Health Information Infrastructure and Systems

Chapter 3 covered topics on health information infrastructure and systems. Health Information Infrastructure and Systems (HIIS) refer to the technology and processes that support the storage, exchange, and use of health information. These systems play a critical role in the healthcare industry, facilitating the delivery of high-quality care and supporting clinical decision-making. HIIS includes electronic health record systems, health information exchange networks, personal health records, and other health information technologies. The chapter also discussed how public and private sector initiatives and organizations significantly develop and implement Health Information Technology (HIT) and Health Information Exchange (HIE) policies and processes. These entities work together to create and implement policies supporting the integration and exchange of electronic health information among stakeholders. The migration and implementation of HIT may present potential management issues facing healthcare and information management professionals, including concerns regarding data accuracy, privacy, and security and ensuring the interoperability and compatibility of different HIT systems. Health Information Management (HIM) professionals must design, develop, and implement these policies and processes. They are crucial in ensuring that HIT and HIE policies and procedures comply with legal and regulatory requirements and are aligned with clinical workflows. HIM professionals collaborate with other stakeholders to develop HIT and HIE policies that prioritize patient safety, improve care quality, and support interoperability. In addition, they work to ensure that electronic health information is accurate, complete, and secure while also ensuring that it is available to authorized users when and where it is needed.

Chapter 4 discusses health data concepts and information governance. The chapter first covered the similarities and differences between data and information. Data and information are two distinct concepts in healthcare. Data refers to raw facts and figures, while information results from organizing and analyzing data meaningfully. In healthcare, data and information are critical to improving patient care, as they can help healthcare providers identify trends, make informed decisions, and develop targeted interventions. The health record has five unique roles: as a legal document, as a financial record, as a communication tool, as a research tool, and as an educational resource. Health records are legal documents that provide evidence of care provided to the patient and serve as a financial record of services rendered. Health records also facilitate communication among healthcare providers and are a valuable resource for research and education. Data is critical in patient care, as it helps providers identify potential health risks, develop care plans, and monitor patient progress over time. There are several major users of healthcare data, including patients, healthcare providers, researchers, payers, and regulators. Finally, regulators need data to monitor healthcare quality and ensure regulation compliance. Consistency and comparability are also essential in data collection both within an institution and across the health care delivery system. Consistency ensures that data is collected standardized, while comparability enables data analysis across different institutions or healthcare delivery systems. Standardization of data collection is crucial for measuring the quality of care, evaluating healthcare policies, and benchmarking performance. Several major information and data sets exist within the health care system, including the electronic health record (EHR), health insurance claims data, and clinical quality measures (CQMs). Lastly, the chapter discussed the characteristics of data quality. The importance of quality data cannot be overstated. Several characteristics are associated with data quality. These include accuracy, completeness, consistency, relevance, timeliness, and usability. Accurate data is free from errors and reflects the true state of affairs. Complete data includes all the required data elements, while consistent data is free from contradictions. Relevant data is meaningful and useful to the user, while timely data is available when needed. Finally, usable data is presented in a manner that is easy to understand and use.

In conclusion, this module was very informative about healthcare data and information systems. These chapters relate to my future career because data collection and analysis are vital in life science research. Taking neat and coherent notes is essential because if something goes wrong in an experiment, it would be ideal to go back to your notes and pinpoint what may have caused the problem. I am also interested in working for the FDA, so learning about healthcare policies is fascinating.