Health Information Technology & Quality

Health information technology is a rapidly growing field. Assessing the quality of health technology is an important aspect of the industry. There are a variety of types of health information technology and associated quality management best practices.

Types

• There are a variety of types of health information technology including electronic medical records (EMRs), electronic health records (EHRs) and new medical equipment, often used for minimally invasive procedures. (The difference between an EMR and an EHR is that an EMR is commonly used in physician offices while an EHR is the lifetime health record that many jurisdictions hope will replace the antiquated filing system.)

Quality Management

• Managing new technologies includes assessing their quality. Quality management at the hospital administration level means having a quality assurance department that includes both administrators and clinicians. A quality management team can assess new technologies, manage patient files and also engage the maker of new equipment in annual reviews of equipment.

Considerations

• A major consideration in health technology and quality management is the rising cost of new health technology. Purchasing new technologies is costly for health care and the associated quality assurance and maintenance management process is yet another cost. Striving for quality management of existing equipment while investing in strategic new pieces of equipment is a sound management practice for hospitals, both public and private.