BUSI 505 Liberty University US Healthcare System and Health Informatics Questions

The U.S. Healthcare System and Health Informatics

Joe DelDonno

Master of Science, Healthcare Administration, Liberty University

BUSI 505-D01 Health Care Informatics

Dr. Latasha Easterling

March 25, 2021

Author’s Note: I have eight years of previous experience as a Surgical Technologist and Perfusion Assistant both on Orthopedic and Cardiovascular teams. I have worked with and observed the effect of several disciplines in hospitals, care facilities, and educational settings.

I have also spent the previous four years working around the staff in hospitals, care facilities, and hospice teams as Chaplain directly with MD’s, Administrators, NP’s, RN’s and CNA/CMA personnel.

How the U.S. Healthcare System Has Advanced in Technology

US Healthcare has both blossomed and been burdened by the advancement and incorporation of technology to provide informatics for the healthcare system. The major areas of technological advancement have become the process of patient data creation and management within the physical healthcare setting and is becoming more commonplace and, frankly, necessary in the virtual setting in current times. The reach of electronic means and methods of patient care has advanced in a very short period of time from paper to Electronic Health Records (EHR)/Electronic Medical Records (EMR) with legislative help from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which directed focus toward decreasing cost and improving quality of healthcare in a paperless fashion. The focus of medical data changed from development of diagnostic tools to management of digital, hand-held tools now addressed by IT professionals rather than biomedical “techs” and “engineers” within the medical field who operated and maintained equipment. The advancement from analog machinery to digital data has helped with both diagnostics and quality of data, however, “a one size fits all approach is not adequate to reach the Triple Aim of improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care” (Wong et al., 2017, p. 01). As Shi & Singh have stated it, “Medical Technology has brought numerous benefits to modern civilization. These benefits, however, have come at a price – a price that society has to pay”, (2019, p. 101).

How Has Health Informatics Evolved from Concept

to Discipline or Specialty.

Healthcare informatics began as a process for evaluation methodology to combine the medical application of computerized data mining, and engineering and bring together the work of medical professionals in “research, education and practice” (Morris, 1986, p. 778). The history of medical informatics dates back some 30 years prior to Morris’ work on the origins of discovery science in the 1950’s through the research phase during the 1960’s, and to the working phase as a specialty in the 1970’s.

My exposure to some of the early workings of the digital age came through associations and operation of machinery as it was introduced and maintained by the internal departments of “Biomed” and “Bio Engineering” departments in the hospitals and clinical settings during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Many of these practitioners studied at Masters and Doctorate levels as the departments that used to be the experts on the operation and usage of the technology of the time, have now given way to the digital age, in which most paramedical professionals can use and decipher the information. Computers are inherently ever changing as a tool in automation and as a nursing tool (Nelson, 2020).

Today, CNA’s and CMA’s now often use small EKG machines in an exam room setting as part of the data gathered for routine checks during patient updates prior to a PCP visit. However, the model of interaction and interrelationship between humans and machines, and the quest of informatics has not changed, and remains rooted in Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom as the curve of time extends – DIKW – remains the pathway of application (Nelson, 2020). The Internet of Things, (IoT) has made a great difference in how the data is shared and stored.

The Importance of the Formation of Professional Organizations

and Educational Programs in Advancing Health Informatics as a Field

The healthcare informatics community has made strides to provide recognition and credentialing for professionals who choose to follow a career in medical technologies. For instance, the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM, CIIP) has” launched” a program to certify practitioners in the imaging sector of medical tech (Socia, 2006, p. 6). Similarly, Radiologic Techs (ARRT) endure psychometric testing and credentialing as well. Likewise, the sector has been busy making strides to bring professional recognition and capacity to the field through subspecialty recognition through efforts undertaken by The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This bolsters the field through training, certification, and supplies the work force with clinically applied informatics professionals.

With a biblical perspective to consider, aimed at serving others and carrying the mission forward, professional medical practitioners of all fields are much like the disciple carrying the mission forward after they spent time with the teacher, and are taking the mission to all corners of the field to spread the mission to the future (Acts 1:8, ESV), there is no better model to carry the mission forward and build.

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References

Braunstein, M. L. (2014). Contemporary health informatics. Chicago, IL: American Health Information Management Association. ISBN: 9781584260318.

Collen, M. F. (1986). Origins of medical informatics. Western Journal of Medicine, 145(6), 778.

Crossway. (2001). Holy Bible: English standard version. Crossway Books.

Nelson, Ramona, PhD, BCRN,A.N.E.F., F.A.A.N. (2020). Informatics: Evolution of the Nelson Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom Model: Part 2. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 25(3), 1-4. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.3912/OJIN.Vol25No03Inf°Col01

Shanholtzer, M.B. & Ozanich, G. (2016). Health Information Management and Technology (1st ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. ISBN: 9781259676758.

Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2019). Essentials of the U.S. HealthCare system (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Socia, C. W. (2006). Credentialing imaging informatics professionals: Creation of items for the CIIP examination. Journal of Digital Imaging, 19(S1), 6-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-006-0931-y

Wong, Z. S., Nohr, C., Kuziemsky, C. E., Leung, E., & Chen, F. (2017). Context Sensitive Health Informatics: Delivering 21st Century Healthcare – Building a Quality-and-Efficiency Driven System. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 241, 1-5. https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/eh…