How Is Information Technology Used by a Health Administrator?

Information technology is useful in any industry because it enhances business systems, processes and efficiency. According to an August 2006 article released by the University of California's Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society, increased utilization of information technology can reduce medical errors and slow rising costs by allowing health care providers to work more productively.

Function

• Health administrators are interested in finding ways to integrate information technology systems into the provision of services they offer their patients. As such, there are many uses for information technology in health care, such as electronic health records, communication, claims and telemedicine, which allows health care professionals to consult each other remotely by telephone or web conference.

Electronic Health Records

• Being able to store patient records electronically is a valuable asset to the health care field. Health administrators may invest a lot of time and money into creating electronic health records systems, which can track patient medical histories and reduce medical errors.

Communication

• Health administrators want to communicate effectively and efficiently with internal staff, external stakeholders and community partners. They rely on information technology to create and maintain communication systems.

Claims

• Administrators oversee the financial side of health care, using information technology to develop ways to process and adjudicate medical claims. Having claims databases enables administrators to perform thorough financial analyses of business operations.

Telemedicine

• Telemedicine is a new technological advancement that came as a response to the global need for healthcare. Health administrators who wish to expand and grow their organization can use information technology to create telemedicine services for the purpose of long-distance consultations.