Federal government programs

Federal government programs

1. Analyze three current federal government programs related to health informatics

With the aim of realization of health informatics, the federal government has set up the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) which ensures that healthcare providers implement electronic data recording in their systems.(DerGurahian, 2010). The federal government has set up programs whose function involves creation and maintenance of the electronic recording system and ensuring that quality service and efficient functionality is maintained. Regulatory bodies, whose aim is to achieve realization of a complete and fully equipped informatics system, govern the programs implemented by the federal government. The act achieves its goal by restructuring of the healthcare system to incorporate electronic and technological fields with a plan of increasing effectiveness and customer care. Three of these programs that the federal government has set up are the Office of the National Coordinator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Health IT Standards Committee.

1. Evaluate how each current program is impacted by licensure, certification or accreditation standards.

In the CMS program, the achievement of a national network for providers in sharing electronic health data is implemented by giving out grants and incentives for utilization of electronic health records in a meaningful manner (SearchHealthIT, 2010). These programs ensure a continuous and consistent implementation of electronic records. Healthcare providers are each given a time limit within which they are expected to have fully implemented the informatics system. Failure to which they are penalized for failure to utilize the grants allocated for implementation. This eventually ensures that healthcare systems achieve realization of a finished and functional informatics system among its various constituents. One of the functions of the programs set up is the creation of accreditation standards determining what meaningful utilization of electronic data is, which in turn determines whether the healthcare provider is entitled to receive incentives and reimbursement.

The second program is the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), which develops rules used in certification of technology to be used in the new healthcare information systems. The ONC must consult with the head of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in order to accept the health electronic records certification programs. This is done through temporary or permanent EHR certification programs. For the temporary certification, the ONC serves as the accreditation body, accrediting technologies that are consistent with the goals of the HITECH Act and technologies that ensure realization of improvement in healthcare quality service provision (Haux, 2010). For the permanent program, the work of testing and certification is separated. A private-sector accrediting group is approved by ONC, and the set accreditation standards have to be achieved.

The third program is the Health IT Standards Committee. The function of the Health IT Standards Committee is creation of recommendations for standards, implementation, and certification of electronic health data exchange systems. This committee consists of all the members of the healthcare ecosystem, that is providers, health technology providers, federal agents hence their recommendations are comprehensive and cover all the requirements of the system. They submit these recommendations to ONC to be used in the certification, licensing and accreditation programs set up. (SearchHealthIT, 2010).

Predict how each current program will impact the following:

1. Clinical quality
2. Reimbursement for services
3. Patient access to care

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), would impact positively on clinical quality considering that with the set standards, clinical quality is also raised. The ONC uses two EHR certification programs. This is also bound to positively impact on clinical quality. ONC also impacts on reimbursement for services, resulting in high quality services influenced by the accreditation body. Service is thus positively impacted depending on accreditation. Patients also access better care if a healthcare station has achieved the standards set by ONC. This means that the incentives and funds were utilized in the right way.

The Centre for Medicare and Medicaid services is tasked with governance of issuance of grants. Thus, clinical quality is improved in that electrification of data management by providers because of increased delivery and quality to the patients. CMS is responsible in administering incentive payments. Reimbursement of services will be impacted positively in the case that the healthcare providers meet the set standards. Better access to care for patients is also impacted positively considering CMS is tasked with issuance of incentives, so patients will definitely get better access to healthcare. The Health IT Standards Committee develops recommendations for standards; implementation and certification of electronic health data exchange systems, and submits them to the ONC (SearchHealthIT, FAQ, 2010). Clinical quality is attained because of the large scope of information brought in by the numerous individuals that make up the committee. This ensures quality is preserved. Services are also reimbursed in a better way as different individuals serve to bring in the shortcomings of a healthcare provider. In addition, with adequate incentives disbursed to the right healthcare provider, services are also improved. Patients also access care faster and more efficiently, as the healthcare providers’ shortcomings have already been addressed by the committee and funds or incentives disbursed to cover the shortcomings.

Explain how each current program supports the NHIN.

The National health Information System (NHIN) is tasked with improving the healthcare system by setting better standards for the healthcare providers. The Centre for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has the responsibility of weighing which healthcare providers are to be given a certain amount of funds and incentives. CMS improves healthcare by appropriately distributing funds and incentives to different healthcare providers and this in turn works in line with improving the standards of the healthcare providers and eventually the healthcare system.

The Health IT Standard Committee, is responsible for forwarding the recommendations for licensing, certification and accreditation standards. This committee represents the interests of the healthcare providers, which usually involve the increase in customer care quality. Hence, the standards set up to determine the acceptable healthcare information technology results in the overall improvement of healthcare service provision by increasing the service quality (Al Gallant, 2010). This, therefore, leads to a better healthcare system.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), by being in charge of certification and licensure of information technology, is the lead organization in the creation of a national system for the exchange of health data (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). By setting high standards for technology to be implemented into the healthcare system, the ONC can bring about better service standards in the healthcare systems.

Evaluate the roles of health informatics professionals in operationalizing each of your selected federal government programs by doing the following:

1. Discuss the roles health informatics professionals have performed in each federal government program.

In the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), health informatics professionals are actively used to promote widespread acceptance of health IT and create a national system for exchange of health data (SearchHealthIT, 2010).

In the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the health professionals’ work is in creating guidelines along which incentives and funds are distributed to the healthcare providers. They therefore play a big role in ensuring that healthcare system is up to the required standards.

In the Health IT Standards Committee program, health professionals are tasked with creating recommendations for standards that are to be met by the various healthcare providers. They are composed of about 20 members from different fields; this ensures that the healthcare system is running in an ideal manner.

Analyze how each federal government program could impact the health informatics workforce.

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC),  promotes adoption of Health IT and creates a national system for exchange of health data. The workforce is tasked with ensuring the implementation of the temporary and permanent EHR certification programs. By certifying quality electronic systems to be installed in the healthcare center, this programs impact the workforce involved in healthcare provision by ensuring that the quality of service they provide is high. These programs make data recording and recovery more efficient hence reducing the occurrence of errors and irregularities.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid are tasked with accreditation of service based on the achievement of electronic health records (Kudyba, 2010). The Health informatics workforce is therefore keen on the realization of an electronic health recording system. The mandate to maintain an efficient operations system and electronic health data recording system will ensure that the personnel are efficient in the operations. The electronic system also ensures that data transfer is faster and accurate hence retrieval of information by healthcare personnel will be possible, enabling the realization of better healthcare quality. Health IT Standards Committee program has the mandate of developing recommendations for standards. The federal programs therefore strive to create standards that will be achieved by every healthcare provider.

 

 

References

Al Gallant. (2010). NHIN standards for health data exchange ease physical storage burden.    SearchHealthIT. Retrieved from: http://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/tip/NHIN-standards-for-health-data-exchange-ease-physical-storage-burden

DerGurahian, J. (2010). HITECH Act regulations, backbone of health reform are here to stay. SearchHealthIT. Retrieved from: http://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/news/2240026144/HITECH-Act-regulations-backbone-of-health-reform-are-here-to-stay

Haux, R. (2010). “Medical informatics: Past, present, future”. International journal of medical informatics 79: 599–610. Print.

Kudyba, S. (2010). Healthcare informatics: Improving efficiency and productivity. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Print.

SearchHealthIT. (2010). FAQ: Which federal agencies administer the HITECH Act? Retrieved from: http://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/tutorial/FAQ-Which-federal-agencies-administer-the-HITECH-Act

U.S Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology: Proposed Establishment of Certification Programs for Health Information Technology. Retrieved from: http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&mode=2&objID=1746

 

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