Sharing Health Records Electronically: The Views of Nebraskans

In November of 2008, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center implemented a public input project to gather information from Nebraskans about electronic sharing of medical information. One hundred and sixty eight Nebraskans completed an online or paper copy survey, and 34 of those survey respondents also participated in a deliberative discussion. Comfortable with Sharing Medical Information Electronically • Nebraskans have positive views about electronic sharing of medical information. • Nebraskans understand the benefits of electronic health information exchange. • Nebraskans have concerns about who should have the authority to access their electronic health information. Experienced with Information Technology and Healthcare • Nebraskans already have moderate levels of experience with using technology to find health and insurance information. • Nebraskans have little experience with using technology to communicate directly with healthcare providers, though they support the concept of electronic communication with healthcare providers. Want More Consumer Education about Electronic Sharing of Health Information • Nebraskans see a role for State government in educating citizens about the use and sharing of electronic medical records. • Education can increase levels of knowledge about the issues surrounding the use and exchange of electronic health information. • Education can have a positive impact on Nebraskans’ perceptions of the use and sharing of electronic health information. Concerns with Network Vulnerabilities • Nebraskans are concerned about network vulnerabilities that would compromise security of electronic health records. • Nebraskans are not overly concerned with improper access of electronic medical records by insurance companies, employers, etc. Prefer an Indirect Role for State Government in Facilitating the Sharing of Electronic Health Information • Nebraskans want State government to educate citizens and ensure that the electronic sharing of medical records is done in a safe and secure manner. • There was a relationship between frequency of healthcare visits and attitudes about the role of government in electronic health information exchange

Sharing Health Records Electronically: The Views of Nebraskans

In November of 2008, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center implemented a public input project to gather information from Nebraskans about electronic sharing of medical information. One hundred and sixty eight Nebraskans completed an online or paper copy survey, and 34 of those survey respondents also participated in a deliberative discussion. Comfortable with Sharing Medical Information Electronically • Nebraskans have positive views about electronic sharing of medical information. • Nebraskans understand the benefits of electronic health information exchange. • Nebraskans have concerns about who should have the authority to access their electronic health information. Experienced with Information Technology and Healthcare • Nebraskans already have moderate levels of experience with using technology to find health and insurance information. • Nebraskans have little experience with using technology to communicate directly with healthcare providers, though they support the concept of electronic communication with healthcare providers. Want More Consumer Education about Electronic Sharing of Health Information • Nebraskans see a role for State government in educating citizens about the use and sharing of electronic medical records. • Education can increase levels of knowledge about the issues surrounding the use and exchange of electronic health information. • Education can have a positive impact on Nebraskans’ perceptions of the use and sharing of electronic health information. Concerns with Network Vulnerabilities • Nebraskans are concerned about network vulnerabilities that would compromise security of electronic health records. • Nebraskans are not overly concerned with improper access of electronic medical records by insurance companies, employers, etc. Prefer an Indirect Role for State Government in Facilitating the Sharing of Electronic Health Information • Nebraskans want State government to educate citizens and ensure that the electronic sharing of medical records is done in a safe and secure manner. • There was a relationship between frequency of healthcare visits and attitudes about the role of government in electronic health information exchange

Information technologies that facilitate care coordination: provider and patient perspectives

Health information technology is a core infrastructure for the chronic care model, integrated care, and other organized care delivery models. From the provider perspective, health information exchange (HIE) helps aggregate and share information about a patient or population from several sources. HIE technologies include direct messages, transfer of care, and event notification services. From the patient perspective, personal health records, secure messaging, text messages, and other mHealth applications may coordinate patients and providers. Patient-reported outcomes and social media technologies enable patients to share health information with many stakeholders, including providers, caregivers, and other patients. An information architecture that integrates personal health record and mHealth applications, with HIEs that combine the electronic health records of multiple healthcare systems will create a rich, dynamic ecosystem for patient collaboration

Health Information Privacy in the Correctional Environment

Information technology is considered a transformative element in health care because it facilitates the transparency and sharing of health information, which have always been central to the practice of medicine and the delivery of high-quality care. The widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic health information exchange, among other technologies, is considered essential to improving the quality of care, reducing medical errors, reducing health disparities, and advancing the delivery of patient-centered medical care

