Health Information Management & Information Systems

Health information management and information systems, or health care IT as it is often called, refers to the management of information related to patient records, claims and other health care-related information. The successful management of health care IT relies heavily on following the guidelines of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which ensures that all patient data is shared appropriately and securely between providers, patients and insurers.

The Facts

• Health records must be stored, accessed and archived in ways that meet the guidelines and standards of HIPAA and other health care-related compliance laws. HIPAA was passed to ensure that patient data is kept confidential when viewed by insurance companies, providers and other health care professionals and that strict rules are followed when this information is moved from one location to another.

  According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, health care IT and IS are under scrutiny in our current health care financial crisis because of the importance of privacy and accountability in viewing and managing all health care data.

Considerations

• Much of the administrative costs associated with health care can be attributed to the high expense of managing health care information, according to Open Clinical, a nonprofit organization focused on the knowledge management of health care IT issues. Over the past decade, there has been a push to move more of the medical records currently stored on paper into electronic an format, which could decrease these costs and drastically change the way health care IT is managed.

  However, the costs associated with making these changes is considerable, and many health care providers will have to change their entire systems and ways of conducting business to accommodate new ways of managing information.

Information Management and Providers

• While some independent providers have taken their own initiative to make these changes, there is still resistance to this change because of the associated costs and resources required, according to Dr. David B. Meinert, associate dean of computer information systems at Missouri State University. Most providers continue to manage health care-related information in paper format because it does not require the expensive investment in sophisticated IT applications and software and the accompanying expenses of system upgrades and ongoing training.

Benefits

• Experts, including Meinert, have published work that points to the many advantages to moving health care and patient records to an electronic format. Two of these advantages include reduced redundancy and better discussion of medication options, both of which offer the potential for better patient education and opportunities for enhanced physician-patient communication.

Considerations

• Because of the many rules and regulations that apply to the handling of health care information and patient data, it is important to understand your right to privacy as it relates to managing and sharing your health care information. In general, health care information professionals do not have the right to view your information unless they have a business or medical reason to do so. Unlike other industries, IT workers in health care are held to a strict standard that protects the patient's privacy.