Health Information Exchange

By: Jamie Hanson

Published: June 16, 2010
Health care of the community is very important and a vital responsibility of public health authorities. To achieve the purpose of providing timely, equitable and efficient health care and study the effectiveness of health care facilities available to the population of the region, the authorities initiated the health information exchange. Health information exchange (HIE) is basically the collection and distribution of health care information electronically across organizations within a region, community or hospital system.

Health information exchange (HIE) enables to electronically move scientific information among different health care information systems and also safeguard the meaning of the data being exchanged. HIE facilitates access to and retrieval of clinical information to assist in rendering safe, prompt and effective health care to patients. Public health authorities also use the data available in HIE to analyze and review the health of the population in a particular region.

This IT devoted health care enables practitioners to interact with the symptoms and provide necessary advice. Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) is a process that minimizes the delay in following up the instructions, reduces the mistakes connected to handwriting, allows the instruction to be entered at point of care, helps in detecting errors for incorrect or duplicate tests and simplifies the posting and record of charges.

CPOE is beneficial and help people in various ways.

- The contradictory views of physicians are assimilated and directions issued to all concerned and involved health care support staff to circumvate scheduling problems, improve response time and avert any clash with existing instructions.

- The safety aspects of a patient are taken care by the CPOE system. It allows definite time identification of the patient, recommends proper drug dose, provides details of unfavorable drug reaction, helps check on allergies and treatment deviation. Accessing these information's doctors and caregivers can evaluate and accordingly take care of the patient.

- The CPOE process is user friendly and allows efficient use by unusual and novice users to use the instructions and work flow.

- The information stored in the system is fully secured and can be accessed by appropriate electronic signature.

- The system helps produce statistical data and online reports that help administrators appraise patient information and make changes to improve productivity and optimum utilization of resources. Such information also helps in planning, training and scrutiny of events for patient safety.

- The system can be accessed from any position through various communicating devices including Personal Computers and tablet computers, and it takes, handles and disseminates information for all at the spot of care.

- Previously the written documents were misrepresented and patients were at risk. The CPOE process prevents such prescribing errors and improves the security and efficiencyof medication.

HIE and CPOE are proven to be efficient methods for patients of various communities.

The author is an expert on health information exchange with Halfpenny, and also consults with SEO company DDS Agency.