Types of Health Information Technology

Health information technology is increasingly common in health care. From remotely assessing a critical stroke patient to alerting providers of changes in a patient's condition, information technology has a key and essential role in health care.

Administration and Patient Metrics

• Hospitals and physician offices use health information technology to support health care business practices, as noted by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. A key component is the ability to track patient volumes. Tracking specific metrics, including admission rates, length of stay and discharge outcomes can be embedded into the accounting system. This information can assist with strategic planning, business development and potential service modification.

Accounting

• Health information technology supports accounting functions including payroll and employee benefit tracking. The technology can assist with staff scheduling and help to determine optimal staffing levels. Employee benefit tracking allows staff to remain aware of benefits. The tracking also allows administration to monitor and trend benefit expenses.

Clinical

• Clinical accuracy is an essential component of health care delivery and health information technology. The Joint Commission, a nonprofit organization that accredits and certifies health care organizations and programs, supports clinical accuracy through the use of health information technology, including patient assessment information, the accuracy of medication administration and the sequence of advanced interventions. One component is critical care patient monitoring. When the patient's blood pressure reaches an extremely low or high level, an alert system is an invaluable resource that can notify staff that a patient may require an intervention.

Pharmacy

• Health information technology can replace hand-written prescriptions, leading to fewer prescription errors. The technology also can trigger an alert when contraindications or conflicts are possible, such as when more than one prescription is involved. This assistance reduces additional phone consultations between the prescribing physician and pharmacist. Computer applications can reduce processing time for refill requests and reduce pharmacy department administrative expenses.

Telemedicine

• Telemedicine connects individuals who are not in the same physical location. Telemedicine can include audio for voice-to-voice communication, video for visual connectivity, or any combination thereof for education, patient assessment and provider consultation. It is used particularly in clinical settings, such as the assessment of an acute stroke patient or for cancer research.