Top 10 List of why Consumers Care about Healthcare IT.
10. Health Information Technology Improves the Quality of Care Received
9. Health Information Technology is Critical in the Event of a Nation-Wide Emergency
8. Health Information Technology Increases Accountability from Providers
7. Health Information Technology Prevents Medical Errors and Saves Consumers’ Lives
6. Health Information Technology Can Empower Consumers to Make Smarter Healthcare Decisions
5. Health Information Technology Saves Consumers Money
4. Health Information Technology Allows Nurses to Spend More Time with Patients
3. Health Information Technology Increases the Health of the Entire American Population
2. Health Information Technology Keeps Hospitals Profitable
1. Health Information Technology Decreases Billing Errors
Consumers and Health Information Technology: A Top 10 List
In honor of National Health IT Week, May 14 – 18, a week-long forum dedicated to increasing the awareness and
impact of health information technology, QuadraMed Corporation has compiled a list of the Top 10 reasons
consumers should care about health information technology.
10. Health Information Technology Improves the Quality of Care Received
Here’s just one example of how health information technology solutions improve the quality of care we receive.
Technology enables electronic medical records which provide a comprehensive medical history for each patient
that any doctor and/or hospital can access. With electronic medical records, doctors can see the whole health
picture for a patient including the information needed to guide medical decisions at the time and place of care.
This ultimately leads to better care for patients – a decidedly good thing.
9. Health Information Technology is Critical in the Event of a Nation-Wide Emergency
Health information technology solutions can have a very profound impact in the event of a catastrophe such as
a terrorist attack or national disaster. Hospitals with the proper technology systems in place are able to discharge
non-critical patients more effectively and efficiently in order to ensure beds are available for trauma victims.
Additionally, electronic medical records, enabled by HIT solutions, provide emergency room doctors and nurses
with access to critical patient information and histories such as blood type, current medications/treatments,
chronic conditions and allergies – regardless of where the patient is or where the medical facility is located. This
is particularly important when victims need to be transported out of the region for treatment (Hurricane Katrina)
or when patient records are damaged or destroyed because the healthcare facility itself is damaged. This was
the case in March of 2007 when Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, Georgia was completely destroyed by a
powerful tornado.
8. Health Information Technology Increases Accountability from Providers
As Americans, we expect to pay more for increased quality – why not demand the same from our healthcare
providers? Health information technology enables healthcare organizations to participate in pay-for-performance
programs – programs where doctors and hospitals are reimbursed by insurance companies for services and
procedures based on a sliding scale that is directly related to their performance against, and adherence to,
nationally accepted quality measures. This provides organizations with a very real incentive for providing the
highest quality of care possible.
7. Health Information Technology Prevents Medical Errors and Saves Consumers’ Lives
Health information technology supports overall patient safety by ensuring accurate patient identification for
treatments and procedures and enabling cross-checking of multiple prescriptions for a patient to identify
potentially harmful reactions. Technology streamlines these processes for increased speed and accuracy.
6. Health Information Technology Can Empower Consumers to Make Smarter Healthcare Decisions
Consumers can become significantly better informed by reviewing hospital certifications issued by the Joint
Commission to determine which institutions meet or exceed Joint Commission national quality standards. As a
general rule, consumers will find that those hospitals that have implemented a high level of integrated healthcare
information technology can offer the highest degree of patient safety and quality outcomes.
5. Health Information Technology Saves Consumers Money
Simply put - health information technology enables greater efficiency and productivity in hospitals, translating
into lower administrative costs – which can ultimately help keep the cost of healthcare in check for all of us
– something we can all appreciate!
4. Health Information Technology Allows Nurses to Spend More Time with Patients
Health information technology solutions mean nurses spend less time handling paperwork and other
administrative tasks, and spend more time working directly with patients in need of attention and care.
Nurses are trained and relied upon to provide direct personal care – health information technology allows
them to do this!
3. Health Information Technology Increases the Health of the Entire American Population
Health information technology has significant public health implications. New technologies can help to track
and identify health trends, both positive and negative, as well as track and identify disease outbreaks. All of this
data supports improvements in the delivery, and policy of American health care.
2. Health Information Technology Keeps Hospitals Profitable
Health information technology enables healthcare organizations to link their clinical and financial systems
ensuring they receive payment for services rendered – ultimately this means a financially healthy and secure
organization. Organizations that are profitable are able to run more effectively, meaning consumers do not have
to worry about staffing shortfalls, old equipment or dirty hospitals.
1. Health Information Technology Decreases Billing Errors
Health information technology allows all the technology and computer systems in a hospital to be linked
together to provide accurate accounts of procedures and services rendered – enabling hospitals to submit
accurate claims to insurance companies and in turn enabling insurance companies to provide consumers with
the correct billing information, the first time, and every time – saving consumers time, stress and most important
of all – money.
Source: QuadraMed |
