Question-Policy and Theoretical Frameworks
Ten or fifteen years ago, we were still documenting patient visits in paper charts. Then, we moved to EHRs that did little more than store the same information electronically. The next step, logically, is to adopt technology that supports clinical workflows. And, importantly, these applications bring patients into the equation by empowering them with their own health data and the ability to reach out to their care team when the data is confusing or concerning. Health systems and hospitals are beginning to see the value of these applications, and are adopting new attitudes and strategies that truly leverage technology to improve patient outcomes. The Meaningful Use incentive program has provided the impetus needed to increase the rate of HIT adoption; however, we are still far from actually using these tools systematically to improve patient care.
A major question that is being asked more and more often is how the HIT landscape will look like AFTER the MU incentives run out. Are we still going to maintain the progress? Get better? Or worse? Is it possible to reverse all these gains?
Assignment: Please read about the future of HIT, then write a short essay discussing the following points:
Definition of HIT/EHR, background of adoption and progress
Choose 3 of the "hot" health IT topics discussed that you believe are the most important for the field in a world without MU incentives
Explain why these 3 topics are important
Explain what are the barriers to seeing these 3 things happen (or be successfully implemented, etc) from each of the following 3 perspectives:
- Policy
- Managerial
- Technical
Your brief overall assessment of what should we (as a profession) do to make these happen
Total 4-5 pages - include title, use some of the resources (papers) referenced in the report, support your arguments with proper citations, APA style, use good grammar and syntax and structure your analysis by issue for easier reading-i.e., issue 1 subtitle, importance, where we are, barriers, what to do; issue 2 subtitle, etc, etc.