An electronic health records system is core to deliver notable clinical roles and responsibilities among clinical staff effectively. Notably, health informatics and electronic record functionalities keep patient health information secure, effective communication, and attaining result management for the organization (Ben-Assuli, 202). However, while implementing an electronic health record, notable considerations should e in place and should favor the health record system implementation in an effort for it to achieve its goals.
Notably, one of the considerations that should be set and in line is product customization. The electronic health record system should be customized according to the healthcare facility. The software design, which is also a core consideration, shall be well covered with customization since the design shall follow user preference (Fragidis & Chatzoglou, 2018). With the two major considerations for a system in place, the system’s cost and long-term goals shall be considered before the system’s purchase and implementation. With a reasonable cost and the long-term goals for the medical organization matching those of the system, the electronic health record can easily be implemented.
To set up an electronic health record in our institution, there is important to consider regulations that govern the health records and adhere to the set regulations. Notably, the health records system should adhere to the regulations set by the health insurance portability and accountability act. In addition, the electronic health records system should adhere to the health information technology for economic and clinical health act to show compliance to the economic and clinical regulations surrounding systems used in a medical setting (Tutty, Carlasare, Lloyd & Sinsky, 2019). Lastly, the system should be in line and adhere to acts regulating affordable healthcare and recovery and reinvestment. Notably, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Affordable Health Care Acts should be considered and respected while setting up an electronic health record system.
While selecting an electronic health record system in our health facility, an important and unique aspect we have to confirm is its interoperability. Through interoperability, the electronic health record system shall be assured of delivering to its user’s expectations and demands. Notably, while handling patient data, the electronic health records system shall be better positioned and share relevant information with respective providers and organizational departments (Dagher, Mohler, Milojkovic & Marella, 2018). Moreover, efficiency shall be enhanced since the system shall better sync and possess data from different departments and sources. Lastly, the interoperability of the electronic health system shall ensure effectiveness in communication among health attendants, making accessing doctors and specialists easy and convenient. Moreover, patients’ feedback and results will be easily accessed and shared, resulting in outstanding delivery.
Within the electronic health records system, in all life cycles of data, there is a need for an assurance of data stored therein being well maintained without discrepancies or inaccuracies to deliver current and factual information to its different users. Moreover, the above aspects should be consistent over a long period in a bid for the system to be considered to possess data integrity. Aside from maintaining data integrity, data security is an additional factor that should be maintained in and by the electronic health system (McDowall, 2019). With a tight security system in place, data breaches shall be rare or a thing that should not happen. Moreover, tight security of the system should ensure that no chances of hacking or system manipulation are present by either internal or external customers. Therefore, the strong security of data in the electronic health system assures all its users of privacy and protection of their data.
Considering all of the above issues and factors affecting the implementation of the electronic health records system, we can install the system in our facility if we understand the legal concerns revolving around its implementation (Sharma & Balamurugan, 2020). A notable legal concern surrounding the system’s implementation is the likelihood of medical errors occurring and the reaction to reclaiming the data. Additionally, medical malpractice by the aid of the system is another legal concern surrounding implementing the electronic health records system. Breaches and fraudulent claims are additional legal concerns surrounding implementing our electronic health records system. If the above can also be addressed, then our system shall be good to go for installation and use.
References
Ben-Assuli, O. (2015). Electronic health records, adoption, quality of care, legal and privacy issues, and their implementation in emergency departments. Health policy, 119(3), 287-297.
Dagher, G. G., Mohler, J., Milojkovic, M., & Marella, P. B. (2018). Ancile: Privacy-preserving framework for access control and interoperability of electronic health records using blockchain technology. Sustainable cities and society, 39, 283-297.
Fragidis, L. L., & Chatzoglou, P. D. (2018). Implementation of a nationwide electronic health record (EHR): The international experience in 13 countries. International journal of health care quality assurance.
McDowall, R. D. (2019). Data Integrity Focus, Part II: Using Data Process Mapping to Identify Integrity Gaps: Understanding and mitigating risks to regulatory records is an important part of a data integrity program. We discuss data process mapping as a technique to identify data gaps, record vulnerabilities in a chromatographic process and look at ways to mitigate or eliminate them. LC-GC North America, 37(2), 118-124.
Sharma, Y., & Balamurugan, B. (2020). Preserving the privacy of electronic health records using blockchain. Procedia Computer Science, 173, 171-180.
Tutty, M. A., Carlasare, L. E., Lloyd, S., & Sinsky, C. A. (2019). The complex case of EHRs: examining the factors impacting the EHR user experience. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 26(7), 673-677.
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