health Information Technology
The following information has been copied from the Office of National Coordinator website at https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-health-it.
Health IT, shorthand for “health information technology,” is a broad concept that encompasses an array of technologies.
Health IT is the use of computer hardware, software, or infrastructure to record, store, protect, and retrieve clinical, administrative, or financial information.
Health IT can include: Electronic Health Records, Personal Health Records, Electronic Medical Records, and Electronic Prescribing (e-Prescribing).
Electronic Health Record
An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly
and securely to authorized users. While an EHR does contain the medical and treatment histories of patients, an EHR system is built to go beyond clinical data collected
in a provider’s office and can be inclusive of a broader view of a patient’s care. EHRs are a vital part of health IT and can:
- Contain a patient’s medical history, diagnosis, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and test results.
- Allow access to evidence-based tools that providers can use to make decisions about a patient’s care
- Automate and streamline provider workflow
One of the key features of an EHR is that health information can be created and managed by authorized providers in a digital format capable of being shared with other
providers across more than one health care organizations. EHRs are built to share information with other health care providers and organizations - such as laboratories,
specialists, medical imaging facilities, pharmacies, emergency facilities, and school and workplace clinics – so they contain information from all clinicians involved in
a patient’s care.
Advantages of Electronic Health Records
- Providing accurate, up-to-date, and complete information about patients at point of care
- Enabling quick access to patient records for more coordinated, efficient care
- Securely sharing electronic information with patients and other clinicians
- Helping providers more effectively diagnose patients, reduce medical errors, and provide safer care
- Improving patient and provider interaction and communication, as health as health care convenience
- Enabling safer, more reliable prescribing
- Helping promote legible, complete documentation and accurate, streamlined coding and billing
- Enhancing privacy and security of patient data
- Helping providers improve productivity and work-life balance
- Enabling providers to improve efficiency and meet their business goals
- Reducing costs through decreased paperwork, improved safety, reduced duplication of testing, and improved health
Electronic Prescribing
With electronic prescribing, or “e-Prescribing,” health care providers can enter prescription information into a computer device – like a tablet, laptop, or desktop
computer – and securely transmit the prescription to pharmacies using a special software program and connectivity to transmission network. When a pharmacy receives a
request, it can begin filling the medication right away.
Benefits of e-Prescribing
- Help improve health care quality and patient safety by reducing medication errors and checking for drug interactions
- Make care more convenient by allowing providers to electronically request prescription refills
***For more information regarding Health Information Technology, visit www.healthit.gov