Case Study, Stage 4: IT and Legal Considerations for Proposed EHR Technology Solution
Before you begin this assignment, be sure you have read the "UMUC Family Clinic Case Study", the Case Study Stages 1-3, your required readings and feedback on your graded work so far.
Purpose of this Assignment
This assignment gives you the opportunity to apply the concepts of this course to address the implementation and on-going management of the certified EHR technology solution you have proposed for the UMUC Family Clinic. This assignment addresses the following course outcomes to enable you to:
• Evaluate the organizational environment in the health care industry to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic outcomes.
• Evaluate technology solutions in the health care industry to improve the quality of care, safety, and financial management decisions.
• Examine the implications of ethical, legal, and regulatory policy issues on health care information systems.
IT, Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Considerations for Proposed EHR Technology Solution
Following your report of the Meaningful Use reporting requirements in your Stage 3 project, the owner of the UMUC Family Clinic has still not authorized the needed project funding. In evaluating an IT proposal, there are several areas that need to be considered. Prior to authorizing the needed project funding, the owner has asked you to prepare a table addressing the important aspects/considerations of the project. These considerations are listed in the table provided with this assignment. Considerations include such areas as IT operational safeguard, architectural, project/implementation, legal and ethical considerations.
Depending on the specific EHR technology solution you proposed, some of the considerations would be more important than others, and some may not need specific consideration for the initial implementation of your proposed solution. (If a consideration is not relevant for the solution as described and at implementation but might be something for the future, mark it "N/A". If for instance cloud computing is not in the solution being implemented, but may be considered in the future it would be N/A and not required for the solution. Please note that even N/A items require an explanation.)
The responses that you enter into the table for each consideration must be aligned to the one specific solution you proposed and appropriate to the UMUC Family Clinic.
Assignment
Using the EHR technology solution you proposed in Stage 2, you should briefly explain it and then copy the table below and complete the remaining three columns. For each area of consideration, you should rate it as high, medium, low, or N/A (Not Applicable) in importance or relevance at time of implementation (and not sometime in the future) for the specific EHR technology solution you proposed for the UMUC Family Clinic. Then, provide a brief description, a minimum of two sentences, and a brief explanation, a minimum of two sentences, to justify that rating or the N/A. Do not try to create a reason if there is none, but carefully analyze each consideration and determine whether it applies and how. Explanations must provide enough information to convey the reasoning behind the rating. DO NOT copy the definitions from the textbook or other sources but put into your own words to demonstrate your understanding of the concept as you provide your explanation for the rating. Use the Grading Rubric to be sure you have covered everything. Submit your paper with answers to parts 1 and 2 below via your Assignment Folder as a Microsoft Word document with your last name included in the filename.
Part 1: Briefly explain your proposed EHR technology solution. Identify what the solution is, what it is expected to do for the UMUC Family Clinic, and what major hardware, software and communications components will be used, summarizing the information you provided for Stage 2.
Part 2: Table of Considerations. The Areas for consideration are defined in the section "Concepts" which follows the table of considerations. An example for one entry is also provided below (you cannot use the area identified in the example for your assignment).
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Table of Considerations
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Area
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High/
Medium/
Low Rating or Not Applicable (N/A)
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Description of the Area
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Explanation for Rating /How you will address it
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(minimum 2 sentences for each)
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(minimum 2 sentences for each, linked to specific EHR technology solution proposed)
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I. IT - Operational Safeguards
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1.
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Identity Management & Authorization
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2.
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Training Programs
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3.
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Continuity of Operations
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4.
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Incident Procedures
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5.
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Accountability
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6.
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Risk Assessment
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7.
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System Activity Review
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II. IT - Architectural Safeguards
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8.
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Reliability
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9.
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Availability
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10.
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Maintainability
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11.
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Scalability
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12.
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Safety
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13.
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Cloud Computing
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III. IT - Project Management Considerations
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14.
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Project Resources (Human, Financial)
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15.
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Medical Paper Record Migration
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16.
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Change Management during Implementation
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17.
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Change Management after Implementation
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IV. Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Reporting Considerations
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18.
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Business Associate Contracts
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19.
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HIPAA
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V. Additional Consideration
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20.
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Research and add a consideration from your knowledge of the course
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