Benefits and problems of electronic information exchange as perceived by health care professionals: an interview study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Various countries are currently implementing a national electronic patient record (n-EPR). Despite the assumed positive effects of n-EPRs, their overall adoption remains low and meets resistance from health care providers. This study aims to increase our understanding of health care providers' attitude towards the n-EPR, by investigating their perceptions of the benefits and problems of electronic information exchange in health care and the n-EPR in particular.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was conducted in three Dutch health care settings: acute care, diabetes care, and ambulatory mental health care. Two health care organisations were included per setting. Between January and June 2010, interviews were conducted with 17 stakeholders working in these organisations. Relevant themes were deduced by means of thematic qualitative analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Health care providers perceived electronic information exchange to promote the efficiency and quality of care. The problems they perceived in electronic information exchange mainly concerned the confidentiality and safety of information exchange and the reliability and quality of patient data. Many problems perceived by health care providers did not specifically apply to the n-EPR, but to electronic information exchange in general.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The implementation of the Dutch n-EPR has mainly followed a top-down approach, thereby neglecting the fact that the perceptions and preferences of its users (health care providers) need to be addressed in order to achieve successful implementation. The results of this study provide valuable suggestions about how to promote health care providers' willingness to adopt electronic information exchange, which can be useful for other countries currently implementing an n-EPR. Apart from providing information about the benefits and usefulness of electronic information exchange, efforts should be focused on minimising the problems as perceived by health care providers. The safety and confidentiality of electronic information exchange can be improved by developing tools to evaluate the legitimacy of access to electronic records, by increasing health care providers' awareness of the need to be careful when using patient data, and by measures to limit access to sensitive patient data. Improving health care providers' recording behaviour is important to improve the reliability and quality of electronically exchanged patient data.</p

Peer-to-Peer Personal Health Record

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Patients and providers need to exchange medical records. Electronic Health Records and Health Information Exchanges leave a patient’s health record fragmented and controlled by the provider. This thesis proposes a Peer-to-Peer Personal Health Record network that can be extended with third-party services. This design enables patient control of health records and the tracing of exchanges. Additionally, as a demonstration of the functionality of a potential third-party, a Hypertension Predictor is developed using MEPS data and deployed as a service in the proposed framework

The Path to Health Information Technology Adoption: How Far Have We Reached?

Health Information Technology (HIT) is an overarching framework that describes the management of health information across various computerized systems and the secure exchange between consumers, providers, government, and insurers. It has been viewed as a promising tool for improving the overall quality, safety and efficiency of the health delivery system (Chaudhry et al., 2006). This capstone examines the problem of urban rural divide in the process of Health IT adoption especially with regard to Electronic Health Records (EHRs). This paper also tracks the progress made during years 2009 to 2013 to the process of Electronic Health Record adoption in the United States

Measuring Population Health Using Electronic Health Records: Exploring Biases and Representativeness in a Community Health Information Exchange

Assessment is a core function of public health. Comprehensive clinical data may enhance community health assessment by providing up-to-date, representative data for use in public health programs and policies, especially when combined with community-level data relevant to social determinants. In this study we examine routinely collected and geospatially-enhanced EHR data to assess population health at various levels of geographic granularity available from a regional health information exchange. We present preliminary findings and discuss important biases in EHR data. Future work is needed to develop methods for correcting for those biases to support routine epidemiology work of public health

Electronic Health Records and Health Information Exchange and Their Impact on International Healthcare System Efficiency

The 19th century epidemiological transition in healthcare caused a major shift in physician focus from curing one-time, deadly illness to managing chronic disease. Now, even the most advanced international healthcare systems must find a way to increase their efficiency in order to compensate for heightened strains on medical systems and swelling costs of healthcare delivery. Fortunately, recent technological innovation and, chiefly, the growth of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) provide a potential solution to this looming threat. EHRs are digital charts with the potential to store and share patient health data among providers to offer the most informed, streamlined care available. Yet, their effectiveness in increasing health system efficiency remains uncertain. Relying on the concept of technical efficiency in the healthcare sector, I explore the efficacy of long-term international EHR implementation. Using OECD data, I performed a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) and measured the change in hospital subsector efficiency over time for each of the 15 chosen countries within my analysis. Followed by this data is a comprehensive EHR index as well as 5 individual country case studies to better explain the histories, successes, and failures of EHR implementation throughout the world. These measures yielded somewhat inconclusive results pertaining to EHR’s effect on international healthcare efficiency. Nevertheless, the findings of this study strongly support the need for continued international healthcare efficiency analysis. Rather than submit to the difficulties of such nuanced and complex analytical processes, researchers must remain vigilant and steadfast in their pursuit of efficiency in order to provide effective, affordable healthcare to everyone in need

Detect Adverse Events and Medication Errors Using Technology

Technology has changed the practice of pharmacy. Many systems are now part of an ever increasingly interfaced or integrated health care system allowing the electronic exchange of prescriptions from electronic health records (EHRs) to the pharmacy information system and bidirectional data exchange for many items, such as lab results and test information. With meaningful use of automated distribution cabinet databases, EHR efforts, electronic data exchange, and smart pump technology, the availability of data to use for addressing and preventing adverse medication events has grown. Use of these systems has allowed a data-rich environment to store and retrieve reporting. Mining data is becoming easier and can be used as a tool to identify adverse medication events or potential events