Health Informatics Analysis

Health Informatics is the use of information systems and technology to develop, improve, and restructure old processes in the practice of medicine. (Balgrosky, 2015) The purpose of health informatics is optimize storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine. There are many ways that health informatics impacts health care which is to help a physician diagnose a patient better, reduce medical errors, increase patient participation, allow easier access to medical information, and improve public health. Today most all organizations that provide health care services use some type of health informatics such as an electronic health record (EHR), whether it is fully electronic or a hybrid system to achieve the ultimate goal which
Health informatics allows facilities to implement new technology such as the electronic health record (EHR), therefore giving the medical professional easy access to stored data. Adoption and implementation of the EHR is also a crucial part of ensuring the goals of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). It was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology. (HITECH, 2016) Implementing an EHR will improve the quality of care by allowing the hospital to manage patient records more efficiently, it helps to reduce medical costs by eliminating most paper used in patient documentation, and the provider can maximize clinical quality at points of decision-making to help the patient make well informed
Every provider needs to access patient health records which gives the medical professional an opportunity to review prior health conditions, surgeries, and current medications. The EHR streamlines the retrieval process and allows access to information in real-time from any health care facility. Patients can often be misdiagnosed or receive a prescription with an incorrect dosage, but the new technology will help to evaluate patient health in an electronic format to reduce the regularity of medical errors and mistakes. There are potential risks with storing and accessing any data electronically, but encryption software and adding security measures will help to safeguard this information. Health informatics is designed to help providers and organizations strengthen the safety of this data through self-assessment and proper technological training. (Willison,